The band’s sixth full-length album since their 2004 comeback, Humanicide sees Death Angel, once again, proving the fact that no matter how great the group’s first coming was (and lets be honest, it was pretty damn great. The Ultra Violence, Frolic in the Park, and Act III are all underrated classics in their own right. Okay, The Ultra Violence isn’t  underrated, but still…), it’s their second coming that has been the stuff that has really cemented their legacy as truly worthy.

Ripping out of the gates with a roaring ferocity, the album’s title track, “Humanicide”, is fast paced, catchy, and straight up blistering at times.  The band is extremely tight and sounds as hungry as ever, if not more. Some nice basswork underneath a building riff at the 3:29 mark leads into an explosive solo that simply slays and everyone sounds fantastic, especially, vocalist, Mark Osegueda. A lot of times in reviewing albums, you come across those bands that may not have a true bad song on their release, but they don’t really have any standouts or highlights; well not with Humanicide.

No, this time around Death Angel delivers highlight after highlight, each track just as great as the one before it. Whether it’s the NWOBHM and punk aesthetics of the anthem-esque “I Came for Blood”, the pulsing call to arms for all thrashers, old and young alike, of “The Pack”, or the fantastic display of genuinely fresh Bay Area might found in “Ghost of Me” (complete with a guest solo from Children of Bodom‘s Alexi Laiho), there’s plenty of opportunities to throw horns and stomp about your living room when indulging in Humanicide. Speaking of guest solos, producer/guitarist Jason Suecof gets in a few tasty licks as well on “Revelation Song”, a more stripped back and toned down jam that is no less powerful by any means. The track actually reminds me a bit of We’ve Come for You All-era Anthrax and or even some of the “heavier” material some of the better hair bands would pull off, definitely some good stuff. The cd release of Humanicide also includes the bonus track “The Day I Walked Away”, a great track in its own right, but I see why it’s considered a bonus track and not part of the actual album. The song is a tad more expressionist and dialed down, so-to-speak, bringing to mind modern Susperia and maybe even Megadeth, circa 2011.

It’s interesting how the bands that were leading the second wave of ’80’s thrash metal,  i.e. OverKill, Testament, Death Angel, and Exodus, are the very same acts that are easily comprising a Big Four of the 21^st century. Though to be fair, OverKill and Exodus were just as vital to that initial first wave thrash attack. While OverKill has been slightly more prolific the past dozen or so years than the others, I’d have to say that it’s Death Angel that is actually spearheading the movement of the been there/done that thrash masters, especially based on the merit of Humanicide and the band’s previous three releases, Relentless Retribution, The Dream Calls for Blood, and The Evil Divide.

Let’s be honest, it’s not like thrash metal hasn’t been around the block more than a few times, especially the more popular sounds of California’s Bay Area, so if you’re looking for something obscure and/or offbeat, then you’ve obviously stumbled across the wrong review and I’m shocked you’ve made it this far. Yet if  a plain and simple, good old fashioned kickass shredding album sounds just like what the metal doctor ordered, then Humanicide is the album for you. From start to finish, it’s a high quality, high intensity, top notch, fun filled ride. Like I’ve stated before, every track is a highlight, full of fast paced, catchy and pulsing rhythms, ripping solos, fantastic and tasteful basswork, and drums that simply batter the shit completely out of you. Top all of that off with some  amazing sounding vocals, sing-a-long choruses, gang shouts galore, a fabulous production, and a terrific looking album cover and layout that brings back the “Pack” whom also graced the cover of The Dream Calls for Blood, and a happy camper you will indeed be with Humanicide.

First, I’d like to say that the band was not full of shit when they said it would be their thrashiest album since The Ultra-Violence – I can not contest this, but at the same time, it doesn’t have near the bite that album has. Still, it is a fairly ripping disc. Second, the lyrics are certainly pissed off, for the most part, and match the album title. It’s also well played, and the songwriting is tight.

