Source: Album Artwork
Since 1982, thrash metal mainstays Death Angel have been throwing out slick, quick riffs and head spinning solos. Arguably underrated by all but thrash purists, will 2016 see them catapulted into the ears of new fans with their eighth studio album, The Evil Divide?
In all honesty, probably not. Don’t get us wrong – this album is thrash as it should be. Confidently and consummately executed, the ease at which the five-piece belt our ears on these tracks speaks of their unquestionable prowess and experience, their honed skills and their conviction in what they do. Opener ‘The Moth’ is pacey straight from the off, scratchy tremolo picked guitar kicked aside by the rest of the riff bursting in, locking into a familiar thrash gallop, Will Carroll’s cracking snare acting as a decent anchor for the groove. Mark Osegueda’s spat, snarling vocals straddle clean and scream well, aggressive but not unintelligible, occasionally belting out a screech when the moment warrants.
‘Cause For Alarm’ dips into hardcore territories with its infectious drum groove. ‘Lost’ mixes up the tempo but comes across as a tad predictable in its’ old school affectations and its driving, dramatic riffs. ‘Father Of Lies’ is much more varied, with some impressive guitar and bass noodling that will have you air-soloing along, morphing into drifting, lilting acoustic melodies. ‘Hell To Pay’ is frantic, buzzing riffs and chaotic pace tumbling it along.
The album staggers a little from ‘It Can’t Be This’ on, that track sounding very ‘standard’ or ‘template’ thrash, seeming to drag, overtly vocal heavy. ‘Hatred United/United Hate’ wastes brooding riffs by having the vocals stomp all over them, dense layering not quite compensating for some disappointingly messy soloing. By this point the tracks begin to lose their distinction from each other, and become more or less a single fused lump of frantic soloing, clattering drums and galloping pace.
The production job by Jason Suecof (who’ll be familiar to fans of Trivium) is good – clear, highlighting each instrument in its turn, but errs towards the ‘loud’ side of things, bringing back uncomfortable memories of Metallica’s Death Magnetic. Nobody expects anything deep or philosophical lyrics from a thrash album, but even so, Death Angel’s tend to drift towards the trite or stereotypical, even if a little tongue in cheek. All said and done, for fans of DA or thrash in general, this will tick more than a few boxes – it’s well polished, tight, and at times creative. But those who don’t prefer tempos dizzyingly high won’t be back for more.
