DangerAngel is a Greek band that has gone through numerous lineup changes in their years in the melodic rock scene lately acquiring Brazilian vocalist BJ after spotting him in a joint tour they had with the JSS band. Being the third vocalist in as many albums, BJ answers all of our questions about the band’s latest and greatest “All the King’s Horses”, among other interesting things…
Hi BJ and welcome to Grande Rock. Do tell us… how did you get involved with the DangerAngel? How did they approach you and what made you want to become a member?
BJ: Hello to you too! Well, what happened was that back in 2014, the boys were looking for a new singer and while they were auditioning people for the job, Jeff Scott Soto suggested to me and them at the same time that I should fill that spot. I knew the boys from before, we toured together and we were good friends anyway, so I just recorded a cover for one of their songs (“Falling” I think) to make sure everything sticks and the rest is history. Next day I was the new DangerAngel singer! Looking at the new album, I’m so happy we did this!
Also, did you come in when the album was done or did you help in its writing as well as recording?
BJ: Most of the songs were there in some form but when I came on board we re-did a very big part of them to fit my style and what I brought in the band. They changed a lot from when I got them in my hands to when the final pre-productions were done.
Are you residing in the EU or going back and forth from and to Brazil?
BJ: I live in Brazil, that’s my base. However I’m used to traveling. I’m on tour for the most part of a year, either with SOTO or DangerAngel so I just travel a lot haha!
With 3 different vocalists in 3 albums – weren’t both the band and you afraid that there’s no solid identity? That will change now, right?
BJ: I know of a lot of bands that have changed singers for one reason or another. DangerAngel began forming an identity with “Revolutia”. The new “All the King’s Horses” album is the evolution of that. In that view, changing the singer might have impacted the sound (and it did) but not the identity. If it hadn’t been me it would have been somebody else but the choice would have been made in such a way as to fit the general plan. So, there’s nothing to change and the plan goes on. I think the band’s identity is more clear now than ever and since we all know what we’re doing and since it’s working out very well, we are not really concerned about that anymore. We never were. We know what we want to do and we’re doing it and that’s that. We understand that it might frustrate some people, there will always be people preferring one thing to another but this is who we are now and this is who we will be from now on. In fact, when the band decided to ditch the one guitar and upgrade the keys to take its role that was a much bolder move. It changed the whole structure of the band, the way Ahas is using his keys and his arrangements is something much more substantial to the identity of the band than the singer. That’s where the whole plan was rooted. Today, DangerAngel sounds like nothing else I know. It’s unique in that and we’re building on it. On the other hand, when I came in, we spent a lot of time talking about it, what we wanted the new DangerAngel to sound like. Given that I am a melodic singer and combined with the sound the boys had in mind since “Revolutia”, we went on to make something that can combine both things, a classic melodic voice with the most up to date arrangements and sounds our influences and personal styles allow. I believe that we have come up with something totally fresh and modern but with all the classic hard rock values we carry with us as musicians.
Which are the differences and the similarities among “All the King’s Horses” and the two previous albums?
BJ: Since I wasn’t a part of those first two albums I cannot elaborate too much but I know that there was a big leap between the first two albums. I think that what we can hear in “Revolutia” is something totally different to the first album. I know the boys took a totally different direction for “Revolutia”, we have talked about it a lot. They moved from an 80s sound to a more contemporary sound. However, when they did that it was an absolutely conscious move. They formed a plan of how they want the band to sound thereafter and they stick to that until today. When I became part of DangerAngel the plan was already in motion and I worked with the guys towards that direction and it’s more than evident in the new album.
Where does the album title “All the King’s Horses” refer to?
BJ: It’s the title of one of the songs, of course. In fact this is some kind of a fairy tale, a bed time story, like the stories we tell children of lands far away, in different times, times of kings, armies, horses and monsters. It’s a very nice story and it’s one of my favorites. The whole album is more or less like that. It consists of little individual stories, it doesn’t have a theme per se. For this one, we wanted to write about personal things, thoughts, wishes, desires, regrets, things like that. “Revolutia” was loud in its universal concept and what it was dealing with. This one is more introversion, more personal.
