Band:	Death Angel
Album:	Humanicide
Style:	Bay Area thrash metal
Release date:	May 2019

01. Humanicide
02. Divine Perfector
03. Aggressor
04. I Came For Blood
05. Immortal Behated
06. Alive And Screaming
07. The Pack
08. Ghost Of Me
09. Revelation Song
10. On Rats And Men
11. The Day I Walked Away [bonus]

Death Angel belong in a very small and elite list of thrash bands that never fell flat on their face. I mean, how many times have you really been disappointed by them?

Granted, Frolic Through The Park was a bit of an experiment that many of us didn't get and left a few fans bored and/or confused, and Killing Season was somewhat uneven but my statement still stands; they never fell flat on their face (possibly because they weren't around in the '90s). And since this is 2019 and not 1987, I'll try hard to not mention at all in this review the title of one of the best thrash metal albums of all time. Instead, I'll just say that another thing that got me excited for this release is that Death Angel have been gradually increasing the quality of their output in the last few years, starting with Relentless Retribution, until the highly acclaimed -and with good justification for that- The Evil Divide.

Enter Humanicide.

The first single and title track opens the album in bloodthirsty fashion, immediately pumping up the listener and offering a slab of cataclysmic thrash. It is the fastest cut of the record along with "Alive And Screaming" but every decent thrash band can play fast; what makes Humanicide special is its varied songwriting. Death Angel is one of the very few bands that are not afraid to push the envelope of thrash, as much as this envelope can be pushed, that is. They have diachronically been adding new things to their familiar formula and this time around they have used acoustic bits, in the groove beast that is "Aggressor" as well as in the mid-paced, dark and intense "Immortal Behated", which also features a beautiful piano outro.

Humanicide's advantage over the majority of thrash albums that feel tired and repetitive after the first 15-20 minutes is that, as seamlessly as its ten songs flow, each one has its own distinct characteristics and leaves an individual impression. And not only that, almost all of them stand out in their own unique way. The guitar cuts through your skull like a buzz saw in the riff bonanza that is "Divine Defector". "I Came For Blood" is a Motörhead-meets-Saxon, punky head-on collision and "Revelation Song" is another tribute to classic heavy metal, pushing early Judas Priest-esque riffs through the Death Angel thrash grinder. Even the corny "The Pack", with its oh-oh-oh backing vocals that remind of "Thrown To The Wolves" (which is a much better track of course) from the The Art Of Dying, becomes quite enjoyable after a few listens and I personally can't wait to experience its festival vibe in the pit.

Humanicide is how exceptional and contemporary thrash metal is done. It is diverse, yet at the same time as determined and aggressive as a pack of rabid wolves chasing a hopeless victim. It concludes a decade of very strong releases and, in this reviewer's opinion, tops them all.

Hell, this may very well be Death Angel's best stuff since The Ultra-Violence. There, I said it.

"The sky goes black
Under the dirt so cold
Upon you filthy rats
With no honor or code"