(Nuclear Blast)
Total Playing Time: 48:30
DEATH ANGEL with their ninth effort, are here to reassure us about the form the band is in the last years with another stellar Thrash metal album. The legendary group from California, after the great releases, ‘’The Dream Calls For Blood’’ and ‘’The Evil Divide’’, continue with the same speed but also the same level of quality, raising up high the Thrash metal flag!
The album starts off with the first single and title track ‘’Humanicide’’, with “breaking-neck” speeds and melodic passages, it serves as a predisposition of what’s to come. The second track ‘’Divine Defector’’ continues on the same pace and it’s important to acknowledge the performance of Mark Osegueda (frontman), who spits the lyrics with aggression and hate and urges the listener to do the same. The third song, ‘’Aggressor’’ is probably their best effort on this release, with a frantic pace, some heavy mid-tempo riffs, acoustic guitars and beautiful solos, it serves as an example of DEATH ANGEL being at their best. With, ‘’I Came For Blood’’ the band showcases their punk inspirations, while in ‘’Immortal Beheaded’’ the speed is reduced before it takes off again with the excellent ‘’Alive And Screaming’’, giving another great performance on the vocal department. A special reference needs to be made for the second single of this release, named ‘’The Pack’’ which makes up for another Thrash metal hymn that will surely stay for a long time on their live setlist. The only negative aspect of the album is the last song, which doesn’t quite work well and as a composition is a bit less impressive than the rest of the tracks.
In conclusion, the ninth effort of the Thrash metal giants DEATH ANGEL keeps the same standard established by their previous two releases, while, at the same time, expanding their sound with the fantastic vocal performance by Mark Osegueda.
8/10
Panagiotis Koreas
