If I could use some words to describe the status of Death Angel the past years, it would be one of the songs in this release. “Alive And Screaming” is the one that fits perfectly in the legendary thrashers of Bay Area who are releasing the ninth album of their career. What if they aren’t for many years now the band that consisted solely from cousins, what if from their classic line-up there are only Rob Cavestany (guitars) and Mark Osegueda (vocals) left? They don’t seem to have any difficulty and they keep releasing killer albums.
“Humanicide” doesn’t take long to persuade you about its intentions. The title track at first is a classic Death Angel song with great riffs and aggressive vocals. The thrash attack continues and you can only find great compositions here. For example, the excellent “Aggressor”, the mid-tempo “Immortal Behated” with the piano in the end, the Motorhead-like “I Came For Blood” and my personal favorite “The Pack” with the interesting lyrics talking about unity.
In general, this album doesn’t have a weak moment, it’s that simple. The cover is maybe the best one they’ve ever had, even if it reminds a lot of “The Dream Calls For Blood” that came out six years ago. Alexi Laiho from Children Of Bodom has a guest appearance on lead guitars in one track and Jason Suecof does the same in another one. Jason is once more the producer, as he was in the previous three records, and he did of course a magnificent job.
One of the greatest bands that ever came out of the San Francisco scene, shows for one more time that they are in a great streak and they still have a lot to give to us. One of the best releases of the year so far.
