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Death Angel - The Dream Calls For Blood review



Reviewer:
8.5

263 users:
8.16
Band: Death Angel
Album: The Dream Calls For Blood
Style: Bay Area thrash metal
Release date: October 2013


01. Left For Dead
02. Son Of The Morning
03. Fallen
04. The Dream Calls For Blood
05. Succubus
06. Execution - Don't Save Me
07. Caster Of Shame
08. Detonate
09. Empty
10. Territorial Instinct/Bloodlust
11. Heaven And Hell [Black Sabbath cover] [digipak bonus]

I first experienced seven-tenths of The Dream Calls For Blood on Death Angel's last tour, and it piqued my curiosity. Traditionally, playing nearly all of the new album is an unpopular tactic across the musical spectrum, but those seven songs sounded plenty thrashy to me onstage and they sound plenty thrashy to me on CD.

Relentless Retribution was a great album and Killing Season was a pretty hard act to follow, but The Dream Calls For Blood might just take the cake for the best new-millennium Death Angel album. Where Relentless Retribution was rife with metalcore elements - harmony overdoses, a couple of breakdown-type midsections, and a heavily modernized sound a la Trivium or Killswitch Engage - The Dream Calls For Blood pulls everything back to a simpler, more straightforward thrash attack. Producer Jason Suecof has been held over from the last record, but the sound has not; this album is edgier, rawer, and thrashier. "Left For Dead," after a brief intro, rockets out of the starting gate and kicks up a cloud of metallic dust with fast, unforgiving riffs. Things get better from there.

Breakneck tempos and cutting riffs frame this exercise in brutality. This is a thrash album, through-and-through, and Death Angel are truly on form. On a few occasions, such as in "Son Of The Morning" and "Detonate," Mark Osegueda offers a splendid surprise. The guy has a strong voice, but I didn't think he had those notes in him.

Death Angel seem to only improve with age. By now, only Mark Osegueda and Rob Cavestany remain from the original lineup, but if this album proves anything, it is that they know how to persevere. The Dream Calls For Blood comes a little late to the party of thrash titans showing the young'uns how it's done in the modern era, but it stands tall alongside Overkill's The Electric Age, Testament's Dark Roots Of Earth, and Kreator's Phantom Antichrist as a strong new effort by beloved veterans.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 8





Written on 15.01.2014 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct.


Comments

Comments: 15   Visited by: 338 users
15.01.2014 - 18:52
Lit.
Account deleted
Dark Roots Of Earth and Phantom Antichrist are hardly what I'd call "strong new efforts."
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15.01.2014 - 20:04
Zap
Guest
^ same for The Electric Age
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15.01.2014 - 20:23
Rating: 9
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Just like reviewer here, this record took me surprise for anything.

On finish of my first spin, I got the flavour of album it was indeed fantastic. After couple of weeks, it pops up on my pad ahain and sunk in tremendously with strong paddle on the thrash* style engulfed in. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed this disc and it sure as hell was great album to come up with.

* Death Angel's sound was more palpable to metalcore style of playing.
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15.01.2014 - 21:38
Rating: 7
K✞ulu
Seeker of Truth
Well, I guess I would have made the review a little longer, but having listened to all their previous outputs I could understand your comparisons. I have to say, though, that I was not really impressed by this one, but it might be a good time to go back to it.
----
Savor what you feel and what you see
Things that may not seem important now
But may be tomorrow

R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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16.01.2014 - 00:22
Mattybu

Nice review, their last album was honestly a piece of shit but if they have changed it up a bit this might be worth a go.
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16.01.2014 - 00:30
OtherDoor

Written by Zap on 15.01.2014 at 20:04

^ same for The Electric Age


Not as good as Ironbound, but still better than the other ones mentioned.
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16.01.2014 - 01:38
UPDIRNS

Written by Guest on 15.01.2014 at 18:52

Dark Roots Of Earth and Phantom Antichrist are hardly what I'd call "strong new efforts."


Why didn't you like those two albums? I think Phantom Antichrist is a phenomenal thrash album. Dark Roots is solid too. It has some weaker tracks, but more very good to great tracks too. It's all subjective and it's your opinion. I'm just curious why you feel this way.
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16.01.2014 - 15:00
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Quote:

but The Dream Calls For Blood might just take the cake for the best new-millennium Death Angel album.


Nope, that title still goes to The Art Of Dying which is by far the best album Death Angel has released in this millennium.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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17.01.2014 - 04:19
Rating: 9
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 16.01.2014 at 15:00

Quote:

but The Dream Calls For Blood might just take the cake for the best new-millennium Death Angel album.


Nope, that title still goes to The Art Of Dying which is by far the best album Death Angel has released in this millennium.

The first three songs on The Art Of Dying are amazing, and it ends quite strongly, but the middle of the album somewhat bores me. "Thrown to the Wolves" is by far, I think, their best song, but The Dream Calls For Blood is much more consistent.
----
"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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19.01.2014 - 08:43
666pack

There's way to much treble in the mix of this album for me to enjoy....on the computer I can doctor it up some, but in the car it's annoying. The guitars were behind the drums also, which is not the formula for thrash. I loved Art of Dying and each album has gotten less interesting. But none of them suck. Regardless they are one of the best bands I've sen live, and I've seen a shitload of live shows.
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19.01.2014 - 08:54
666pack

Phantom Antichrist and Dark Roots are still better than the majority of material being released the past few years. And Overkill is out of the game. Their new music is boring as shit.
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20.01.2014 - 07:52
Rating: 9
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
I'd also like to point out that, considering that The Electric Age, Phantom Antichrist, and Dark Roots Of Earth were our top three candidates in the thrash category for the 2012 MS Awards, a lot of people seem to think that they were indeed strong releases.

You might disagree, of course, but I think most people would understand my point.
----
"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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20.01.2014 - 15:31
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 20.01.2014 at 07:52

I'd also like to point out that, considering that The Electric Age, Phantom Antichrist, and Dark Roots Of Earth were our top three candidates in the thrash category for the 2012 MS Awards, a lot of people seem to think that they were indeed strong releases.



Just goes to show what sort of an extremely year for thrash 2012 that those three topped the category
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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21.01.2014 - 09:49
Rating: 9
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Written by deadone on 21.01.2014 at 00:58

I think the oldies maintain an edge over the young 'uns by having better song writing skills.

The young uns also seem to be too stuck in the past in a bad way.

In any case Death Angel's new one is the best Thrash album I've heard this year. Th reThrash guys seem to have fallen over in a heap and Revocation went more melodic DM which did them no favours.


Revocation self titled album is boring, re-hashing older materials, excessive use of melodic which turns out that "you've been through with that stuff" before. Look, Revocation shouldn't even in compared in thrash category because they went absurdly melodic in their music. Death Angel's new record is really good but not their best. But, you need to check it out more. I hope you havent listened to new Onslaught. Oh, do check out new Lost Society's new album too, its great. Overall, 13 saw the worst thrash releases.
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21.01.2014 - 15:39
Daniell
_爱情_
Written by deadone on 21.01.2014 at 00:58

I think the oldies maintain an edge over the young 'uns by having better song writing skills.

The young uns also seem to be too stuck in the past in a bad way.


This, a hundred times over.
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