Death Angel, 14 December 2024

Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released eight studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums. The band has gone through several line-up changes, leaving guitarist Rob Cavestany as the only constant member; he and vocalist Mark Osegueda (who joined in 1984) are the only members of Death Angel to appear on all their releases (except for their 1983 demo Heavy Metal Insanity, which featured Cavestany on both guitar and vocals).
Death Angel is often referred to as one of the key bands in the Bay Area thrash metal movement of the 1980s, and secured opening slots at club venues that decade, including opening for their peers Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Testament (then-known as Legacy) and Possessed. The underground success of their first two studio albums, The Ultra-Violence (1987) and Frolic Through the Park (1988), attracted the attention of Geffen Records, who signed the quintet in 1989. Their 1990 follow-up album, Act III, was also successful. While Death Angel was touring in support of that album, drummer Andy Galeon was injured in a tour bus accident and needed more than a year to fully recover. This resulted in the band's break up in 1991. However, Death Angel reformed in 2001 (without original guitarist Gus Pepa) at the Thrash of the Titans benefit concert for Testament singer Chuck Billy. The band has since continued to record and perform, and their recent studio album, The Evil Divide, was released in 2016.