The most truly wonderful aspect of
Death Angel's 2008 LP release "
Killing Season" is its due dilligence to the Bay
Area thrash sound by way of demonstration rather than mere duplication. The songs for the most part act as metal templates: they are honest, straightforward, and most definitely old school. "
God vs
God" is the only song on the album that attempts to modernize their sound with a vibrating pedal effect on guitar, a grinding tempo, and lead/bass lines playing apart from each other. Besides that track, "
Lord Of
Hate", "
Resurrection Machine" and "When Worlds
Collide" spearhead the classic 80's fast and aggressive thrash riffs with clean instrumental intros, explosive and relentless metal riffs, and memorable refrains. Individual highlights are rare and guitar solos are short; however, but for that reason "
Killing Season" feels more like a group project with a more welcome and singular direction. "Steal
The Crown" is a great example of this - the bass line kicks off the richly toned rhythm line but isn't featured again anywhere else on the track. "
Dethroned" starts off with a clean guitar intro but then quickly progresses to a heavier and choppier delivery of thrash rhythm. "
Resurrection Machine" has perhaps the softest and most somber introduction with an accoustic and clean electric guitar before that gallops into a much more heavy metal rhythm line. To add, that first movement is repeated in the middle break, and at least two other songs follow a soft/hard/soft/hard format. Still, because those parts are very short, none of these tracks would be defined as contrary to the afformentioned statement. Overall, an observation can be made that there is an intentional low budget feel to the recording although it clearly is not. As an artistic choice, the result is quite exceptional as if to connect this contemporary work with the sounds and attitudes of the past. The best track on the album, "
Lord Of
Hate" reeks of that that old shoe feeling of comfort. Another note worthy of mention is the awesome voice of
Anthrax's Scott
Ian putting in some quality background vocal work on a couple of songs. His unmistakable tone is akin to a sonic stamp of approval. In all, to hear once again any current thrash metal offering by a metal master of this sound is most welcome and given that context,
Death Angel's "
Killing Season" is therefore a most pleasureable and headbanging metal experience.
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