DEATH ANGEL — Relentless Retribution (review)

DEATH ANGEL — Relentless Retribution album cover Album · 2010 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Relentless Retribution" is the 6th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Death Angel. The album was released in September 2010 by Nuclear Blast Records. "Relentless Retribution" is the 3rd album release since Death Angel made a welcome return to the scene after a 14 years long hiatus with "The Art of Dying (2004)".

The music on the album is traditional US Bay Area thrash metal delivered with great skill and conviction. Death Angel are an exceptionally well playing band, but mentioning their songwriting skills shouldn´t be neglected. The 12 tracks on the 56:40 minutes long album are well written and damn catchy. The more aggressive style that the band initiated on "Killing Season (2008)" is continued here but it´s never to a point of sacrificing melody or memorability. Lead vocalist Mark Osegueda has a strong voice and perfectly balances his singing style between raw and more melodic (yet still raw) types of singing. The album is well balanced with both fast paced aggressive tracks and heavier mid-paced tracks, so even though the album is nearly an hour long, which I usually think is a bit too much for a thrash metal album, I´m entertained all the way through the album. Tracks like the melodic "Opponents At Sides" and the ballad type track "Volcanic" are some of the songs that provide variation. There are also some nice acoustic guitar work on the album. Especially the closing minutes of "Claws In So Deep" stand out. So while the album is both consistent in style and quality, the key word that makes this album stand above a lot of other albums in the genre is variation.

With a powerful, clear and punchy sound production the music on "Relentless Retribution" couldn´t be presented in a better way. Death Angel once again prove that they are among the elite of US thrash metal acts and that they still have a lot to offer. Not all comebacks after long recording breaks are equally welcome or successfull, but Death Angel are on of the few exceptions to the rule. A 4 star rating is deserved.
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UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yeah I should have went to that show but didn´t have time :-(
more than 2 years ago
I saw them live last year performing many of the songs from- this album.... friggin' awesome!!!

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