Death Angel - The Dream Calls for Blood
Having grown up in San Francisco, Bay Area Thrash is something that I’ve known about and followed for most of my life. While I was never one of those people who religiously went to The Stone or to Ruthie’s Inn, I did know about and listened to most of the bands in the local scene. As such, Death Angel and their peers were a fairly large part of my youth and young adult life. I first discovered Death Angel not long after The Ultra-Violence was released. One of my friends was a huge fan of theirs at the time and I heard that LP at least once every time I was around him back when I was in high school. Thrash was getting big in those days, with Metallica leading the way. MTV was starting to play Thrash videos and major labels were signing Bay Area bands left and right. As things grew more and more commercialized, you could slowly see a lot of local groups changing, and Death Angel was no exception. I remember them attempting to become more commercially acceptable on Act III, and at some point they even started calling themselves D.A. because Death Angel wasn’t radio-friendly enough. They eventually disappeared, dissolving back in 1991, with members forming other bands like The Organization (also known as “The O”), Swarm and Big Shrimp. Death Angel reformed in 2001, though with only two of the members from the ’80s lineup remaining (Rob Cavestany and Mark Osegueda). The new team is rounded out by three scene veterans: Will Carroll, Ted Aguilar and Damien Sisson (all three of whom are also members of local Thrashers Scarecrow, Ted and Will were also in Warfare DC together). The Dream Calls for Blood is the latest album by this revamped lineup, and while the novelty of Death Angel being comprised of family members is gone, the band is more focused, and the desire to appeal to MTV and mainstream radio is nowhere to be found. Though they’re never going to recapture the feeling and energy of The Ultra-Violence, the Thrash on this record is definitely potent. It’s reminiscent of other Bay Area bands, blending a bit of Exodus with some Vio-Lence and a little old Metallica into their already established sound. No new ground is broken, but the music still does plenty of damage to the vertebrae in your neck. All of these songs are mostly hard-driving, speedy Thrash with just enough melody to hook you in and get your head banging. The only one that really doesn’t fit is their rendition of “Heaven and Hell,” but that’s a digipak-only bonus track, so I don’t really count it. It’s a good cover, but the song is slower and heavier than the others, making it stick out as an oddball. As a bonus track, though, it’s definitely worth an extra dollar or two if you’re a fan of the band. Even if you only have the option of buying the regular version, it doesn’t disappoint.
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