Time Signature Sonic beatdown...

Genre: thrash metal

Death Angel were sensational when they first entered the thrash metal scene, and after their comeback, they remain a thrash metal force to be reckoned with.

This is their fifth album - and the second since they reformed after a long hiatus, and they show that they still master the art of writing aggressive thrash metal which is still melodic and technical. Not as diverse as their grand opus "Act III", this is much more focused on aggression and energy (although there are some quite quirky thing every now and then, such as part of the bridge of "Carnival Justice"), and a lot of the less technical riffage sounds almost a bit hardcorish. Death Angel also draw on more classic sounding metal and inject a bit of groove into their overall style, too. This combination works extremely well, and Death Angel position themselves, on this album, in a sort of timeless position with a foot in the traditional thrash metal camp and a foot in the modern thrash metal camp.

The production is crisp and well-defined, but far from sterile and hollow. In other words, it is a very well produced album.

Should be in any self-respecting thrash metal fans collection.

UMUR Killing Season is the 5th full-length studio album by American thrash metal act Death Angel and their 2nd since their reformation in 2001. Death Angel made quite a name for themselves on in the mid- to late eighties San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal scene with their three studio albums from that period The Ultra-Violence (1987), Frolic Through the Park (1988) and Act III (1990). They disbanded in 1991 and it took 13 years before they released their comeback album The Art of Dying in 2004. Killing Season consolidates that their comeback album wasn´t just a one of.

The music on Killing Season is unmistakably the sound of Death Angel. The well balanced mix between aggressive and technically well played thrash metal and a good sense for melody and memorability. The music on this album possess a power that´s admirable and the strong production only makes the songs more powerful. Take a listen to a song like the fast-paced Sonic Beatdown or the more heavy mid-paced yet still very energetic Dethroned. WOW that´s what I call great powerful thrash metal. The musicianship is strong on the album and it´s obvious that these guys are not newbies. Lead vocalist Mark Osegueda needs a special mention here. He is an incredibly talented vocalist IMO. He is able to sing some really aggressive thrash metal vocals, yet sounding melodic at the same time. Simply put the man can sing!

Killing Season must be one of the most enjoyable thrash metal releases from 2008 and for fans of thrash metal with melodic sensibility and good variation this is a must buy album. A 4 star rating is fully deserved.