Do give us a hint about each track…
BJ: “To Kill a Saint”: This one is something like a tribute to the 60s-70s TV series called the Saint. It’s titled after one of its episodes and says the same story. Look at the video; it’s like an illustrated “the Saint” show episode.
“Dia de los muertos”: This is a song about the “Day of the Dead”, a religious celebration mainly in the South American catholic faith. It says about someone who has lost a loved one and remembers them during the “Day of the Dead”.
“Dead in the Water”: This is a song about what one feels when reaching a personal dead-end. What one feels when he finds oneself “dead in the water”, with no evident way to move forward, no incentive to proceed. The title holds the meaning of the maritime term, when a ship casts an SOS after its engines have failed in the middle of the ocean. Oh, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Mina Giannopoulou on this one; she does all those fantastic vocals in this song! And it has this industrial feel to it with the keys arrangements; it’s very heavy and modern.
“Who You Are”: This is a song about one’s inner self. The struggle of who you are inside and who you need to be on the outside. The struggle between who you know you are and what you are forced to behave like or look like. In the video, Maria Kolovou does an astonishing job of depicting this struggle. A huge lead-in as well!
“Call My Name”: A simple song really, says about unfulfilled loves or how love never comes when you don’t have the guts to go after it. This one is one of the most popular songs out of the new album. It’s simple, catchy and easy to sing along.
“Best of Me”: This is a song about abuse of any kind. One of the more experimental ones for us, I’m doing a double with DopeMC and his hiphop thing on this one. It’s great!
“All the King’s Horses”: That little bed-time story with a hero, a villain, horses and kings! I love this one! It’s about a beautiful city that has been conquered by an evil king and his raven who terrorizes the city and the people and it will be like that until a hero manages to kill the raven and drive out the king. It’s structured as a waltz and it’s a very richly arranged and orchestrated song, strings, mandolins a great solo by Ethan, it has everything! Oh, it’s the only one that I sing totally alone, no backing vocals in this one!
“Speak to Me”: A song about all the wrong choices we make in life. One of the most inward looking songs in the album.
“Will You Follow”: This one touches the previous album as it talks about social reflexes. Jeff Scott Soto comes up in the middle of the song and builds that huge Queen-like vocal wall in the back!
“How About Right Now”: A relationship that’s ran its course song. This one has some amazing keyboards arrangements by Ahas. Mind blowing!
“Devil’s Waltz”: A song about a sick relationship between two people and how what one called love before can end up dancing here and forth between bad things. A very modern thing, this one, again great work by Ahas on the keyboards, he really sets the mood.
“Hollow Men”: It’s some kind of a thriller, inspired by a Doctor Who episode called the “Whisper Men” and it’s another quite modern song, you can listen to our more 00s influences in this one, things like the Muse, Radiohead, stuff like that.
Where did the recordings take place and who mixed, produced and mastered the album? Are you satisfied with the final outcome?
BJ: Most work was done in Greece while I recorded all of the vocals in Sao Paulo, Brazil in Studio Adura. Everything else was done in the boys personal studios and the whole thing was mixed and mastered by Steve Lado in his studio and what an amazing job he did! That kid is so talented!
Do you think that DangerAngel have finally found the music style that fits them the most and will you continue in that direction in the future as well?
BJ: As I’ve said before, DangerAngel were never looking for a style. We already know what we want to do and we are doing it. It’s a plan in motion so, of course, we will continue like this.
How did the cooperation with Melodic Rock Records come about?
BJ: That’s mostly a management thing but we were looking for something different from what we had before and they came up with a nice offer so we switched. Pretty happy with the choice too!
Touring wise, are there any solid plans? Maybe a tour with JSS?
