Death Angel is steeped in the finest traditions of thrash metal, and they once again prove that thrash is not dead, nor has it been compromised by those bands that holds its values closest to their hearts in the modern age. The magnificent rhythm section held together by bassist Damien Sisson and the sensational brilliance of Will Carroll just careers along here, keeping the tempo tight whether it be at a normal pace, or suddenly speeding up to gigantic proportions. As the 'new section' of the band, they probably had a bit of living up to in the eyes and ears of the fans who have followed this band from the beginning, but they have cast aside any doubts as to their ability to help continue the Death Angel legacy.
Mark Osegueda's vocals are again front and centre of this release, and he continues to walk that fine line between pure vocalist and note perfect semi-screamer, still somewhere between early Hetfield and early Araya. How he can continue to sing for the entire song, like he does in "Caster of Shame" for instance, is just amazing. His vocals here are still as stunning as they have ever been, passionately coming at you with that brilliant thrash power he is renown for. It makes it almost impossible to sing along to - just because who has that kind of vocal range? - but it is just brilliant all the same.
The vocals would probably be the highlight of the album, if it wasn't for the awesome display put on once again by the duelling magnificence of guitarists Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar. Their guitaring is pinpoint perfect, whether it be acoustically or rhythmically underscore riffs, or simply shredding in duet through the middle of a song, or their amazing solo technique. This is the essence of thrash metal, and these two are the stars of this album, their guitaring stealing the show on all counts. Amazing stuff.
"Detonate" is an excellent example of the strengths of this band as a whole. The harmonic guitar intro moves into the thumping drum beat, and the building of the vocals decibels, while the meandering speed of the song also builds to its crescendo as the guitar solos crush until the dramatic conclusion. Brilliant stuff.
My favourites on the album include "Left For Dead", "The Dream Calls For Blood", "Execution / Don't Save Me", "Caster of Shame" and "Empty", as well as the great version of Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell", which not only teaches us where a piece of this band's inspiration is, but also that there was only one Ronnie James Dio.
Metallica and Megadeth, and even Slayer, stopped being thrash metal bands a long time ago, and morphed into the heavyweights of heavy metal that they are. But thrash hasn't died, and along with the new bands coming through, it is still the giants such as Death Angel and Testament and Exodus who lead the charge for this sometimes forgotten legacy of metal. The Dream Calls For Blood is another installment of that legacy, and keeps that thrash candle burning brightly.
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