Angel Dust (originally Angeldust) is a German heavy metal band from

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. Initially active from 1984 to 1990 as a

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and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band, they moved towards a

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progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

sound upon reforming in 1998.

History

Initial career (1984–1990)

Angel Dust formed in

in 1984 as a typical

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. They took their name from a song title off English

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

band

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's debut album ''

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''. The band's musical style was initially heavily influenced by the

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

and

Bay Area thrash metal Bay Area thrash metal (also known as Bay Area thrash) referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene ...

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.

Reunion (1998–2011)

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 towards

, 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 lineup changes significantly reduced the band's activities. However, Angel Dust are still active, and have "enter dthe studio n March of 2006to 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.

Second reunion (2016–present)

A second reunion was announced in September 2016. Pictures were posted to the band's

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page on 9 October 2017 announcing the recording of a new album. On 17 December 2018, the band announced via Facebook that the new album would be titled ''Ghosts'', but they had not decided on a release date yet. On 21 October 2020, an announcement was made by the band via Facebook they had begun recording the new album the day before. Work on the album seems to be very slow, though, as on 25 December 2024, the band announced that unfortunately the production of “Ghosts” is still not fully finished, but that more news on the subject would follow in January. However, as of 8 June 2025, Angel Dust had not released any further updates on “Ghosts”.

Members

Current lineup

* Dirk Assmuth – drums (1984–1990, 1997–2011, 2016–present) * Marc Herrmann – bass (2020–present) * Bernd Aufermann – guitar (1997–2001, 2004–2011, 2016–present) * Dirk Thurisch – vocals (1997–2005, 2010–2011, 2016–present) * Boris Odenkirchen – keyboards (2016–present)

Former members

* Frank Banx – bass (1984–1990, 1997–2003, 2016–2020; died 2022) * S.L. Coe – vocals (1988–1990) * Romme Keymer – guitar, vocals (1984–1987) * Andreas Lohrum – guitars (1984–1987) * Vinny Lynn – guitar (1988–1990) * Stefan K. Nauer – guitar (1988–1990) * Steven Banx – keyboards (1997–2011) * Ritchie Wilkison – guitar (2001–2003) * Carsten Kaiser – vocals (2005–2010) * Christian Pohlmann – bass (2004–2011)

Timeline

Discography

* ''Into the Dark Past'' (1986, Disaster) * ''To Dust You Will Decay'' (1988, Disaster) * '' Border of Reality'' (1998,

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) * '' Bleed'' (1999, Century Media) * '' Enlighten the Darkness'' (2000, Century Media) * ''Of Human Bondage'' (2001, Century Media)

References

External links

Official website
* *
Angel Dust
at

Encyclopaedia Metallum Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angel Dust German musical quintets German speed metal musical groups German power metal musical groups German progressive metal musical groups German thrash metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musical groups reestablished in 1998 1984 establishments in West Germany