So what’s the problem you say? Two tracks I just can’t seem to get over. The first of which is “Claws So Deep” which I’m really conflicted about. On one hand, it’s one of the most aggressive songs on the album, and the end features a great guest spot from flamenco guitar wizards Rodrigo y Gabriela, who I’m also a fan of. On the other hand, one of the problems with this track is that guest spot – it feels like an afterthought, as though it was tacked on to the end of the song later on, like they couldn’t figure out what to do with it. It’s a great piece really, and would’ve been fine as a standalone interlude type track, but that’s not the case. Second issue with the song is one specific part of it that features clean vocals. I’m not sure exactly who is doing the vocals here, as I don’t think it’s Mark Osegueda, but I could be wrong, I really do not know. The problem is that the part in question reminds me Matt Heafy of Trivium. There are four lines in a row that all rhyme “er” words; slaughter, daughter, water and hotter – it’s annoying and strongly reminiscent of Heafy’s style, which kinda turns my stomach. It’s also done twice in the song. Ugh.

Moving on, the other track I have issues with is the acoustic track near the end, “Volcanic”. It would have been fine honestly, as I don’t have issues with a well done acoustic track, if it were not for, once again, a single part, or line even – “hate the player, but don’t hate the game” – really? This seems like a serious misfit for a metal band, acoustic song or not. It just rubs me the wrong way. So much so, that I have yet to return to the track, until this review that is. But that’s the beauty of listening to music on a PC or mp3 player – you can edit out all the songs you don’t want to hear from the playlist. Despite this, the tracks, or parts rather, still exist on the album. Maybe I’m just being entirely too picky and jaded as old age creeps up on me.

So as for the rest of the album now that those gripes are out of the way? In short, it fucking rules. Face peeling solos and hard hitting thrash riffs abound. “Truce”, “River of Rapture”, “This Hate”, “Death of the Meek” and “I Chose the Sky” are all fantastic thrash anthems. “Absence of Light” is a great mid-paced respite, and the previously mentioned “This Hate” has some of the catchiest vocal phrasings I’ve ever heard in any thrash song, in both the verses and also in an absolutely infections soaring chorus. It’s also the only song on the album that has that fun, rockin’ kind of vibe that I loved and was so abundant on Killing Season.

So in the end, yes I do quite like the Relentless Retribution, but those two songs leave a foul taste in my mouth, and I can’t quite ignore them. Death Angel are still kicking out quality stuff, despite a couple missteps.

This particular live CD is the audio only version of the live DVD Nuclear Blast just released of the same name. In the DVD version, there are two sets included, the first is from the Rockhard Festival in 2007, and the second is from Adelsheim in 2008 after the releases of their last studio album Killing Season, which was an awesome album. Unfortunately, this CD focuses on that first show from 2007, so it’s devoid of any new tracks.

On the plus side of the set list, it’s rife with songs from The Ultra-Violence and Act III, including “Seemingly Endless Time”, “Voracious Souls”, “Mistress of Pain”, “Ex-TC”, “Disturbing the Peace”, “Stagnant”, an abbreviated version of “The Ultra-Violence”, and an extended version of “Kill As One”. All are performed well, but the recording is a little rough. From Frolic Through the Park we get two of it’s better tracks in “3rd Floor” and “Bored”, and from their comeback album The Art of Dying there’s “Thrown to the Wolves”, “5 Steps to Freedom”, “Thicker Than Blood” and “Devil Incarnate”. For me personally, I could’ve done without a couple or tracks from The Art of Dying in favor of some newer stuff, but if focusing on what was written in 2007, “The Organization” or “Discontinued” from Act III or “Thrashers” or “Evil Priest” from The Ultra-Violence would have been nice additions, but that’s just nitpicking, because the selection of tunes already present is pretty good for what they had at the time of the show.

As far as individual performances go, Mark Osegueda sounds just as good live as he does in studio – a testament to the mans vocal capabilities, and I’ve witnessed this for myself first hand – a truly remarkable frontman. Everyone else sounds pretty good as well, but as I mentioned before, the recording quality doesn’t do much justice.

