Biography
Employing a striking fusion of glam rock, hard rock, and progressive rock, Angel stood out among mid-'70s and early-'80s arena acts through their flamboyant white-satin stage attire and extravagant live spectacles. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons discovered the band, leading to their self-titled debut album in 1975 on Casablanca Records, which leaned more toward prog rock than the glam-pop direction of later releases such as On Earth as It Is in Heaven (1977) and Sinful (1979). The original members parted ways in 1981, yet Angel resurfaced in the late '90s with a revised roster and issued the studio albums In the Beginning (1999), Risen (2019), and Once Upon a Time (2023).
Washington, D.C.-born Angel cut their 1975 debut for the flamboyant Casablanca label—also home to Kiss—with Frank DiMino handling vocals, Punky Meadows on guitar (ex-BUX), Gregg Giuffria on keyboards, Mickie Jones on bass (ex-BUX), and Barry Brandt on drums. This dense slab of heavy pomp rock featured extended tracks drenched in Giuffria's atmospheric keyboards and spotlighted the enduring live staple "Tower," then gave way in 1976 to Helluva Band, which retained the same sonic approach while first displaying the group's signature white satin outfits on its cover art. On Earth as It Is in Heaven marked a clear stylistic pivot toward a pop/rock sensibility and unveiled an ingenious logo readable identically when inverted.
White Hot arrived in 1978 after Felix Robinson replaced Jones; Eddie Leonetti's supportive production helped generate modest U.S. chart entries with "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" and "The Winter Song." Leonetti went on to helm both Sinful and the concert recording Live Without a Net. Despite strong live draw, Angel's record sales lagged, and a contractual conflict with PolyGram precipitated their 1981 dissolution. Giuffria tried to resurrect the group in 1984, but the failed effort instead spawned the more prosperous House of Lords; Robinson, for his part, joined an early White Lion configuration and also played with 707. Brandt and DiMino revived Angel in the late '90s, enlisting guitarist and songwriter Richard Marcello for In the Beginning and coaxing Robinson and Meadows to contribute to the track "Set Me Free."
The band played sporadically through the early 2000s and put out several compilation packages. Founding bassist Mickie Jones succumbed to liver cancer in 2009. Punky Meadows issued the solo album Fallen Angel in 2016, and in 2018 he and DiMino toured as Frank DiMino & Punky Meadows of Angel. The following year the group officially regrouped, with Meadows and DiMino now joined by Danny Farrow, Steve E. Ojane, Billy Orrico, and Charlie Calv; the reactivated lineup delivered their seventh studio album, Risen, that October. Cleopatra released Once Upon a Time in 2023, which featured the high-energy single "It's Alright."
Washington, D.C.-born Angel cut their 1975 debut for the flamboyant Casablanca label—also home to Kiss—with Frank DiMino handling vocals, Punky Meadows on guitar (ex-BUX), Gregg Giuffria on keyboards, Mickie Jones on bass (ex-BUX), and Barry Brandt on drums. This dense slab of heavy pomp rock featured extended tracks drenched in Giuffria's atmospheric keyboards and spotlighted the enduring live staple "Tower," then gave way in 1976 to Helluva Band, which retained the same sonic approach while first displaying the group's signature white satin outfits on its cover art. On Earth as It Is in Heaven marked a clear stylistic pivot toward a pop/rock sensibility and unveiled an ingenious logo readable identically when inverted.
White Hot arrived in 1978 after Felix Robinson replaced Jones; Eddie Leonetti's supportive production helped generate modest U.S. chart entries with "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" and "The Winter Song." Leonetti went on to helm both Sinful and the concert recording Live Without a Net. Despite strong live draw, Angel's record sales lagged, and a contractual conflict with PolyGram precipitated their 1981 dissolution. Giuffria tried to resurrect the group in 1984, but the failed effort instead spawned the more prosperous House of Lords; Robinson, for his part, joined an early White Lion configuration and also played with 707. Brandt and DiMino revived Angel in the late '90s, enlisting guitarist and songwriter Richard Marcello for In the Beginning and coaxing Robinson and Meadows to contribute to the track "Set Me Free."
The band played sporadically through the early 2000s and put out several compilation packages. Founding bassist Mickie Jones succumbed to liver cancer in 2009. Punky Meadows issued the solo album Fallen Angel in 2016, and in 2018 he and DiMino toured as Frank DiMino & Punky Meadows of Angel. The following year the group officially regrouped, with Meadows and DiMino now joined by Danny Farrow, Steve E. Ojane, Billy Orrico, and Charlie Calv; the reactivated lineup delivered their seventh studio album, Risen, that October. Cleopatra released Once Upon a Time in 2023, which featured the high-energy single "It's Alright."
Albums
Once Upon A Time
2023
Helluva Band
2006
An Anthology
1992
Sinful
1979
White Hot
1978
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
1977
Angel
1975
Singles
