940. Death Angel / The Evil Divide. 2016. 4/5

The first thing that I have to ask is - where the hell did this version of Death Angel come from? Because it is beginning to become something quite out of the ordinary with their usual foray into music. Certainly there has been a movement in this direction in recent times. But it still takes a little getting used to in places when you are looking for the style you have known and loved for so long. The vocals leave you in no doubt as to the rage that is fired from within, but we are in a new world for this band as far as I'm concerned. In places, Mark's vocals could be imitating Tom Araya's from Slayer, such is the strength and ferocity of the screaming. And there's no serious drama with that occurring, except for the fact that on those songs, it sounds like a Slayer album rather than a Death Angel album, except a Slayer album would probably still closer to raging thrash speed than a lot of this album is.

"The Moth" kicks things off in the Slayer range, which for all intents and purposes gives the listener a real earful from the start. "Cause For Alarm" follows this, and is pretty much a less frantic version of the band that has come before this. I like the song and the way it is performed, but it's a little like putting a thrash metal vinyl album that is supposed to be played at 45rpm on 33rpm. It's just stripped back in some areas, which does take some getting used to.
Then we have "Lost", which is a mighty step taken by the band. Because this isn't a thrash metal song. In fact, I'm not sure how you would classify it at all. The pace of the song is stripped right back, with a relevant riff running through the song accompanied by the double kick (albeit slowed down tempo) drum. Is this a thrash metal ballad? Has there ever been such a thing?! No, probably not, but it is a brave step by the band I feel to do such a song.
"Father of Lies" is the basis track of the album. It's good to sing along to, the guitars are great, the drums hum along, Osegueda's vocals are great. This is a heavy metal song in all respects. "Hell to Pay" may well be the first real version of thrash on this album. It starts off on fire, speeding through the intro and taking off once Mark's vocals kick in as well. Great stuff. However, "It Can't Be This" is another song that doesn't have the tempo of a good old fashioned thrash track. I'm not denying that it is a heavy track, but it sure isn't a thrash track. And perhaps in the modern age, this is where Death Angel has morphed into. With songs like this and "Lost" the band has traded speed for a heavy back track rather than insane speed of riff or drums. And with songs like "The Moth", and then the track that follows "It Can't Be This", the guest riff-assisted "Hatred United / United Hate" with Sepultura's Andreas Kisser, we have god-damned heavy riffing, and the screaming vocal set from Osegueda that really must hurt his throat. It's loud, it's angry, and my goodness it must sound awesome live, but it's not what I would consider thrash anymore.
"Breakaway" in place has the sound of a Symphony X song, which is somewhat surprisingly, but this tracks along nicely without any brakes on the music. This is followed by "The Electric Cell" which employs perhaps the fastest double kick of the album to punch it along. "Let the Pieces Fall" is a great song to complete the album, and a pretty good example of the mid-tempo thrash style that Death Angel employ all the way through this release. It sounds great, with a catchy guitar riff and double kick, but there's no real speed to speak of. It's thrash metal for old timers, both playing it and listening to it no doubt.

Despite any negativity you may get from reading the above, this is a terrific album again from a band that has made the most of its second chance in the metal world. There may no longer be the soaring vocals that we heard and loved on those early albums a lifetime ago, but that is not to suggest that they don't sound great here in their latest incantation. It may not have the speed that you would associate with the band in earlier days. Don't go into this thinking you will find a thrash album such as what was released at the height of the genre's powers back in the 1980's. But come looking for a great heavy metal album, because this quintet still knows how to play, and how to put an album together. The more you listen to this, the better it gets.

Rating:  "You'll never flee, they have trained you well".   4/5