All in all, this is a pretty accurate representation of Death Angel live, at least as accurate as you’ll get without being there, because a simple recording will never capture the energy that this band pours out in a live setting – it needs to be witnessed first hand.

The two hour drive from my home to Pop’s in St. Louis (Sauget, Ill to be exact – right across the river from Downtown) is always a long one, but I’m more than willing to make it to see a good show. Death Angel, God Forbid, Arsis and Light This City is certainly a good one, as I’m a fan of all four, ranging from casual fan (Light This City) to all out fanatic (Death Angel).

We walked in the venue to find a local band opening the show by the name of Soul Descenders. I had heard of them before, but until now had never gotten a chance to see them perform. I must say they weren’t that bad, playing thrash that seemed to border on the classic Bay Area style, while also borrowing a bit from newer bands ala Sanctity or Wolfpack Unleashed. These kids were young – I’d say between the ages of 17-21, and were full of energy, running about the stage, headbanging, windmilling, and obviously loving every minute of it. The vocalist/guitarist pulled a few jump and kick-mid-air moves along with some other clichéd moves that made me laugh out loud. Both guitarists shared lead duties, soloing and shredding though about 7 songs. All in all, I enjoyed their performance and their music, though some of the clean vocals need some work, coming off at times as almost whiney, but that’s a minor complaint on their otherwise good show.

Next up was Light This City, the female fronted thrash/death band from San Francisco. I was first exposed to the band with 2006’s Facing the Thousand, and album that registered pretty high on that years best of list for me, so I was eager to check them out live. The biggest thing for me coming into their performance was to see if the female front was genuine, or if it felt like a gimmick ala In This Moment – I’m glad to say it’s the former. Laura Nichol is the real deal, screaming and growling (no clean vocals) her way through songs as well as any man, and putting on a top notch performance without flaunting the fact that she is indeed female. Their set was, from what I could tell, comprised of songs from 2005’s Remains of the Gods and their most recent, Facing the Thousand as well as a new song from their forthcoming album this fall, and all were finely executed slabs of death/thrash with hints of melody here and there. I have no real complaints to report – their sound was good enough, there were no fuck ups to speak of, and they were highly energetic – what more could you ask for out of a live show?

Arsis – I had just seen them a month prior in Columbia, MO on tour with The Black Dahlia Murder, and they played a good set, though their sound guy kind of ruined it, jacking the drums and vocals through the roof, leaving the guitars and bass buried in the middle – I was hoping this kink would be worked out here so I could thoroughly enjoy their set as they’ve been my favorite thus far this year with new release We Are the Nightmare.

Though just days before the show, it was announced that drummer Darren Cesca was out, and Alex Tomlin was in. To make matters worse, St. Louis was to be his first show with the band, so I was praying he didn’t fuck things up. Much to my dismay, he did.

The first three songs, all from older releases (“The Face of My Innocence” being the only one I can identify by name), seemed to be fine, with the exception of James Malone being like a statue up there, where as in Columbia, he did plenty of headbanging when not on vocals. It was at this point he explained he had been suffering from a killer toothache and had just had it pulled – I gotta give him props for soldiering it out as toothaches are no joke, especially when doing vocals. After this, they launched into “Sightless Wisdom”, and at first things went fine, but then Malone skipped the second verse lyrics, and all the lyrics at the end of the song – no biggie really given his condition, but the drums also seemed to be off a bit. Then came the title track from We Are the Nightmare, and things got real bad, real quick. Malone skipped all vocals, Tomlin butchered the drum parts early on, and struggled to get back on track while both Malone and other guitarist Ryan Knight threw a couple glances his way. About mid way through, Malone took off his guitar, set it down, tied his hair back, put on his glasses and just glared at Tomlin. At this point, I had had quite enough, so I made a bee-line for the bar then outside to smoke. Shortly after coming outside, the person I was there with came out to inform me they ended the set after that – good thing too, as that was probably the worst thing I had ever witnessed on stage. I hope that next time they come around, they’ll have their shit together and give me a vicious performance.

