Italy’s Dying Awkward Angel are sharpening the blades once more with their upcoming album, The Missing Frame, out August 22nd via Rockshots Records. Built on years of hard-earned grit and unwavering loyalty to melodic death metal’s roots, the new material is a raging return, loaded with ferocity, feeling, and sheer metal finesse.
Founded in 1998 by Edoardo Demuro and Ivan Longo, the band took inspiration from the titans of the ‘90s scene—think At The Gates, Carcass, Dark Tranquillity, and Slayer—but added their own intensity and emotional depth into the mix. Over the years, they’ve pushed that foundation into new territories, fusing old-school aggression with modern production and biting commentary. With singles like “Music Kills”, “The Magical World of the Dead”, and now the devastating “9.99”, Dying Awkward Angel are sounding sharper, darker, and more vital than ever.
Before The Missing Frame drops this August, I had the chance to catch up with guitarist Demuro Edoardo to talk about the band’s evolution, the themes behind the new record, and what lies ahead for these longtime torchbearers of Italian melodeath.
INTERVIEW WITH DEMURO EDOARDO – DYING AWKWARD ANGEL
1. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview! For those who may be new to Dying Awkward Angel, can you give us a quick introduction to the band—how it all began and how you’d describe your sound today?
Hello Crannk, thank you very much!
Dying Awkward Angel starts at the end of the 90s by me (Edo).
In the beginning, we had only two things in mind: destroy everything and the chicks 😊
The influences were thrash metal (Bay Area) and North European melodic death metal.
To describe our sound, I would say Melodic Death Metal, but I hate labels and genre, in my mind, I always blend classical music with metal. In the years we were also influenced by modern approaches like breakdown, synth and stuff like that, but we used them to achieve a goal: emotions.
2. Your upcoming album The Missing Frame is set to drop in August via Rockshots Records. What can fans expect from this release both sonically and thematically?
I don’t know what they expect. In this chapter, we have grown under both aspects.
We understood what we can do, making music, we can speak to the people of the whole world, and we can talk about every argument, about the music. I can say we paid attention to the form, to obtain a song that people can remember, I hope 😊
In this album, we put a lot of each one, pain, hate, anger, and what COVID-19 has left in our lives.
3. The latest single “9.99” is a fierce track that dives deep into some heavy social commentary. Can you tell us about the lyrical inspiration and message behind it?
I don’t like to explain a song with my idea; I love people who listen to the song gives his point of view.
4. How did the writing and recording process for The Missing Frame compare to your previous releases? Did you approach anything differently this time around?
More or less, the process was the same, but for this album, we worked together more than Absence of Light, and, as I said before, COVID-19 changed our lives, many things changed in these years, and all those things had a true impact on the writing process.
About the recording, it was an Odissey, we record on Bottleneck Studio of our bass player Davide Onida, with coop by Davide ‘Axel’ Colombo. We used a lot of modern equipment, so we can say definitely: This is a modern production, also thanks the Eleven Mastering that gave the sound the highest quality possible.
5. The band has a long history going back to the late ‘90s. How has your perspective or approach to music evolved over the years?
At the beginning, I was 20 years old, now I am 48. My perspective has changed totally, but my approach is the same, more or less. We start with some good riffs and continue with a good music shape (verse, bridge, chorus,) but in the meantime, we discuss the message, the atmosphere, and where we want to go.
6. You’ve played with some killer bands over the years like Decapitated, Impaled Nazarene, and Necronomicon. Are there any standout moments from touring or live shows that still stick with you today?
Not with Impaled or Necronomicon, they were full of themselves, but I can remember guys from Decapitated, Vogg and James were great, they had dressed in our t-shirts, they talked with us, we took many pictures, so we had fun!
7. The Italian metal scene has always had a unique voice in the global metal community. What’s your take on the current state of the Italian underground?
I don’t know what you mean, but the scene is very poor, we have a lot of good bands (Scream 3 Days, Grievers, etc.), but we don’t have the clubs for live shows, we wrote a song to denounce the fact that this fucking trend: YOU MUST DIE! You have to listen to it!
8. The cover artwork for The Missing Frame is striking. Can you tell us about the visual concept and how it ties into the music or album themes?
The Missing Frame is the missing ‘ring’, the missing thing that you need to understand and know the truth. I think this image can be represented by something that we can’t see clearly, but in case we see it, that thing would be very scary. This concept is created by a dear friend of ours, Fabrizio Durigon, with the cooperation of Federica ‘Ariélika’ Di Fabrizio.
9. You’ve dropped a string of strong singles recently—“The Magical World of the Dead”, “Music Kills”, and now “9.99”. Were these tracks always intended to lead into this full-length, or did they evolve independently before becoming part of The Missing Frame?
Music Kills and 9.99 were intended in this way, but The Magical World of the Dead was the first track after several silent years, so the meaning was: ‘Hey! We are back!’
10. What do you hope listeners take away from The Missing Frame after their first full playthrough?
I hope boys and girls have fun with our music, and for the first time playthrough, I hope they push the button to replay!
QUICK FIRE ROUND – DEATH METAL EDITION
Old-school or modern melodeath—what hits harder for you right now?
We choose ever old-school approach is direct and true without anything else!
Dream tour lineup: Dying Awkward Angel + 3 bands (alive or dead). Go!
In Flames (1996), Hypocrisy, Metallica (1986)
Blast beats or groove—what’s the most underrated weapon in death metal?
Both! No weapon is better than another
One album you wish you had written?
I don’t know, there are many! Master of Puppets!
Mosh pit anthem: what’s your go-to song to destroy a venue?
Out of Mind!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us here at Crannk! Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to add—shout-outs, thanks, final thoughts for your fans around the world?
I hope you like our latest chapter, guys! We love u!
ABOUT DYING AWKWARD ANGEL
Dying Awkward Angel is an Italian death metal band formed by Edoardo Demuro and Ivan Longo in 1998. Influenced by genre-defining acts such as At The Gates, Carcass, and Dark Tranquillity, they blend old-school brutality with modern technicality and emotional punch. Over the years, they’ve released several acclaimed records including Waiting for Punishment, Madness Rising, and Absence of Light via Rockshots Records.
The band’s upcoming full-length The Missing Frame is their most explosive and focused effort yet. Singles like “Music Kills”, “9.99”, and “The Magical World of the Dead” show a band unafraid to challenge, provoke, and crush expectations.
🎧 Listen to “9.99”
Spotify | YouTube
🔥 Previous Single “Music Kills”
Spotify | YouTube
🛒 Pre-order The Missing Frame
Rockshots Webstore
This one’s for the old-school heads and the new breed alike—Dying Awkward Angel are back, and they’re coming in loud.
Stay brutal,
Jai // Crannk.com
