Death Angel: Relentless Retribution (2010)

After being blown away by some of the recent Death Angel releases after their reformation, in particular their 2019 album Humanicide, I decided to dig a little bit deeper into their music.  I targeted this one first because it was the first of the "Wolf Trilogy" and the only one I had not previously owned.  It made it a necessary pick-up.

I am probably going to repeat myself quite a bit in my praise of this album.  A lot of the things that make this album great are also present on Humanicide.  And let me be clear, these albums are indeed great.  Death Angel is one of the few thrash metal bands from the 1980's to reform and actually be BETTER than they were previously.  The band has always been noteworthy for having a terrific vocalist and an exceptional lead guitarist and, if anything, their respective skills have improved significantly, which is really saying something. 

There are some oddities here.  There is an acoustic guitar interlude performed by the famous flamenco guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela.  And "Volcanic" is a rare ballad for the band.  Death Angel did these a little more often in their first incarnation, but have moved away for the most part, preferring relentless aggression (see "Death of the Meek"), though they remain capable of softer moments.  It is just rare for them to stretch it into an entire song any more.

I really think there is an argument to be made for this album being Death Angel's best.  The heavy tracks are truly monstrous and the lighter tracks are extremely powerful.  This is as consistently amazing as this band has ever been.  For a long time, they were kind of afterthoughts in the Bay Area thrash metal scene, but they have had a truly impressive second career that has catapulted them into the conversation with Exodus as the best the Bay Area has to offer.  And yes, they are better than Metallica now, that's just plain obvious. 

Death Angel: Humanicide (2019)

Earlier this year I went back and checked out the first two albums released by Death Angel, after long meaning to do so.  I enjoyed those releases quite a bit, in particular The Ultra-Violence.  Frolic Through the Park was very much a product of its time however and does not hold up nearly as well.  Afterwards, the band released the dynamic and genre-bending Act III before splitting up.  But Death Angel eventually reformed and are noteworthy because I think their second stage material is even better than the albums they released in their first go-around. 

This brings us to Humanicide and this release is a fucking monster of an album.  It is part of a trilogy of albums that has come to be known as the Wolf Trilogy, mostly because each of the albums has a wolf on the cover.  This trilogy includes the 2010 release Relentless Retribution (which I also just recently picked up) and the 2013 release The Dream Calls for Blood.  It skips the 2016 release The Evil Divide. 

The album starts off with a bang with the electrifying title track and refuses to let up on the throttle for the rest of the album.  Of particular note is the frenetic, punky speed metal of "I Came for Blood" and "The Pack".  Death Angel have crafted an incredible collection of songs once again on this release, getting seemingly better with each new release.  The band has long been highlighted by the duo of vocalist Mark Osegueda and guitarist Rob Cavestany and these two continue to be the heart and soul of Death Angel.  They play off each other incredibly well and continue to drive this band forward. 

Death Angel is one of those rare bands that actually seem to be getting better with age.  Unlike a certain other Bay Area thrash metal band, Death Angel continues to get heavier and release unrelentingly powerful albums thirty years after their supposed prime.  This is quite possibly my favorite Death Angel album so far.  And that is really saying something.

Death Angel: Frolic Through the Park (1988)

Despite coming just a year later, Death Angel's sophomore album is significantly different in sound to their debut.  It came at a time when thrash metal was being forced to adapt.  Some bands went in more of a progressive sound (Heathen, Metallica), others opted for a more melodic one (Testament), and still others went in a light-hearted, almost goofy direction (Exodus).  Death Angel fell into a combination of the Testament and Exodus route with this album, and the quality was definitely a step down from their debut.

It is obvious from the album cover and title how much lighter the tone of this album was going to be.  Where the debut promised violence and had a gritty album cover, this could not be farther away if it tried.  There are still some dark themes present in this release, with songs like "Why You Do This" and "Mind Rape", but it is nowhere near as aggressive as the prior release.

Death Angel also began experimenting with different, non-metal styles of music.  "Open Up", in particular, features a funky bass line, something Death Angel would return to on their third album Act III.  There is also something generally lighter in tone about the band, with "Bored" and "Road Mutants" being examples of this.  I do think the cover of KISS's "Cold Gin" is very much out of place here.  It is not one of KISS's stronger songs and it completely breaks up the flow of the album.

This album is very much a product of its time.  As such it sounds dated and has not held up well over time.  This was a harbinger of things to come for Death Angel who would go further toward a more experimental sound on their next album before going on hiatus for over a decade.  Out of Death Angel's early albums, the debut is definitely the best.  This would be next.

Death Angel: The Ultra-Violence (1987)

In coming across a few lists similar to the Loudwire video I covered a week or so ago, I have realized there are some holes in my old-school thrash metal collection.  One of those holes was some of the lesser Bay Area thrash metal bands.  Groups like Forbidden and Death Angel are kind of underrepresented in my collection, which is weird for as much of a thrash metal fan as me.  I have a few of Death Angel's recent albums, but only one from their early years.  I decided to change that.  Today and tomorrow's posts will cover the first two Death Angel albums.

The Ultra-Violence is Death Angel's debut album and it is a damn impressive one.  There is a reason this album comes up in several lists like the aforementioned Loudwire one that covers best thrash metal albums not by the Big Four.  Somehow though, Death Angel is rarely mentioned among the best the Bay Area had to offer, even among the second tier groups like Exodus and Testament. 

One of Death Angel's biggest strengths is in the musicianship of its members, particularly lead guitarist Rob Cavestany.  His incredible abilities has made it possible for Death Angel to experiment with a variety of musical styles in the future.  On this release, the focus is on shredding guitars.  There is a rawness and aggression, and definitely emotion, that is present in the sound of Death Angel that is missing in some of their more workmanlike peers.  This is powerfully conveyed in the outstanding guitar work of Cavestany.

The other big strength the band has is the incredible vocals of Mark Osegueda.  He is an incredible vocalist who is without peer in the Bay Area thrash metal scene.  His best work comes on the track "Voracious Souls" where he really lets loose with haunting howls among his more standard vocal style.  This leads to my only complaint about the album.  With such a great singer, the band should showcase him more, but this album features two instrumental tracks and one track with very limited vocals.  I get that Cavestany needs time to shine as well, but so should Osegueda.

This is a terrific debut album by Death Angel and really set the tone for what the band would do in the future.  The band has a dynamic singer/lead guitarist combo that a lot of bands strive for, but fewer have.  It is likely that this is the best album Death Angel has to offer.