Bay Area Thrash veterans, Death Angel, have returned with their latest and some of their greatest collection of bangers in the form of Humanicide (Nuclear Blast Records). From start to finish, this album keeps the intensity maxed out and does not let up. For this reason, having just ten tracks is the perfect length so as not to tire out the listener. Let’s be honest for a moment here, having your heart rate up for over an hour with eighteen tracks can be tiresome. No worries here though as this record is sure to please even the pickiest thrash fans.

The opening track, ‘Humanicide’, is what you would expect from Death Angel. Speed, aggression, and motivating lyrics with a nice breakdown tossed in towards the end is a perfect recipe for the opening track of any thrash album. ‘I Came For Blood’ might be my personal favorite on the album. This track is call back to the old days of NWOBHM in terms of guitar riffs and is a real fist-pumping anthem that is sure to incite a few circle pits. And what would a Death Angel album be without references to wolves as we have the track titled ‘The Pack’. This one is a more thunderous song rather than the full out burners that are on this record. The catchy chorus with gang vocals also adds a bit of flare that helps the track stand out over the others.

While I believe Death Angel does not have anything to prove, they keep coming back album after album and putting together some incredible thrash metal as if they do have something to prove. Perhaps it is to prove to themselves they still have that fire to write music (and they certainly do) but I feel with most thrash metal bands at this stage of their career usually just cannot do it anymore. Humanicide may not be the end all be all Death Angel album in their catalog, but it certainly deserves praise as being one of the better collections of tracks they have put together and released.

8 / 10

TIM LEDIN