The last time I saw DEATH ANGEL was a little under a year ago in Nottingham and the venue was packed. Unfortunately, that was not the case tonight, as it seemed a rather embarrassing turnout with probably less than a hundred in attendance. And you have to wonder why?! A chance to see one of the best and most influential thrash acts to come out of the Bay Area in such an intimate venue. I would leap at the chance every single time without a moment’s hesitation! Still, those faithful lot who did turn up bore witness to an immense night of quality thrash.

After supporting OVERKILL on their recent tour and a slot at Hammerfest, UK thrash outfit SAVAGE MESSIAH took to the stage and delivered a powerful and excellent 30 minute set to showcase their obvious talent. With a couple of solid albums under their belt, they are definitely on the right tracks along with fellow Brits EVILE in leading the way for the upcoming UK thrash acts.

With the majority of their set coming from latest album ‘Insurrection Rising’, the title track along with the superb duo of ‘The Serpent Tongue of Divinity’ and ‘He Who Laughs Last’ definitely stood out as highlights and sounded excellent live, whilst the title track of their debut album ‘Spitting Venom’ was the only track to appear in the set from it. SAVAGE MESSIAH definitely impressed again and with solid performances like this along with the quality of their material, they will only go strength to strength in the future. Keep an eye on these guys!

Everytime I have seen DEATH ANGEL, they have been outstanding, delivering a killer performance full of energy and a superb set to note perfection. And tonight was no different. Opening with the ferocious ‘Lord of Hate’, the next few songs alternated between last album ‘Killing Season’ and debut album ‘The Ultra-Violence’ with crowd pleasers like ‘Voracious Souls’, ‘Evil Priest’ and ‘Kill As One’ sounding as vicious as they did when they were first written, while the newer material like ‘Dethroned’ and ‘Buried Alive’ got the crowd headbanging just as much.

Even considering the disappointing turnout, you could see that DEATH ANGEL were just enjoying being on stage playing for those that turned up, and you get that feeling no matter where they are or who turns up, and with plenty of banter between the crowd and frontman Mark Osegueda, it made for a very entertaining night on all levels. The dual axe attack of Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar was on top notch form yet again as they blistered through cracking renditions of ‘Seemingly Endless Time’, ‘Mistress of Pain’ and ‘Thrown To The Wolves’, before rounding the night off nicely with penultimate track ’3rd Floor’.

With the announcement of a new album scheduled for a September release much to the delight of the crowd, they wetted our appetites with eventual set closer in the form of ‘River of Rapture’, and if the rest of the album is as ferocious and vicious as this, then it’s surely going to be one to look forward to, and definitely one of the highlights of the year.

Reflecting back on the night as a whole, nobody could grumble at what was on offer, and DEATH ANGEL once again showed why they are so highly thought of in the thrash genre. They just seem to get better and better with every gig, never losing that passion and energy that make them such a great band to watch. I just hope September gets here quickly!

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Photography By Alexander Shaw (Death Angel photos)