UMUR
"Under Pressure" is an EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Death Angel.The EP was released through Nuclear Blast in October 2020. Although "Under Pressure" is released under the Death Angel monicker, the EP lineup actually only features two out of five of the band members who recorded their 2019 album "Humanicide".
Guitarist Rob Cavestany and lead vocalist Mark Osegueda opted to work together and record a four-track acoustic EP. Probably as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic isolation situation and the subsequent issues getting the full band together to record new music, but maybe also because it was a project the two musicians had been planning for a while. The title track is cover of Queen (featuring David Bowie). "Faded Remains" is a brand new track, and "A Room With a View" and "Revelation Song" are re-recorded acoustic tracks from previous releases in the band´s discography.
Although Death Angel have been pretty consistent in the quality and style of their material since their comeback in 2001, the pre-split-up part of the band´s discography feature more experiments with other sounds and styles, so it´s not a huge surprise that the band have opted to record and release a fully acoustic EP. There have been sung many accolades of the guitar skills of Cavestany, and it´s safe to say he shines here too. Osegueda has a strong voice and a passionate delivery, and his voice perfectly suits the acoustic material, just as it suits the band´s usual thrash metal sound.
Personally a couple of acoustic tracks aren´t anything which blows my mind, but "Under Pressure" is overall a good quality release, and it´s definitely a worthwhile addition to Death Angel´s discography, and perfectly sums up the band´s eclectic and boundary searching attitude to songwriting. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.