BJ: What we have now is a one-off show at the Modu in Athens on November 18th. We are also shooting a couple of videos and doing some more promo stuff for the while I will be in Greece. After that I have a scheduled and announced tour with SOTO in January, February and March starting from the US, going on to the Monsters of Rock Cruise and continuing to Europe until mid-March more or less. After that we are working on a DangerAngel European tour but it’s still too early for details.
These days, sales have almost zeroed and to be on a tour you have to pay a lot, if you’re not a big name… so what’s in it for a band like DangerAngel?
BJ: It’s the exposure mainly but we can always attract some money either from ticket sales or, mostly, from merch sales. But it’s also the need to perform our music to different audiences. Most of the magic is gone if you can’t perform live, if you can’t interact with the people that are interested in your kind of music. We’re here to entertain too and we can’t do that without going out there.
Where do you see the band in 5 years and do you think you’ll still be part of it?
BJ: What I can say is that I will definitely be a part of it, haha, if they want me! What we will be doing in five years... hmmm. That’s a tricky one. What I hope we will be doing is making good albums and touring.
BJ: Hello to you too! Well, what happened was that back in 2014, the boys were looking for a new singer and while they were auditioning people for the job, Jeff Scott Soto suggested to me and them at the same time that I should fill that spot. I knew the boys from before, we toured together and we were good friends anyway, so I just recorded a cover for one of their songs (“Falling” I think) to make sure everything sticks and the rest is history. Next day I was the new DangerAngel singer! Looking at the new album, I’m so happy we did this!
Also, did you come in when the album was done or did you help in its writing as well as recording?
BJ: Most of the songs were there in some form but when I came on board we re-did a very big part of them to fit my style and what I brought in the band. They changed a lot from when I got them in my hands to when the final pre-productions were done.
Are you residing in the EU or going back and forth from and to Brazil?
BJ: I live in Brazil, that’s my base. However I’m used to traveling. I’m on tour for the most part of a year, either with SOTO or DangerAngel so I just travel a lot haha!
With 3 different vocalists in 3 albums – weren’t both the band and you afraid that there’s no solid identity? That will change now, right?
BJ: I know of a lot of bands that have changed singers for one reason or another. DangerAngel began forming an identity with “Revolutia”. The new “All the King’s Horses” album is the evolution of that. In that view, changing the singer might have impacted the sound (and it did) but not the identity. If it hadn’t been me it would have been somebody else but the choice would have been made in such a way as to fit the general plan. So, there’s nothing to change and the plan goes on. I think the band’s identity is more clear now than ever and since we all know what we’re doing and since it’s working out very well, we are not really concerned about that anymore. We never were. We know what we want to do and we’re doing it and that’s that. We understand that it might frustrate some people, there will always be people preferring one thing to another but this is who we are now and this is who we will be from now on. In fact, when the band decided to ditch the one guitar and upgrade the keys to take its role that was a much bolder move. It changed the whole structure of the band, the way Ahas is using his keys and his arrangements is something much more substantial to the identity of the band than the singer. That’s where the whole plan was rooted. Today, DangerAngel sounds like nothing else I know. It’s unique in that and we’re building on it. On the other hand, when I came in, we spent a lot of time talking about it, what we wanted the new DangerAngel to sound like. Given that I am a melodic singer and combined with the sound the boys had in mind since “Revolutia”, we went on to make something that can combine both things, a classic melodic voice with the most up to date arrangements and sounds our influences and personal styles allow. I believe that we have come up with something totally fresh and modern but with all the classic hard rock values we carry with us as musicians.
Which are the differences and the similarities among “All the King’s Horses” and the two previous albums?
BJ: Since I wasn’t a part of those first two albums I cannot elaborate too much but I know that there was a big leap between the first two albums. I think that what we can hear in “Revolutia” is something totally different to the first album. I know the boys took a totally different direction for “Revolutia”, we have talked about it a lot. They moved from an 80s sound to a more contemporary sound. However, when they did that it was an absolutely conscious move. They formed a plan of how they want the band to sound thereafter and they stick to that until today. When I became part of DangerAngel the plan was already in motion and I worked with the guys towards that direction and it’s more than evident in the new album.
