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Reviews

Death Angel: Killing season

05/05/08  ||  Global Domination

“Killing Season” definitely caught me by surprise. I had no idea Death Angel had gone into the studio and frankly, I had kinda lost hope they would do a follow up to 2004’s “The Art of Dying”, but well, what the fuck did I knew? Here’s the next chapter, and it’s worthy of the band’s solid catalogue. After a 14 years break, these guys returned to kick booty, and don’t let the opinions of those grumpy fuckers on our last AA fool you, this here is some quality groovy thrash. Anyway, given our staffers wildly differing tastes it’s certain we’ll never agree on much, except on the fact that “St. Anger” sucks elephant cock.

Keep in mind that what you’ll find on “Killing Season” is mostly removed from your run-of-the-mill thrash template, due to Death Angel’s punkish, full groove assault combining masterfully with more straightforward elements of the genre. There’s nothing to complain about though: the guitarwork is fucken ace, the bass slaps around with plenty of power, the drumming is hard and twisted, and Osegueda’s amazing vocals are first class in all their iterations. Choruses are a welcome addition, lyrics are catchy and well fleshed out. The band’s songwriting is first class, respecting their legacy and signature sound, yet pretty modern too.

Emphasizing fun, punchy riffing, dueling melodies, sweet solos and classy acoustic bits, Ted Aguilar and the masterful Rob Cavestany shred their way through these songs with such violence and sleaziness that it’s a joy to behold. Every song has something remarkable cooked in the guitar department: the perfect transition between intro and body of the song in the smashing opener “Lord of Hate”, the storming riffage of “Sonic Beatdown”, the dark, soulful leads and solos of “Dethroned”, the awesome dueling and old-school groove of “Carnival Justice”, the pensiveness of closer “Resurrection Machine” a fitting grand finale. These guys know how to make them axes fucken wail!

A very focused effort on all counts, I must say, with no bad songs to speak of, and a few that are guaranteed to kick your sorry ass. You can’t fail to get moved by stuff such as the stomping “Sonic Beatdown”, or all-out thrashers like “Buried Alive”, “The Noose” and “Steal the Crown”. Moodier, classier tracks like “Dethroned”, “Soulless” and “Resurrection Machine” are so well constructed that won’t fail to impress.

The variety of Death Angel’s approach is refreshing to see. I always liked what they are about: breaking the mold and throwing down with style, even though that won’t make them everyone’s cup of tea out there. I can’t do nothing else but recommend “Killing Season” to those who like some spicy, original and groovy thrash. Death Angel is an awesome, truly underrated band: they were damn good back in the day and continue to be damn good now, have no doubts about it despite what the naysayers might nay-fucken-say.

8 sonic “beat-the-crap-downs” out of 10.

  • Information
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: Nuclear Blast
  • Website: www.deathangel.com
  • Band
  • Mark Osegueda: vocals
  • Dennis Pepa: bass, vocals
  • Rob Cavestany: guitars
  • Ted Aguilar: guitars
  • Andy Galeon: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. Lord of Hate
  • 02. Sonic Beatdown
  • 03. Dethroned
  • 04. Carnival Justice
  • 05. Buried Alive
  • 06. Soulless
  • 07. The Noose
  • 08. When Worlds Collide
  • 09. God vs God
  • 10. Steal The Crown
  • 11. Resurrection Machine

Reviews