ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD battle stigma with new single and music video, “Beauty in a Body Bag.” Led by JD McGibney, the L.A. based instrumental symphonic progressive metal band present a heavy and melodic offering in this track.
ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD explain the concept behind “Beauty in a Body Bag”: “This song was written to capture the dark and tormenting struggle that is so strongly associated with Borderline Personality Disorder. People with BPD often describe it as feeling like having an endless black hole of emptiness living inside of them, leaving them with an unstable and shifting self identity. As a result, BPD can be chaotic and terrifying.
‘Beauty in a Body Bag’ was written to give this darkness form, and allow those who are struggling to face that darkness head on in order to learn how to overcome it.”
“Beauty in a Body Bag” was a song that was originally written for JD McGibney’s old Long Island band and was subsequently rearranged for ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD. Instrumentally, the arrangement is more straightforward by design in order to highlight the band’s melodic capabilities.
“Beauty in a Body Bag” was produced by ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD. The track was recorded at Counter Communications and engineered, mixed and mastered by Chris Wirsig. Produced by ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD, the music video was directed and edited by Tom Flynn.
About ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD:
Based out of Los Angeles, CA, ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD began as a side project for guitarist JD McGibney (ex-VOODOO KUNGFU) before augmenting to a full line-up in 2021. Alongside McGibney, the instrumental symphonic progressive metal band is now comprised of Jason Klein on bass (ex-BUTCHER BABIES), Eddie Trager on drums (ex-NEKROGOBLIKON) and Chris Wirsig on keyboards (award winning TV and film composer).
The ethos of the band is to empower listeners through music, to assist individuals who are fighting on their own battlefields and to help them find courage. ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD strive to improve awareness of and discourse around mental illness through the power of heavy metal. The band made their live debut at the 2022 “This Is My Brave” mental health fundraiser, where the band helped to raise around $30,000 to donate to local Los Angeles mental health charities.
2024 saw ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD open for Taiwanese folk metal artist NiNi at her debut USA headline show in November of 2024. In the following year, the quartet embarked on their debut headline West Coast tour across October/November of 2025.
In 2025, ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD’s 2024 single release “Modern Prometheus” was long listed in the 2025 GRAMMY Awards in three categories: Best Metal Performance, Best Instrumental Composition and Best Arrangement – Instrumental or A Capella. Additionally, “Modern Prometheus” was nominated in the Hollywood Independent Music Awards in 2025.
More recently the band unveiled their haunting interpretation of “Phantom of the Opera” featuring guitarist Eli Santana (IGNITE, ex-HUNTRESS, ex-HOLY GRAIL), and showcased their untamable power in their cover of “Poison” featuring ANTHEA.
ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD is:
JD McGibney – Guitar
Jason Klein – Bass
Chris Wirsig – Keyboard/Orchestration
Eddie Trager – Drums
Connect with ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD:
Official Website: https://onthewingsofdragons.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelsOnTheBattlefieldBand/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angels_on_the_battlefield/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aotb_band :
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@angelsonthebattlefield
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vQV1dRMKNBHCRku2IsPMU?si=RoaUH-SuTCq5nRsPMrgpEg
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/angels-on-the-battlefield/1441558520
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aotbband