Death Angel
The Evil Divide

This 2016 is a year of thrash metal. With new works from Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament, Kreator, and Destruction (just to name the most well-known), there's a lot on the plate for fans of the genre, although it must be said that the verve of vintage bands in the genre is no longer the same, and the quality of new releases, in many cases, disappoints expectations. After all, the '80s and '90s are long gone, and metal is going through a declining period, especially in terms of quality, in its offerings. A bleak picture from which Death Angel tries to pull themselves out by delivering an album that reconciles with the good old American speed thrash from times gone by.

In the anticipation of these names that have made history, often only disappointments are gathered. The decades past and history are not enough on their own to keep the quality bar high, and there are countless cases of many records by "big names" that have completely flopped. This time, Death Angel doesn't miss and "challenges" Megadeth, who have returned with "Dystopia," a valid album like they haven't released in a while. The band of Cavestany and Osegueda (one of the best thrash singers still around) delivers a CD that surpasses even the good "The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013).

Now, Death Angel has no pretension to do anything other than follow the coordinates they have always pursued in their career. Experimentations have never been in their horizon, although there were some nu-metal temptations in the post-reunion period. "The Evil Divide" is a bit of a concentrate of their sound, a thrash metal always balanced between the more sustained rhythms of speed and the melodic search of a more canonical heavy. This side is emphasized by "Lost", a preciously constructed song, classic but effective, like the splendid "Father of Lies", where again the thrash/heavy blend emerges. The exchange of solos in a Maiden-like contrast is also interesting. Yet, it's still speed that is the true defining element of their soul, that frantic rhythm that recalls the debut "The Ultra Violence," which probably remains their best work, never surpassed. Death Angel steps on the gas and moves in the opposite direction to other realities of the genre, where a decelerating rhythm and often truly unsustainable lengths are gaining more and more ground. Take songs like "Cause for Alarm", the crazy "Hell to Pay", or "Breakaway", which steer clear of granting pauses and slowdowns. Downhill without brakes at the pace of an automatic headbanging after dark times. Death Angel seems to have a compositional urgency they haven't shown in years, which, despite the classical setup, maintains a force and quality level that doesn't clash with the repetitiveness of the formula. A flaw of "The Evil Divide" might be the lack of a true "hit" that can frame itself as an anthem. "Hatred United/United Hate" seriously candidates itself as the best track of the album, but it's missing something to become an "anthem" of this precise historical moment for the group.

Death Angel was born in a period when they were inevitably "subservient" to other giants that overshadowed them. Today, 30 years after their first release, they have arrived with less shortness of breath than others and show an attitude that many are instead losing. It may not be a work that rewrites the genre, but already the absence of those plasticky sounds in favor of a more "old style" approach is a sign of genuineness that is not unwelcome.

7.5