Welcome to the LOUDEST DOT COM ON THE PLANET!
KNAC.COM News Reviews and More Watch The Latest Videos Buy KNAC T-shirts and More


DEATH ANGEL The Evil Divide

By Peter Atkinson, Contributor
Thursday, June 2, 2016 @ 8:15 AM


- advertisement -
DEATH ANGEL
The Evil Divide

Nuclear Blast Records




Since getting back in the game in 2001, DEATH ANGEL has run a bit hot and cold with its four studio albums. The Bay Area thrash quintet’s 2004 comeback effort, The Art Of Dying, had plenty of spunk, but the songs were kinda weak and the production thin. 2007's Killing Season, by contrast, was thick, punchy and loaded with infectious grooves. 2010’s Relentless Retribution took a bit of a step back – despite the addition of the dynamite new rhythm section of bassist Damien Sisson and drummer Will Carroll - with, again, disjointed songs, and somewhat sterile production.

But everything then came back together big time on 2013's The Dream Calls For Blood, with tighter, more ferocious material to go along with the band’s typical unbridled energy and a fittingly natural sounding production as Jason Suecof made the requisite tweaks to his work on Retribution and really brought the crunch. It was easily the best of the bunch so far.

The Evil Divide, fortunately, bucks the off-again/on-again trend and avoids stepping backward. It does, however, take something of a step to the side. Divide is the most varied and well-rounded of the recent DEATH ANGEL albums, but at the loss of some of the balls out thrash intensity that made Blood such a resounding triumph. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, since it allows the elastic rhythms of Sisson and Carroll to really swing – and the searing leadwork of founding guitarist Rob Cavestany and guests like SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser to resonate - Divide doesn't offer quite the visceral thrill as its predecessor, even with its slightly rawer edge.

Still, Divide is solid, often stirring stuff, and shows off its athleticism right off the bat. The back-and-forth, chug-and-thrash pace of the opener “The Moth” is followed by the straight-up thrasher “Cause For Alarm” with its surging riffs and shout-along backing vocals that then yields to “Lost”, a meditative power ballad where frontman Mark Osegueda's soaring highs recall Sebastian Bach – and I mean that as a complement.

This remains the modus operandi throughout, with just about every track offering a different mood or sonic approach than the one before, which speaks to the band's confidence now that the same lineup has recorded its third album together. “Father Of Lies” boasts a rollicking groove to tie together its relatively complex construction whereas “Hell To Pay” is short, brisk and simple – save for the lead tradeoffs by Cavestany and Ted Aguilar. The swaggering bottom end of “It Can't Be This” gives it a more menacing tone than the brisker paced “Hatred United, United Hate” despite a seemingly less ominous narrative.

“Breakaway” is the album's genuine thrash anthem with its go-for-the-throat delivery and super-catchy rallying cry chorus. And it's here where DEATH ANGEL go back to back for really the only time on Divide, with “The Electric Cell” maintaining the vigorous tempo and bracing riffs, but forgoing the money-shot chorus. It's too bad they weren't flipped with album closer “Let The Pieces Fall” to make for a more rousing finale. Despite its crunchy, determined chug, “Pieces” is jammy and overlong and might have been a better fit anywhere else but at the end.

Divide’s loose, freewheeling vibe harkens back to DEATH ANGEL’s second album Frolic Through The Park – from all the way back in 1988. Though some of the members were still teenagers at the time, Frolic brought a spirit of adventure and even whimsy that cut through thrash metal’s often rigid veneer and stylistic confines and was a breath of fresh air. While the present day DEATH ANGEL lineup is quite different – with only Osegueda and Cavestany remaining – and obviously more seasoned, it’s good to see that that spirit remains. And what the album might lack in sheer relentlessness, it makes up for in depth and guile, which is a pretty even trade.

4.0 Out Of 5.0

Grab your copy of The Evil Divide in the KNAC.COM More Store right HERE.


Back to Top

 

 

 Recent Reviews
RHAPSODY OF FIRE Challenge The Wind
THE AMITY AFFLICTION, CURRENTS, DYING WISH, MUGSHOT In Boston, MA With Photos!
BLUE OYSTER CULT Ghost Stories
BLACK VEIL BRIDES In Houston, TX With Photos!
GATECREEPER Dark Superstition
AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBITUARY, FROZEN SOUL In Portland, OR With Photos!
ULI JON ROTH In Ottawa, Canada
RAVEN, VICIOUS RUMORS, LUTHARO In Ottawa, Canada
BLIND GUARDIAN, NIGHT DEMON In Worcester, MA With Photos!
FIREWIND, EDGE OF PARADISE, IMMORTAL GUARDIAN In Houston, TX With Photos!
KERRY KING From Hell I Rise
DARKTHRONE It Beckons Us All
KAMELOT, HAMMERFALL, AD INFINITUM In Fort Worth, TX With Photos!
ASKING ALEXANDRIA, MEMPHIS MAY FIRE, THE WORD ALIVE, NERV In Salt Lake City, UT
ARTILLERY, VAPOR, POTENTIAL THREAT, INFRARED In Ottawa, Canada
BABYLON A.D. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day
ILLUSORY The Ivory Tower Reissue
GHOSTKID Hollywood Suicide
DAATH The Deceivers
ACCEPT Humanoid
BRUCE DICKINSON In Santa Ana, CA With Photos!
GREAT WHITE, SLAUGHTER, QUIET RIOT In Houston, TX With Photos!
STATIC-X, SEVENDUST, LINES OF LOYALTY In Salt Lake City, UT With Photos!
JUDAS PRIEST, SABATON In Youngstown, OH With Photos!
ROCK & BREWS Ridgefield, WA Grand Opening With Photos!
WIND ROSE, XANDRIA, LYCANTHRO In Ottawa, Canada
THE ROCK ORCHESTRA By Candlelight In Myrtle Beach, SC With Photos!
DEICIDE Banished By Sin
2024 MONSTERS OF ROCK CRUISE Recap With Photos!
LITA FORD In West Hollywood, CA With Photos!
BREAKING BENJAMIN, DAUGHTRY, CATCH YOUR BREATH In Idaho Falls, ID With Photos!



HOME | MAGAZINE | VIDS | STORE | HELP/POLICIES

©2024 KNAC.COM. All Rights Reserved.    Link to us    Advertise with us    Privacy policy
 Latest News