Legendary rock band ANGEL has signed a deal with Cleopatra Records. Original members Punky Meadows and Frank DiMino, along with current member Danny Farrow (rhythm guitar), have written 14 brand new songs for the album, which they will begin recording in April. The tracks are described in a press release as "very diverse, ranging from songs that are very melodic with real strong hooks to much heavier songs that contain great melodies and will have the classic ANGEL sound." The press release adds: "This album will appeal to all ANGEL fans of every era and previous albums." Meadows said: "I am real excited to be making a new album and signing with Cleopatra. I strongly believe this will be one of our best and really want to give ANGEL fans something special. Can't wait to rock you on tour at a city near you." Added DiMino: "Writing and recording a new ANGEL record is always exciting, and having a new partnership with Cleopatra Records makes it even more special. Really looking forward to a new tour, a new record, and a new partnership." Farrow said: "Punky and Frank are sounding incredible. The songs are coming together really amazing and I can't stop singing them. There will be something on this new album for every ANGEL fan and more." Rounding out ANGEL FEATURING PUNKY MEADOWS AND FRANK DIMINO's current lineup are Charlie Calv (keyboards), Steve Ojane (bass) and Billy Orrico (drums). ANGEL will kick off a U.S. tour on April 11, with European shows to follow in August. DiMino broke the news of ANGEL's reactivation in a Facebook post this past January. He wrote: "Having our own solo projects and performing on each other’s records led to a natural progression to assemble the side project, PUNKY MEADOWS & FRANK DIMINO OF ANGEL. This led to a very successful 2018 tour. The great chemistry we experienced has led us to our next journey of writing and performing together and to enter the New Year as ANGEL FEATURING PUNKY MEADOWS AND FRANK DIMINO. "The band consisting of Punky, Frank, Danny, Charlie, Billy and Steve will return wearing white and performing a full ANGEL set." ANGEL was discovered in a nightclub by none other than Gene Simmons of KISS, a man who had (and still has) a knack for finding and nurturing talent. ANGEL was also known for their androgynous look and dressing all in white, a pure yin-yang contrast to KISS's own all-black clothing and elaborate stage outfits. In 1975, the glam-rockers were signed to the home label for KISS, Casablanca Records, ultimately releasing six albums (five studio, one live) uninterrupted between 1975-80 that mixed the best elements of glam, hard rock, and pure unadulterated fist-pumping melodic singalongs. While ANGEL never quite achieved success as their labelmates KISS did, they left their mark on in-the-know rock fans of the era with tracks like the hard-driving "Rock & Rollers", "Tower", the perennial holiday favorite "The Winter Song", and their key contribution to the soundtrack of the Jodie Foster-starring 1980 teen drama "Foxes", "20th Century Foxes". The lineup for their self-titled 1975 debut, "Angel", consisted of guitarist Punky Meadows, bassist Mickie Jones, vocalist Frank DiMino, keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, and drummer Barry Brandt. This lineup recorded two more albums, 1976's "Helluva Band" and 1977's "On Earth As It Is In Heaven", after which Jones would be replaced on bass by Felix Robinson. Two more solid studio efforts, 1978's "White Hot" and 1979's "Sinful", ensued before the release of a stellar live set, 1980's "Live Without A Net". ANGEL started to fall apart in the early 1980s after Casablanca pulled the plug on the group due in part to disappointing album sales. In 1981, Robinson and DiMino left to pursue other projects. Meadows and Giuffria tried to keep ANGEL going and came close to landing a record deal with CBS. But it didn't pan out, and ANGEL finally disbanded. Last August, Caroline/UMe saluted the core output of ANGEL with "Angel: The Casablanca Years". This ascendant, band-approved seven-CD box set featured the Washington, D.C.-bred glam/rock outfit's six albums that were released on Neil Bogart's legendary Casablanca Records label, in addition to a seventh disc that contains mono mixes, single edits, soundtrack contributions, and other rarities. ANGEL expert Dave Reynolds contributed insightful liner notes to the box set's included 28-page booklet, which also featured rare photos and other memorabilia.
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