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Humanicide

    
       
       
       
     
             
Death Angel are a thrash metal band from the USA formed in 1982 and are one of the pioneers of the Bay Area thrash metal evolution that spawned the "big 4" of thrash. In a career spanning almost four decades, Death Angel have released eight studio albums and three live albums, with 'Humanicide' the bands ninth album, a 2019 release, an incredible thirty two years after the bands 1987 debut album 'The Ultra-Violence'.    
             
Sometimes, when only the best will do, it is normally the longest serving metal bands that can only hit the spot. Those bands that began, pioneered and developed the heavy metal genre as we know it today. Death Angel are just one of those many bands - a band that has never let down or disappointed, in almost four decades as a recording artist. Never relying on past glories to survive, Death Angel always stretch themselves, expanding their musical boundaries, taking their sound and direction to corners of the thrash metal genre that many bands are afraid to explore. With the driving force of ever present members Rob Cavestany (guitars) and Mark Osegueda (vocals), Death Angel march toward their fortieth anniversary in glorious style.    
             
The new album gets underway in typical Death Angel fashion, fast paced and frantic. The title song 'Humanicide' is a ferocious, aggressive and violent head bangingly addictive gallop of catchy, yes, that's right, catchy, thrash metal. Death Angel always manage to stay one step away from the brutal grunt of bands like Slayer and Kreator, delivering a more melodic and accessible brand of thrash. Make sure your neck muscles are at their most flexible, as for the next forty four minutes, vigorous head banging is the only style of head banging to accompany this album. 'Divine Defector' is attitude laden and full of tireless energy. 'Aggressor' maintains the albums early pace, thundering along at high velocity, breaking down across the verses to a mighty foot stomp, picking up the pace again as the chant style chorus rises high, "aggressor" a chant that every fan is gonna scream and screech at the tops of their voices. Enter the influence of punk, and maybe just a little of UK legends Motorhead, as 'I Came For Blood' flies along at break neck speed. A scorching pace, full of fire and brimstone, 'I Came For Blood' is a fiery explosion of a clash between raw punk and full force thrash. Clocking in at over six minutes in length 'Immortal Behated' is the longest song the album has to offer, mixing mellow atmospheric metal with mid tempo thrash.    
             
Death Angel are alive and screaming, delivering their brand of thrash with passion and pride. As the album moves into its second half, the pace quickens, the tempo rises and energy levels disappear off the scale with 'Alive And Screaming' a thunderous barrage of full force thrash metal. Heaveir than a wrecking ball and wreaking more havoc than a force ten hurricane, 'Alive And Screaming' is a neck breaking head bangers dream, and a glorious gallop of cracking thrash metal. And talking of cracking, 'The Pack' is gonna crack floors and demolish walls with its ferocious riffage and jack hammer style rhythm. 'The Pack' is aggression, attitude and angst all rolled into one savage package. Lightning pace lights up the album with the fast paced 'Ghost Of Me', reaching the sound barrier as it thunders along. Old school is sometimes the best school, and a lot of the time, the only school I wanna be a part of. Death Angel deliver old school better than most of their peers, with 'Ghost Of Me' harking back to those glorious formative years of thrash...yet Death Angel are no way a retro band. As I mentioned earlier, past glories are not what Death Angel use to survive, unlike a seventies make up clad American glam rock band! Pushing the boundaries of their chosen musical direction, Death Angel forge ahead with the mid tempo, foot stomping, and very heavy 'Revelation Song'. With a near doom style riff, 'Revelation Song' is a belter, a corker and a fucking fantastic foray of how massive an impact this style of thrash can make. The album is brought to a close with the high velocity and in your face 'Of Rats And Men'. Mildly aggressive in its delivery, Death Angel bring the curtain down on their ninth album with a melodic thrash metal romp.    
             
Overall, a galloping gourmet serving of full force thrash metal from one of the genres pioneering bands.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
The Evil Divide      
           
"a superb album of traditional sounding thrash metal, accessible across a number of genres that will keep heads banging for a long time. Death Angel at their best" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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