Angelical Tears
American symphonic gothic metal band from Oklahoma City, formed in 2007.
Angelical Tears, an American symphonic gothic metal band with rock and alternative influences, was founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2007. Their sound has drawn comparisons to Evanescence.
The band began as a dream of vocalist Julia Flansburg and bass guitarist Glenn Flansburg in the summer of 2007. That October, they recruited drummer Brandon Fields and lead guitarist Jose Gabaldon. Their first performance came in April 2008 at 97.1 FM The Buzz's Annual March Bandness of Rock, where new guitarist Tal Raz had replaced Jose. The band reached the final four of the competition and continued playing around Oklahoma City. By June 2008, Sean Doyle had joined on guitar and David Baker on keyboards. Tal left in September and was replaced by Mark Johnson. The band went on hiatus in December after learning Julia was pregnant. They regrouped in early 2009 with a new drummer, Tanner Hodgkinson. The next few years saw frequent guitar changes. Mark left in January 2009 to join Horse Called War, replaced by Jordan Barbour. Sean left in August 2009, replaced by current guitarist Steven Bittle; Tanner also left that month, replaced by John Kenerson.
Recording for an EP began in December 2009. In November, Jordan left for personal reasons and was replaced by Derek Teague, a classmate of Glenn's. Soon after, David left for work reasons, and Jennifer Corbin finished the recording. The band performed over thirty shows in 2010. In August 2010, they released their first studio recording, a six-song EP. Shortly after, John left and Tanner returned on drums. A distribution deal with BlueFreya brought the EP to Australian stores in November 2010, where it received favorable reviews.
In February 2011, Jennifer left and David returned temporarily on keyboards. May 2011 was busy: Robby Ray joined as full-time keyboardist, Tanner left and was replaced by Jeremy "JC" Clifton (formerly of Horse Called War) on drums, and Derek left to pursue college in Nashville. The band played at Dame-Nation in Chicago, Illinois, on July 29, 2011. Their second album, *The Eleventh Hour*, was self-released on June 23, 2012, with thirteen tracks including two bonus tracks. In May 2013, JC left the band. A tentative agreement was made to work with former Where Angels Fall drummer Ole Kristian Løvberg for their next album, due in 2014.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
- Genre
- Gothic metal, symphonic metal
- Years Active
- 2007 – present
- Label
- http: · www.bluefreya.com/, http: · www.liquid-tree.com
- Current Members
- Julia Flansburg / Steven Bittle / Glenn Flansburg
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the summer of 2007 vocalist Julia Flansburg and bass guitarist Glenn Flansburg dreamed of having their own band. Their dream was fulfilled in October of that year when they found a drummer, Brandon Fields, and lead guitarist, Jose Gabaldon. In April 2008 the band had their first performance for 97.1 FM The Buzz's Annual March Bandness of Rock, with a new guitarist, Tal Raz, who had replaced Jose. The band made it to the final four of the competition. Encouraged, the band continued to perform in the Oklahoma City area. By June 2008, Sean Doyle joined on guitar and David Baker on keyboards. In September, Tal left the band and was replaced by Mark Johnson. In December, the band took time off upon learning Julia was pregnant. The band reformed with a new drummer, Tanner Hodgkinson, in early 2009. The following couple of years proved difficult and the line up on guitars changed frequently. In January 2009 Mark left the band to join Horse Called War. He was replaced by Jordan Barbour. Several shows were played during the early months of 2009. Sean left the band in August 2009 and was replaced by current guitarist Steven Bittle. Also, Tanner left the band the same month and was replaced by John Kenerson. Recording of an EP began in December 2009. But while preparing for the recording in November, Jordan had to leave the band for personal reasons. He was replaced by a classmate of Glenn's, Derek Teague. Shortly afterward, David had to leave the band for work related reasons. He was soon replaced by Jennifer Corbin, who finished up the recording. Throughout the busy year of 2010, more than 30 shows were performed. In August 2010, the band released their first studio recording, a six-song EP. Shortly afterwards, John left the band and Tanner was brought back to play the drums. A distribution deal was made with BlueFreya to bring the new album to music stores in Australia in November 2010. The album was well received and claimed many well favored reviews. In February 2011, Jennifer left the band and David was brought back again to play the keyboards until a permanent replacement could be found. May 2011 was a busy month for the band. Robby Ray was brought in as the full-time replacement for keyboards. Tanner left the band and was replaced by Jeremy 'JC' Clifton, formerly of 'Horse Called War', as the new drummer.
Reader's Guide
The band's discography includes a six-song EP released in August 2010 and the studio album The Eleventh Hour, self-released on June 23, 2012. A single 'Once Upon a Time' was released in 2018. Current members are Julia Flansburg (vocals), Steven Bittle (guitars/vocals), Glenn Flansburg (bass), and Ole Kristian Løvberg (drums/programming). Former members include numerous guitarists, drummers, and keyboardists.
Did You Know?
- The band's first performance was for 97.1 FM The Buzz's Annual March Bandness of Rock in April 2008, where they reached the final four.
- The band took a break in December 2008 after learning vocalist Julia Flansburg was pregnant.
- Their EP was distributed in Australia through a deal with BlueFreya in November 2010.
- The Eleventh Hour album contains 13 tracks including two bonus tracks.
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