Where does the album title “All the King’s Horses” refer to?
BJ: It’s the title of one of the songs, of course. In fact this is some kind of a fairy tale, a bed time story, like the stories we tell children of lands far away, in different times, times of kings, armies, horses and monsters. It’s a very nice story and it’s one of my favorites. The whole album is more or less like that. It consists of little individual stories, it doesn’t have a theme per se. For this one, we wanted to write about personal things, thoughts, wishes, desires, regrets, things like that. “Revolutia” was loud in its universal concept and what it was dealing with. This one is more introversion, more personal.
Do give us a hint about each track…
BJ: “To Kill a Saint”: This one is something like a tribute to the 60s-70s TV series called the Saint. It’s titled after one of its episodes and says the same story. Look at the video; it’s like an illustrated “the Saint” show episode.
“Dia de los muertos”: This is a song about the “Day of the Dead”, a religious celebration mainly in the South American catholic faith. It says about someone who has lost a loved one and remembers them during the “Day of the Dead”.
“Dead in the Water”: This is a song about what one feels when reaching a personal dead-end. What one feels when he finds oneself “dead in the water”, with no evident way to move forward, no incentive to proceed. The title holds the meaning of the maritime term, when a ship casts an SOS after its engines have failed in the middle of the ocean. Oh, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Mina Giannopoulou on this one; she does all those fantastic vocals in this song! And it has this industrial feel to it with the keys arrangements; it’s very heavy and modern.
“Who You Are”: This is a song about one’s inner self. The struggle of who you are inside and who you need to be on the outside. The struggle between who you know you are and what you are forced to behave like or look like. In the video, Maria Kolovou does an astonishing job of depicting this struggle. A huge lead-in as well!
“Call My Name”: A simple song really, says about unfulfilled loves or how love never comes when you don’t have the guts to go after it. This one is one of the most popular songs out of the new album. It’s simple, catchy and easy to sing along.
“Best of Me”: This is a song about abuse of any kind. One of the more experimental ones for us, I’m doing a double with DopeMC and his hiphop thing on this one. It’s great!
“All the King’s Horses”: That little bed-time story with a hero, a villain, horses and kings! I love this one! It’s about a beautiful city that has been conquered by an evil king and his raven who terrorizes the city and the people and it will be like that until a hero manages to kill the raven and drive out the king. It’s structured as a waltz and it’s a very richly arranged and orchestrated song, strings, mandolins a great solo by Ethan, it has everything! Oh, it’s the only one that I sing totally alone, no backing vocals in this one!
“Speak to Me”: A song about all the wrong choices we make in life. One of the most inward looking songs in the album.
“Will You Follow”: This one touches the previous album as it talks about social reflexes. Jeff Scott Soto comes up in the middle of the song and builds that huge Queen-like vocal wall in the back!
“How About Right Now”: A relationship that’s ran its course song. This one has some amazing keyboards arrangements by Ahas. Mind blowing!
“Devil’s Waltz”: A song about a sick relationship between two people and how what one called love before can end up dancing here and forth between bad things. A very modern thing, this one, again great work by Ahas on the keyboards, he really sets the mood.
“Hollow Men”: It’s some kind of a thriller, inspired by a Doctor Who episode called the “Whisper Men” and it’s another quite modern song, you can listen to our more 00s influences in this one, things like the Muse, Radiohead, stuff like that.
Where did the recordings take place and who mixed, produced and mastered the album? Are you satisfied with the final outcome?
BJ: Most work was done in Greece while I recorded all of the vocals in Sao Paulo, Brazil in Studio Adura. Everything else was done in the boys personal studios and the whole thing was mixed and mastered by Steve Lado in his studio and what an amazing job he did! That kid is so talented!
