Released by Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: May 31st, 2019
Genre : Thrash Metal
Tracklist:
- Humanicide
- Divine Defector
- Aggressor
- I Came For Blood
- Immortal Behated
- Alive And Screaming
- The Pack
- Ghost Of Me
- Revelation Song
- Of Rats And Men
Line-up:
- Mark Osegueda – Vocals
- Rob Cavestany – Guitars
- Ted Aguilar – Guitars
- Damien Sisson – Bass
- Will Carroll – Drums
The spectacular comeback of almighty Death Angel in music industry continues with “Humanicide”, the sequel of “The Evil Divide” which was released three years ago. Everyone thought that the Californians were done for good after their first three records in the late eighties, but their long hiatus ended in the new millenium. The legends were back after twenty years and they have finally managed to enrich their discography. In fact, “Humanicide” is their sixth album release labelled Nuclear Blast Records.
The Thrash Metal machine is still at maximum speed and the powerful messages that come out from these new fresh tracks show that their abilities in songwriting have not only been intact, but they also tend to improve in every new studio project. The excellent quality of the compositions and the perfect adaptation of the lyrics proves that Death Angel has still a lot to give in Heavy Metal scene. The situation is pretty clear for the listener even before pushing the play button, since the Brent Elliot White’s art cover is fully representative of the meaning of the songs. The title itself describes the plain in which humans have extinguished themselves to dust and the wasteland they’ve left behind is populated by creatures with a survivalist pack mentality, the wolves.
The first notes of the title track show that this new record is a pure heavy metal assault and the listener has no other option but being blown away by the new material. The impressive intro guitar melody is followed by fast aggressive rhythmic guitar riffs and a great catchy refrain where the incisive interpretation of the lyrics by Mark Osegueda makes the song memorable.The magnificent guitar solos and the great work on the drums by Will Carroll are fundamental for the creation of this thrash metal anthem that is followed by another bullet entitled “Divine Defector”. There is not time to catch a breath, because the engines are fully overloaded and the result is an unstoppable headbanging with the adrenaline levels at the top. This tune offers an excellent mid tempo melodic verse, that could be a considered as a prelude of the highlight of the album, “Aggressor”, an excellent combination of acoustic, progressive and thrash elements. These amazing changes of rhythm in the various sections along with the perfect matching of the lyrics gave birth to an unforgettable song. At this point, raising the fist in the air screaming out loud “Aggressor, Forever!” is inevitable.
Luckily, Death Angel is here to surprise once again with “I Came For Blood”, with Classic Heavy Metal main riff that has a Saxon vibe and leads to an insane guitar solo that blows the listener away. The mid tempo progressive metal style goes on with “Immortal Behated”, a tune with a middle slow motion section and a classic piano ending part. The band declares they are “Alive And Screaming”, so it’s time to accelerate and turn back to thrash metal mode. The track that follows is the second single release from “Humanicide” and the title “The Pack” is a perfectly representative of the main theme of this record. The vibe continues with the fast pace song “Ghost Of Me”, although “Revelation Song” brings back the progressive mood mixed with groove melodies at the verse. The closure of the record is given by “Of Rats And Men” a speed tune with a catchy refrain with an epic style. After the first listening effort, the first reaction is the need to restart it again, even if the songs are memorised from the very beginning.
In conclusion, “Humanicide” is the best material that Death Angel has ever published. With this record, the American thrashers prove that old-school Heavy Metal sound has still a respectful place in modern music business. The addition of different music elements, like acoustic guitar and classic piano parts, the variations in rhythm are combined together so well that the result is a masterpiece of thrash metal. The perfect harmony between melodies and lyrics is another important element of this album. Even if Death Angel are veterans in music scene, they still have a lot to provide to the fans of the genre. The magnificent way of interpreting the songs by Mark Osegueda still shows that the legendary frontman still has the sparkle of the band’s early days. A special nomination deserve Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar for the excellent guitar work accompanied by Damien Sisson on bass. Let’s hope for many more records from Death Angel in the future.
Ratings: 10/10
Written by: Katerina Paisoglou
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
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