Artist: Death Angel
Album: Relentless Retribution
Released: September 3rd, 2010 (Europe) , September 13th, 2010 (Worldwide)
Label: Nuclear Blast
I'll be the first to admit that I started listening to Death Angel after I head "Dethroned" from Killing Season. I liked them just due to the fact that they had an old school thrash giant sound to them. Earlier this year, one of the founding members of the 1980's thrash outfit, Andy Galeon, had left the band. This left the only founding member, guitarist Rob Cavestany, alone from the original lineup. This album doesn't continue the strength that Killing Season had, and seems to falter too much with trying to cater to the new styles instead of sticking with what they do best.
The album starts out with the killer track "Relentless Revolution". It serves an introduction of the ideals of the band stating that if you don't agree, step the fuck aside. The next song, "Claws In So Deep" keeps the energy up with some old school thrash sound and mixing in a little bit of the Machine Head style heaviness (yes, I know Machine Head isn't the first band to sound like this. It was the closest I could think of. Fucking sue me.). There is a guest vocalist, and I can't quite pin who it is (if anyone can figure it out, let me know). This guest vocalist definitely adds to the feeling to song. It almost has the newer school Trivium feel to it. The energy of the song seems to peter off towards the mid mark (At 7:45, it's the longest song on the album and especially long for a thrash band). Wait a minute, what the fuck? A short little electronic segue comes in 6:28 and completely throws the song off balance. It was completely unnecessary and it could of just went straight to the acoustic section following it. "Truce" begins abruptly and is definitely a wake up from the acoustic lullery that happens at the end of the previous track. Some really good riffs in this track, but for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that they are trying to pick up the old metalcore riffs in some places. Yes, they are adding some more thrash flourishes, but the metalcore riff seems to still be the base of most of the riffs in the album. Definitely a solid solo in this song.
"Into The Arms Of Righteous Anger" definitely has a kick ass feeling to it. Mark Osegueda's voice is definitely unique, so it adds to the interesting nature of the song. The metalcore riff is once again present, but this time, it definitely adds to the song. My head was definitely bobbing during this song. "River of Rapture" starts out with a pretty vanilla, yet kick ass thrash riff, and it definitely feels quick and tight. A mid album song, but definitely worth the listen. "Absence Of Light" starts out with an old-school slow starting thrash song akin to Metallica's best slower moving old stuff. The lyrics seem a little clichéd and Osegueda almost channels the spirit of Dio in the way he delivers some of them. The solo at about the 2:50 minute mark seems weak.
"This Hate" picks the album back up from its slow pace and definitely gets things moving again. Unfortunately, the song overall is weak. With a verse structure that just doesn't click and riffs that aren't that imaginative, it just doesn't do well for itself. More wankery of the whammy bar occurs during the solo. "Death Of The Meek" sounds like what I would expect of Death Angel these days. The riffs have moved on from the metalcore sound in the earlier songs. A section of the song has a similarity of Slayer's "Cult" (It's all just psychotic devotion, manipulated with no discretion. Take a listen to the song and see if you can tell what I mean) The solo is not bad at all. "Opponents At Side" starts to venture into almost mainstream metal territory. It's definitely not one of the strongest songs on the album. At 6:22, it's also one of the longer songs on the album, so it definitely makes it difficult to listen to the whole song. "I Chose The Sky" is once again a faster thrash song. It definitely fits the Death Angel name in any area. That is, until it hits the chorus. It's the metalcore sound again! Death Angel is apparently smitten with the tired genre, because it shows up quite frequently in this album. This song could easily be done by Shadows Fall and sound right at home. The twin guitar harmonies also make an appearance.
"Volcanic" goes back to the acoustic guitar work heard earlier on in the album. It has a feeling of a sappy metal ballad. Osegueda seems to want to channel yet another vocalist in Zakk Wylde with the whiskey and beer soaked gravel sound coming in at any opportunity. A lyric "hate the player, not the game" really threw me off liking this. The acoustic solo seems once again, vanilla with a un-matching rhythm track. The final track "Where They Lay" starts out with a heavy riff that wouldn't be out of place on an Acacia Strain album (which isn't necessarily a good thing). The song overall is the strongest I've heard since the beginning of the album. The gang vocals feel forced and weak. The verses are almost rapped, but still, the song remains strong all the way to the end.
Overall, the album isn't the quality that I'd expect from Death Angel. Most legacy thrash bands have either continued their great output or just completely catered to their nostalgia fans with subpar albums for a quick buck. If Death Angel doesn't work a little harder on their next release, they may be doomed to the same fate as their nostalgia catering brethren. Only recommended for serious fans of Death Angel.
Overall Score: 2 out of 5
High Points:
- It's got some thrash elements in it
- Mark's voice has improved
- When it's strong, it's pretty damn good.
Low Points:
- A metalcore riff sound seems to permeate even the most thrash of tracks
- Not enough strong songs and some songs even feel like they are unnecessarily added
- In trying to embrace new trends, the band stumbles with what they do best.
Recommended Songs:
Relentless Revolution
Claws In So Deep
Where They Lay
River Of Rapture