A couple cigarettes later, I headed back inside for God Forbid and got a surprise – Death Angel was coming on and God Forbid would be closing the show. I had forgotten that this was a co-headlining thing and that this might happen – oh well, I like both bands quite a bit and I was certainly ready to see the mighty Death Angel.

The Bay Area legends came on stage with a fire, kicking things off with monster lead-off track “Lord of Hate” from new album Killing Season, and continued kicking ass through their whole set. Frontman Mark Osegueda made it very clear at every chance he got to tell us how happy they were to be there, and how thankful they were for each of us being there, and it showed in each and every song. The whole performance ace and 100% pro – one of the best shows I’ve ever seen by any band – full of energy and enthusiasm, regardless of there only being 200 or so people in attendance. Most of the material they played was from Killing Season, but they also treated us to “Seemingly Endless Time” from the seminal Act III, “Voracious Souls” and “Kill as One” from the equally seminal debut The Ultra-Violence, one song I couldn’t quite identify from either Frolic Through the Park or The Art of Dying (I’m leaning towards the former though), and closed the show out with “Thrown to the Wolves” from 2004’s “comeback” album The Art of Dying. A most stellar performance that inspired me to lose my voice and headbang until it hurt – something that no band I’ve seen live has done in the past couple years. My hats off to them and can’t wait to see them again.

Still riding the high Death Angel left me with, God Forbid came on stage with a fury almost on par with the former band and I was digging it. The first couple songs went smoothly, but during the third, some jackass that I had noticed had been sitting the entire show until now was in the pit – not a bad thing, but then being a jackass, he had to start fucking with the people on the edge of the pit who were just trying to watch the show, such as myself, knocking half of my fresh $5 Guinness on the floor. This brought me down pretty quick, as my eyes were fixated on him instead of the band, until moments later he disappeared. Shortly thereafter, he reappeared and ran into me again – by now I had finished my beer and sent him flying the other way, only to watch him start shit with other people. By now, an employee had come to clean up my spilled beer and we had informed him to keep an eye out for this guy – 10 minutes later, they were wrestling him to the floor and throwing him out – this is what you get for being a drunken retard at a show.

Back to God Forbid. I was stilled pissed and on somewhat of a down note and couldn’t quite into their set as I was before, though I must say this being the fourth time I’d seen them live, they put on a show equally as good as each time before. It was solid as they ripped through songs primarily from 2004’s Gone Forever and 2005’s IV: Constitution of Treason with high energy and intensity, but also treated us to a new tune from their forthcoming album due this summer/fall, and one or two older songs that I’m not quite so familiar with.

All in all, it was a show with several ups and downs. Soul Descenders, Light This City and Death Angel on the upside, Arsis’ new drummer and my spilled Guinness being on the downside. I had expected this to be my favorite show of the year thus far, and pretty much got what I expected save those couple bad moments. I highly urge all who get a chance to see Death Angel – it’ll be well worth the ticket price.

San Francisco’s melodic death metallers Light This City have issued the second of four in-studio video updates while the band is recording its fourth record, tentatively scheduled for a fall 2008 release via Prosthetic Records. The clip, featuring guitar and bass recording snippets, is available at the band’s YouTube page by clicking here, while the first clip is also still available here.

“We have been in the studio in Oakland, CA with engineer Zack Ohren tracking the follow up to Facing the Thousand, which should see a release date in September,” said drummer Ben Murray. “We couldn’t be more excited on how these new songs have turned out, and we are SURE that you guys will love them. Stay tuned for more info on the album as well as more video journals as the recording progresses.”

Light This City was also recently added to the In Thrash We Trust tour alongside Death Angel, God Forbid, and Soilent Green, along with two shows alongside Testament, which will start May 1 in Michigan and conclude June 11 in New York City, criss-crossing the United States and parts of Canada along the way.

