Angel Dust

Hailing from Dortmund, Germany, heavy metal quintet Angel Dust originally began life in the '80s as a thrash outfit. They recorded two albums, 1988's Into the Dark Past and 1989's To Dust You Will Decay, before disbanding due to personality conflicts. However, the band's rhythm section -- drummer Dirk Assmuth and bassist Frank Banx -- spearheaded an improbable comeback in 1998, recruiting new vocalist Dirk Thurisch, guitarist Bernd Aufermann, and keyboardist Steven Banx. Sporting a similar but slightly retooled sound that drew from British power metal, the reconstituted Angel Dust toured and signed to Century Media, which released the Europe-only Border of Reality (also in 1998). Bleed, the group's first album to be released and distributed in the U.S., appeared the following year, and the group returned again in the summer of 2000 with Enlighten the Darkness. Border of Reality appeared the following spring. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide