Kev Rowland Angel, the band who burned hot and fast in the Seventies, before a new version tried again at the turn of the century, are back with their second album since they reformed in 2018 with original singer Frank DiMino and original guitarist Punky Meadows. The rest of the band is still Danny Farrow (rhythm guitars), Charlie Calv (keyboards), Steve Ojane (bass) and Billy Orrico (drums) and there is no doubt whatsoever that they are continuing the Angel legacy with style and aplomb. As soon as I saw the artwork I was intrigued as this has much more in common with the style I expect, far more glamorous than the last one where although the band were again on the cover in white, it felt way more hard-edged. The logo is at the top, the band here have fantastical imagery behind, and the whole impression is much more of a Seventies feel.

I wish there were a few more keyboards throughout, but tracks such as “Psyclone” find the band blasting as if it were the old days once again, and while neither Punky or Frank are in the first flushes of youth anymore (they must be in their Seventies now), this is a real blast from the past. Frank still gets up into the high ranges with seeming ease, while Punky shows he is far more than just someone to be sung about by Frank Zappa, and has a powerful control of riffs and licks. The first time I played this album I enjoyed it but was not too sure, but the more I have listened to it the more I have come to realise this is probably their best album since the mighty ‘Helluva Band’ all the way back in 1976. Here we have hard rock pomp from a band who refuse to give up and are still out there pounding the boards and creating great music, from ballads through to powering rockers which show others there is no need to sit back and rest but to keep pushing through to the end. I would love to hear these guys invite Gregg Giuffria back into the fold for one last time to bring back their truly classic sound, but there is no doubt they are doing well without him, as this is classic Angel from beginning to end.

Kev Rowland Back in 1978 I was given a cassette by a mate of mine to see what I thought of the music. It was the new greatest hits collection by a band I had never heard of, and as this was a good old TDK-90 there were no images. I took it home and that night fell in love with the music of Kiss, and the compilation ‘Double Platinum’. It was quite a shock when I first saw what they looked like to be honest. As well as soon being a fully paid up member of the Kiss Army when it launched in the UK, I not only was wearing a denim jacket with Kiss emblazoned across the back, and buying every album I could find by the band, but was also seeking out bands that had some connection. That was how I came across Van Halen, but the band which really made the impact on me was Angel. Signed to the same label as Kiss due to being discovered by Gene Simmons, there was something about their melodic heavy keyboard-driven music which fascinated me. The first album I bought was ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’, but quickly realised that their masterpiece was ‘Heluuva Band’. Frank DiMino had an amazing voice, Punky Meadows had great licks while in Gregg Giuffria they had one of the greatest pomp keyboard players. But they burned hot and they burned fast, and by 1981 it was all over. Giuffria made a name for himself with his own band and in House of Lords, but I was saddened by the loss of the band who I felt never really gained the acclaim they deserved,

I never lost my love for Angel, and in the Nineties when my daughters were looking for a present for me, I asked for the import double CD set ‘Live Without A Net’. There was another album in 1999, but although singer Frank DiMino and drummer Barry Brandt gave it some authenticity it just didn’t have the impact or passion I expected. So when an email turned up in my inbox a few weeks ago offering me the new Angel album I was totally shocked as I wasn’t aware that Punky and Frank had been working together again after all this time as I thought that Punky had left the music business altogether. Checking the web I can see he did, but returned with an album in 2015 which featured among others Danny Farrow (rhythm guitar, vocals) and keyboard player Charlie Calv, who along with bassist Steve Ojane, and drummer Billy Orrico comprise the new line-up.

Even before I listened to it, I looked at the cover and it just made me smile. At the top there is the ambigrammatic logo (it looks the same upside down), and there are all the band dressed in white staring at the photographer, just as they did on all their original albums (apart from the debut). Punky just doesn’t look his 69 years, and if Zappa was still around today, I am sure he would enjoy penning a sequel to “Punky’s Whips”. If the cover took me back to being a teenager once again, the music did so even more. The keyboards aren’t quite so front and centre as they used to be, but Frank is singing as well as ever, and Punky is relishing the opportunity to be more central than when he was always vying with Gregg for musical dominance. There are also now two guitars in the line-up, whereas there only used to be one, so it is no surprise they have come more to the fore.

The production is superb, and the hooks are there for all to hear. It isn’t a perfect album, in that there are a few places where it drags, but if this was edited down to the length of their albums in the late Seventies then I am sure we would be asking exactly where it sits in the pantheon. Would it be above ‘Sinful’? Probably, but although it wouldn’t topple ‘Helluva Band’, it would be pushing hard. Talking of which, my favourite song from the band has always been “The Tower”, so I was somewhat surprised, and concerned, to see that they had decided to re-record that as the closer of the 17 numbers . The initial keyboards are quite different, but when the drums come in it is very close indeed to the original, but the band aren’t trying to recreate what was achieved back in 1976, but rather show they understand where they came from.

I have been listening to this a great deal, and while I am fully aware that is probably in many ways because I loved them so much some forty years ago, but this is a great album which certainly doesn’t sound as if they have been away for so long. Angel are still one helluva band.

Kev Rowland Angel were discovered playing in a bar by Gene Simmons, who promptly convinced Casablanca to sign them to provide a totally different image to that of Kiss. A friend had introduced me to the joys of the painted ones, and we both wondered what Angel were like so went out and bought an album each. While I had ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’, my mate had ‘Helluva Band’, and on close musical inspection it was obvious who had the better album. It must be twenty years since I last heard this, and I am indebted to Nick who lent it to me. I had been searching for it on the web (typical, I have since found one for sale), but when doing the index I saw that Nick had reviewed it in the past. An email later and I was playing “The Fortune” and had been transported back in time. So is this just a nostalgia trip on my part or is it any good? The answer has to be certainly the latter. While the rhythm section provided the background, and Punky Meadows the guitar (he was supposedly the inspiration for Zappa’s “Punky’s Whips”) the two highlights of the band had to be keyboard player Gregg Giuffria and vocalist Frank Dimino. Gregg is the only member of the band to have surfaced since their demise, in both Giuffria and House Of Lords. The music was strongly based around his keyboards, giving the hard rock band a much more pomp sound. Frank had one of the highest vocals in rock, more in common with Jon Anderson than any other hard rock singer. The combination of these factors with music that was very melodic although not mainstream gave Angel their own distinctive sound.

Sadly they never gained the fame that they deserved although they did have a few hit singles in the US. Apparently Frank and drummer Barry Brandt got back together and recorded an album under the Angel moniker in 1999, but it came to nothing.