Posted by Of Couch Crashes and Chaos Tours
Interviewed in Tilburg, April 10, 2002 Written up by Nicky N. Meyer & interview conducted by C. Erhard
It wasn’t meant to go this way. I wasn’t on the guest list, Dirk was supposed to be my interviewee, and the only thing going according to plan was the chaos. But then again, chaos and I – we go way back. Tour manager Sascha got me in and handed me off to Steven and Frank Banx, because Dirk was sick and curled up on a backstage couch like a particularly metal throw pillow. And so, what followed was a wonderfully weird, wonderfully loud conversation with Angel Dust.
✦ Inside the Duststorm: Steven & Frank Banx Tag Team the Mic
Steven greets me with jokes: “What do you want to know—my shoe size? Neck circumference?”
I shoot back: “I want to know things. For reasons.”
He nods gravely. “Then I say… red.” Frank adds, “Blood sausage.” Dirk mumbles something historical. It’s already off the rails, and we haven’t started.
It’s Steven and Frank taking point. Steven’s brotherly intro? “Frank used to defend me when people beat me up. He destroyed my enemies. The Destroyer. And then usually got beaten up himself.” Dirk groans theatrically from the couch. The vibe is ridiculous, irreverent, and very, very metal.
As for the new album? “This one came together differently,” Steven explains. “After Bernd left, we reoriented. Our new guitarist Ritchie lives in the US, so we wrote and shared riffs online. Dirk and I laid the groundwork, passed ideas to the rhythm section, and pieced things together from Ritchie’s demos. He came over two weeks before recording—we rehearsed, finalized everything, and polished things up in the studio.”
Frank, mock-interviewing Steven like a late-night host, asks the big one: will this album be their breakthrough?
Steven laughs. “In this genre, commercial success is always tricky. But I think this is one of our strongest records. Sales-wise, it’ll beat the others. Whether that counts as a breakthrough depends on who you ask.”
Tour life? “Best-organized tour we’ve had,” Steven says. “Great crew, supportive of all bands. Fans are showing up in big numbers—over a thousand in some places. That’s a first for us.”
Touring the US, though? A different beast. “The scene is smaller. We were in a van that broke down outside Toronto in the middle of a highway. Cops came, we were towed, arrived late to the gig, played three songs. Eventually we got a camper van to live in. It was… less glamorous than Europe’s nightliners.”
Steven deadpans, “We toured by inline skates and bicycles. Salt flats are tricky on skates.”
✦ Metal, McDonald’s, and Misery (But Make It Fun)
“Food costs kill you,” Steven says. “Two meals a day for eight people at Denny’s or Wendy’s? $100 gone like that. Every day. For five weeks.”
I ask where touring is more fun. Frank votes America, Spain, Greece—cue laughter.
Steven elaborates. “Audiences in the States are hungry. The shows were hard, but rewarding. The women were… nice.” (Cue guilty grin.)
The Rhapsody tour pairing raised eyebrows. “Didn’t think it’d work,” Steven admits. “Not my taste—fantasy metal—but they’re talented, and the sound guy is top-notch.”
Frank adds, “We thought we’d be too dark for this tour—less glitter, more growl—but the mix works. AT VANCE bridges the gap.”
✦ Brothers in (Metal) Arms
“People always ask what it’s like being in a band with your brother,” Frank says.
Steven shrugs. “It’s fine. We’re just bandmates. But it’s wild—I was 8 when Angel Dust’s first album dropped. I showed off the LP at school. No one believed me. Now I’ve been in the band four years and do most of the songwriting.”
Frank smiles. “Steven’s not the little brother anymore. Everyone contributes equally. No one dictates. That’s the Angel Dust way.”
✦ What’s Next: Festivals, Families, and Frustrations
Plans? “Tour, Greece with ANVIL, Metal DayZ in Switzerland. But no Wacken or Bang Your Head this year. We talked to Wacken—nothing came of it. Sweden Rock might happen.”
On finances: “We can’t live off Angel Dust alone. I do graphic design—layouts, covers, that sort of thing. I made the last two album covers. The images inspire the music, and the music inspires the images. It’s all part of the process.”
Videos? “Maybe live footage from LA on the next album or the website.”
Tour diaries? “We’re filming bits every day. Might end up somewhere.”
Family life? “I don’t have one,” Steven jokes. “But Banx makes it work. It’s hard, but his family’s supportive.”
✦ Final Words
As the band preps for their gig, I wrap up. The chaos, the comedy, the couch-bound Dirk—it all made for one of the most fun interviews I’ve done. Angel Dust may be a band of contrasts, but one thing is clear: these guys are in it together, and they’re doing it their way.
Stay loud.
Nicky N. Meyer