Light This City on tour
4/07 Redwood City, CA – The Oddstad Gallery (with The Swellers)
4/20 Bakersfield, CA – The Dome (420 Fest with Dragonlord, Animosity, more)

In Thrash We Trust Tour with Death Angel, God Forbid, Soilent Green
5/01 Flint, MI The – Machine Shop (with Testament)
5/02 Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s (with Testament)
5/03 Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock
5/04 Long Island, NY – Crazy Donkey
5/06 Albany, NY – Northern Lights
5/07 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
5/08 Springfield, VA – Jaxx
5/09 Raleigh, NC – Volume 11
5/10 Virginia Beach, VA – Stepping Out
5/13 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
5/14 Seminole, FL – Boomerz
5/16 Houston, TX – TBA
5/17 Ft. Worth, TX – Ridglea Theatre
5/18 San Antonio, TX – Rock Bottom
5/19 El Paso, TX – Chic’s
5/21 Farmington, NM – Gator’s
5/23 Las Vegas, NV – Jillian’s
5/24 Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
5/25 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
5/26 Bakersfield, CA – The Dome
5/27 Modesto, CA – Fat Cats
5/28 Sacramento, CA – The Boardwalk
5/30 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
5/31 Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
6/02 Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
6/04 St. Louis, MO – Pop’s
6/05 Columbus, OH – Alrosa Villa
6/06 Mokena, IL – The Pearl Room
6/07 Detroit, MI – Harpo’s
6/08 Toronto, ON – Opera House
6/09 Montreal, QBC – Foufounes
6/10 Quebec City, QBC – L’anti
6/11 New York, NY – BB Kings

While their official ‘comeback’ album, The Art of Dying, wasn’t really what I, or anyone else I would assume expected – light on the thrash, starting strong but gradually losing steam throughout – it was nice to hear new recorded output from them after a 14 recording absence. Now in 2008, that ‘comeback’ album can be viewed as merely a warm up session to the real comeback, Killing Season – a mean slab of rollicking and fun as hell to listen to rock n roll tinged thrash.

Killing Season continues style wise and is the perfect follow up to 1990’s Act III. The best way to describe it I think is to take Act III and streamline it – cut out all the ballads and ‘lighter’ moments (you won’t find any of that here), and give it a nice dosage of heaviness while retaining that dirty rock n roll vibe it had throughout – that’s Killing Season in a nutshell, but there’s more than that. Vocalist Mark Osegueda is the star here, outshining the fantastic riffs and solos of Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar with some of the best and most impassioned vocal work I’ve heard on a thrash album. This guy has always been a great vocalist, but he’s only improved over the years, displaying a great range from throaty screams and gritty cleans, to some awesome highs that bring to mind an almost hoarse Bruce Dickinson at times! The way he belts and carries out some notes here really stick with you.

The opening combo of “Lord of Hate” and lead single “Sonic Beatdown” is as thrash as it gets, and really sets the stage for the album. They take things down a step or two for “Dethroned”, which brings that dirty rock n roll sound more to the forefront, but is no less punchy, then come right back into upbeat thrash territory with the almost punky and personal favorite “Carnival Justice”. The next pair of “Buried Alive” and “Soulless” bring things down into a slower, groove based traditional metal sound then hit with a killer, thrashy rocker in “The Noose”. “When Worlds Collide” and “Steal the Crown” are definitely the most gritty and ballsy rock n roll sounding tracks, while “God vs. God” touches on some almost funky sounds. By the time album closer “Resurrection Machine” rolls along, you think “well here’s that slow burning ballad I expected” with it’s misleading intro, but soon unleashes itself as the albums heaviest track, sporting a mid paced stomping groove in the verse offset by a highly memorable layered chorus, and insanely spectacular yet mellow soloing.

I maybe a fanboy, but Killing Season should go down as one of, if not the thrash album of the year simply because it’s got something different to offer than the hordes of new school thrashers and the go for the throat mentality that thrash generally carries with it, and truly pushes the boundaries of thrash without meandering to far from what thrash is all about.