Do you think that DangerAngel have finally found the music style that fits them the most and will you continue in that direction in the future as well?
BJ: As I’ve said before, DangerAngel were never looking for a style. We already know what we want to do and we are doing it. It’s a plan in motion so, of course, we will continue like this.
How did the cooperation with Melodic Rock Records come about?
BJ: That’s mostly a management thing but we were looking for something different from what we had before and they came up with a nice offer so we switched. Pretty happy with the choice too!
Touring wise, are there any solid plans? Maybe a tour with JSS?
BJ: What we have now is a one-off show at the Modu in Athens on November 18th. We are also shooting a couple of videos and doing some more promo stuff for the while I will be in Greece. After that I have a scheduled and announced tour with SOTO in January, February and March starting from the US, going on to the Monsters of Rock Cruise and continuing to Europe until mid-March more or less. After that we are working on a DangerAngel European tour but it’s still too early for details.
These days, sales have almost zeroed and to be on a tour you have to pay a lot, if you’re not a big name… so what’s in it for a band like DangerAngel?
BJ: It’s the exposure mainly but we can always attract some money either from ticket sales or, mostly, from merch sales. But it’s also the need to perform our music to different audiences. Most of the magic is gone if you can’t perform live, if you can’t interact with the people that are interested in your kind of music. We’re here to entertain too and we can’t do that without going out there.
Where do you see the band in 5 years and do you think you’ll still be part of it?
BJ: What I can say is that I will definitely be a part of it, haha, if they want me! What we will be doing in five years... hmmm. That’s a tricky one. What I hope we will be doing is making good albums and touring.
Time for our “weird questions”!!! How did you come up with the name DangerAngel initially?
BJ: I have no idea. Way before my time. Last time I heard something about it, the rest of the gang don’t have a clue.
If you could “erase” one thing from modern music, what would it be?
BJ: I don’t know... Can’t think of a thing really. Music is a constant flow; today’s modern is tomorrow obsolete, so maybe until I decide it won’t be that modern anymore.
Top 3 comedy movies of any era?
BJ: “The Party” with Peter Sellers, “Borat” and “Meet the Parents”…
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
BJ: Journey’s “Escape”. I just love everything about that band and that album.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
BJ: Oh I don’t know, I’m scared of aliens...
Fill in the phrase… “Hard Rock wouldn’t have evolved the way it did, if it hadn’t been for…”
BJ: 42... isn’t that the answer to everything?
Which are the best 3 Hard Rock albums of all time according to you?
BJ: If it’s hard rock we’re talking about then it should be “Appetite for Destruction” by the Guns ‘n Roses, “Slippery When Wet” by Bon Jovi and anything from Journey’s classic lineup but you’re really pushing me here, haha…
Which do you consider to be the best male & female vocalist in metal history?
BJ: Steve Perry is my all-time favorite singer but who can just leave Glen Hughes out of any list. As far as female singers go I think I can’t think of anyone else than Janis even though she had nothing to do with Metal, but she influenced so many people so she can fit right in there.
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
BJ: I don’t need anything from the past and I kind of like surprises so I think I’ll just stay put.
What’s the worst thing you one can say right after sex?
BJ: “Ooops sorry... damned beans...”!
Which character from the “Game of Thrones” would you have been – if you lived in the Seven Kingdoms?
BJ: I don’t know! Who’s the best singer? What I’d say to HBO though is cancel that shit and bring back Vinyl!
Imagine that your wife partner is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
BJ: Well, I’m a married man so as much as I love my music, peace of mind and nag free afternoons are much better than CDs...
We have finally come to an end BJ. Thx for talking to Grande Rock. Wish you the best for the future to come. Take care dude!
BJ: Thank you for having me! Can’t wait to meet you guys in Athens in November at the Modu!!! I can answer more of your “weird questions”!!! (i.n.: I’m sure you can!)
PS: Special thx to Rockavlon for his help…