By Andrew Bansal
In an era where thrash metal is on the decline, the so-called ‘new wave’ of thrash that surfaced a decade ago having almost completely died down and the sub-genre being kept alive mainly due to the efforts of a handful of old bands, San Francisco veterans Death Angel have surged ahead as thrash’s true saviors. The band made a comeback in 2001 after being absent for the entirety of the ’90s, and proved that their comeback was no nostalgia trip, with albums like ‘The Art Of Dying’ (2004) and ‘Killing Season’ (2008). But through their recent work on ‘Relentless Retribution’ (2010) and ‘The Dream Calls For Blood’ (2013), they left no one in doubt that they’re right at the top, ruling the modern-day thrash universe. Besides, their rip-roaring live performances have further cemented their stature in metal. Death Angel are ready to release their eighth studio album ‘The Evil Divide’ on May 27 2016 via Nuclear Blast. While the previous two albums were similar in every aspect, right down to the cover artwork, ‘The Evil Divide’ breaks away from the pattern and injects fresh blood into the band’s repertoire.
As evident from the varied lyrical theme and cover artwork, this is a darker album from Death Angel, not only on the surface but musically as well. The opening track ‘The Moth’ clearly proves this, and the rest of the album follows suit. The 10-track, 45-minute effort is overflowing with devastating riffs, scorching solos, relentless speed and excellent songwriting craftsmanship, fronted expertly by the ever-exuberant Mark Osegueda on vocals, not losing a step and still sounding as deadly as ever. Lead guitarist and principal songwriter Rob Cavestany continues to create great material with seemingly effortless ease, the ominous opening tunes ‘The Moth’ and ‘Cause For Alarm’ followed by the much more diverse ‘Lost’ which showcases Death Angel’s ability to do full justice to a relatively slower, cleaner, more melodic song, while ‘Father Of Lies’ presents progressive tendencies with its wildly varying passages. That being said, there is certainly no shortage of outright thrashers either, songs like ‘Hell To Pay’, ‘Breakaway’ and ‘The Electric Cell’ fulfilling the desires of thrash maniacs. But the darker, heavier variant of Death Angel which stands out as the most striking feature on this album comes through in the songs ‘It Can’t Be This’, ‘Hatred United, United Hate’ and ‘Let The Pieces Fall’, the bass playing a decidedly more prominent role than it has on the past few Death Angel albums, and the combination of crushing riffs, clean yet aggressive vocals and guitar melodies decorates these songs to the fullest.
The band has kept its lineup of members intact for a long time now, probably longer than people realize, and none of the five members are ‘new guys’ anymore. Death Angel is the living embodiment of a band that knows how to work in unison, the songwriters creating music that would bring the best out of the band as performers, and all members putting in their absolute best to deliver the songs the way they are meant to be. Unlike most of their fellow ’80s thrash veterans, Death Angel are not relying on past glory, and are hellbent on battling and defeating their own back catalog by coming out with one stellar album after another. ‘The Evil Divide’ proves that the work they’ve put in over the last ten years since their resurgence has not gone to waste, and has only primed and honed them to become fiercer and fiercer as time passes on.
Death Angel’s ‘The Evil Divide’ undoubtedly triumphs as the modern-day gold standard for thrash metal.
Rating: 9/10
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Release Date: May 27th 2016
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Track Listing:
01. The Moth
02. Cause For Alarm
03. Lost
04. Father Of Lies
05. Hell To Pay
06. It Can’t Be This
07. Hatred United, United Hate
08. Breakaway
09. The Electric Cell
10. Let The Pieces Fall
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