Death Angel - Relentless Retribution
Release Date: 2010Sep14 (US)
Label: Nuclear Blast
Rating: 4/5
On August 19, 1990, Death Angel and Forbidden played at the infamous Channel in Boston, MA. It was one of the many all ages shows the venue would book on Sunday afternoons. Here’s the problem: I wasn’t there. Being under 18 at the time, my pops was sheepish about me making the trek from rural New Hampshire into the big city of Boston. Needless to say, I was furious, everyone I knew went to that gig, and at the time, both Act III and Twisted Into Form were two of my favorite records.
Fast forward 20 years and Death Angel have served up a slab of metal that easily stands up next to their classic output. From the opening riff of “Relentless Revolution” to the classic old school chants that close out the album’s final track “Where They Lay”, DA delivers track after track of prime thrash with the variety and skill that they have come to be known for.
The band are in fine form here. The new rhythm section of drummer Will Carroll and Damien Sisson inject a new energy into the band, Mark Osegueda is screaming with a vengeance, and Jason Suecof’s crisp production is superb. “Claws So Deep” is a prime example of what has always made Death Angel‘s best moments so great: a furious verse riff that makes you want to start a circle pit, no matter where you may be, and a ridiculously catchy breakdown that leads to a classic DA-style bridge, then back to that one-person-mosh-pit-inducing verse. And, in pure Death Angel fashion, takes a dramatic left turn into a great acoustic outro, courtesy of Rodrigo y Gabriela. “Truce” is an instant classic—it’s the kind of anthem that, once you hear it, it will not leave your abnormal little brain.
Also of note: the shared vocal duties of Mark Osegueda and Rob Cavestany are juxtaposed well and add great variety and dynamics to the music, especially on the aforementioned “Claws So Deep”. If you are a fan of great thrash with one foot in the old school and the other in present times, I cannot recommend Relentless Retribution enough. It’s great to see these classic masters of the Bay Area scene showing the young bucks how it’s done.
FCC: 2
Try: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10
01. Relentless Revolution
02. Claws In So Deep
03. Truce
04. Into The Arms Of Righteous Anger
05. River Of Rapture
06. Absence Of Light
07. This Hate
08. Death Of The Meek
09. Opponents At Sides
10. I Chose The Sky
11. Volcanic
12. Where They Lay
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