Angel Dust (band)
| Angel Dust | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dortmund, Germany |
| Genres |
Speed metal Thrash metal (early) Power metal (later) Progressive metal |
| Years active | 1984–1990, 1998–2011 2016-present |
| Labels | Disaster, Century Media |
| Associated acts | Mercury Tide |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | Dirk Thurisch Bernd Aufermann Christian Polhmann Steven Banx Dirk Assmuth |
| Past members | S.L. Coe Carsten Kaiser Romme Keymer Andreas Lohrum Vinny Lynn Stefan K. Nauer Ritchie Wilkison Frank Banx |
Angel Dust (originally Angeldust) are a German heavy metal band. Initially active from 1984 to 1990 as speed and thrash metal band, they dropped their thrash roots in favor of a power/progressive metal sound upon reforming in 1998.
Angel Dust formed in Dortmund, Germany in 1984 as a typical garage band. They took their name from a song title off English black metal band Venom's debut album Welcome To Hell. The band's musical style was initially heavily influenced by the new wave of British heavy metal and Bay Area thrash metal scenes. They soon found their niche in the speed and thrash metal styles, which were widely popular at the time. The band released their debut studio album, Into the Dark Past, in 1986, and followed it up with To Dust You Will Decay, released in 1988. The band broke up in 1990 due to internal conflicts.
Although all members had gone their separate ways, founding member Frank Banx had no desire to let the Angel Dust name die. In 1998, Banx, and original drummer Dirk Assmuth, gathered a completely new lineup (including Frank Banx' younger brother Steven Banx on keyboards) to start from scratch. This reincarnation would handle music differently, shifting dramatically towards progressive metal, and would consequently gain a solid reputation in Europe.
After releasing a few successful albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a series of line-up changes significantly reduced the band's activities. However, Angel Dust are still active, and have "enter[ed] the studio [in March of 2006] to record the long awaited successor from Of Human Bondage."
The band's first two albums are now rare metal collectibles. They were reissued unofficially in very limited quantities in late 2002-2003, with no label or copyright info and with two bonus tracks each.
A second reunion was announced in September 2016.
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