Death Angel
Encyclopedia
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal
band from Concord
, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio album
s, two demo tapes
, one box set and two live album
s.
Two independent releases, The Ultra-Violence
(1987) and Frolic Through the Park
(1988), attracted the attention of Geffen Records
, who signed the quintet in 1989, and released their next album, Act III
, one year later. While Death Angel was touring in support of Act III, drummer Andy Galeon was injured in a tour bus accident, needing 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 continues to record and perform today.
, California, in 1982 by cousins Rob Cavestany (lead guitar), Dennis Pepa (vocals, bass), Gus Pepa (rhythm guitar), and Andy Galeon (drums). After considering a number of different names for the band, including Dark Fury, Cavestany and D. Pepa settled on the name Death Angel after coming across a book by that title in a book store. In 1983, the band released their first demo, Heavy Metal Insanity, with Matt Wallace
serving as producer. According to Mark Osegueda, the group was then "more like a metal band, more like Iron Maiden
, Tygers Of Pan Tang
and stuff like that," as the so-called Bay Area thrash movement was only just beginning to rise to prominence at the time, and make its influence felt. Osegueda, a second cousin of the other four members who had been working as their roadie, became the group's vocalist in 1984 and performed his first show with the band on a bill with Megadeth
in April of that year (at one of the four Megadeth gigs to feature Kerry King
on guitar).
Death Angel continued to play club gigs in and around the San Francisco Bay area for nearly two years, writing songs and refining their stage show. In 1986, the band recorded the Kill As One demo with Metallica's Kirk Hammett
(whom they had met at a record store signing in 1983) as producer. The underground tape trading
wave of the early 1980s led to extensive distribution of the demo, bringing the band wide attention. Osegueda later recalled that prior to the release of the band's first album, "we were playing in L.A. and New York, and the crowd was singing our songs, because there was this underground tape trading .... That's what keeps it alive, and I think that's absolutely wonderful."
, who released Death Angel's debut album, The Ultra-Violence
, in 1987. The band recorded the album when all the band members were still under 20 years old. A video was filmed for "Voracious Souls," a song about a band of cannibals, but it never aired on MTV due to the nature of the lyrics. The album sold 40,000 copies in just four months. The group released the follow-up album Frolic Through The Park
in 1988, which spawned the single "Bored" (which was also used in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), the video for which did receive regular airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Frolic featured more diverse material than the straightforward thrash of the first album; the album included a cover of Kiss's
"Cold Gin," and the relatively light, playful "Bored" was written under the seemingly unlikely influence of U2
, and the guitar playing of The Edge
in particular. The band toured worldwide for the first time and found notable success in Japan, selling out two full Japanese tours.
bought out the band's contract with Enigma Records in 1989 and released the third Death Angel album, Act III
, in 1990. Produced by Max Norman
(who had previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne
and Megadeth
), the album showcased the band's newfound use of full-band backing vocals, while fusing elements of funk, thrash, and heavy metal with the use of acoustic guitars to give the album a varied feel, while staying true to the group's heavy roots. The album featured the singles "Seemingly Endless Time" and "A Room with a View" (a ballad sung mostly by guitarist Rob Cavestany), and both songs also received airplay on Headbanger's Ball, but a mainstream breakthrough still proved elusive. (The band released the "A Room with a View" video and single under the name "D.A.," and Cavestany explained to a reporter at the time that he now found the band's original name "Restricting. The name Death Angel seems to imply hardcore thrash gloom-and-doom death metal, and we're not like that at all. If I were presented with 10 records, and one of them was by a band called Death Angel, and I'd never heard of them, I'd stick that one on the bottom!")
Also in 1990, Enigma Records — after already having sold its interest in the band to the Geffen label — illegally released and distributed Fall from Grace
, an unauthorized bootleg live album featuring songs from their first two releases recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam
, Netherlands. The album was released without any input from the band members with regard to its songs, contents, credits, concepts, or artwork. The band learned of its existence when they stumbled upon it in a record store in Tucson, Arizona
on the night prior to suffering a near-fatal auto accident (see below). Enigma Records folded after the release, cashing in on the sales. The album was also, possibly illegally, picked up, manufactured and distributed by Capitol Records.
Death Angel had embarked on what was scheduled to be a worldwide tour in support of Act III
in 1990, selling out shows at the Warfield Theater
in San Francisco, The Ritz
in New York, and England's Hammersmith Odeon. The band was also slated to be the opening act for the "Clash of the Titans" tour featuring Megadeth
, Slayer
, and Anthrax
later in the year (but were ultimately replaced by Alice in Chains
, since they were unable to perform). Additionally, Death Angel and Geffen were planning to release a live album recorded at shows in the Bay Area, and the band was intending to tour a number of other countries it had not previously visited.
But in late 1990, while driving in Arizona
en route to a show in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, the group crashed, and drummer Andy Galeon was critically injured, needing more than a year to recover. Cavestany said at the time that "[i]n a way, it made perfect sense to have a major accident right now, it really fit the story line. We've been pushing so hard for 8 years and just not getting that far, and getting so frustrated with not being where we should be after so long, it was time for something climactic to happen!" Following the accident, Geffen Records and the band's manager pressured the group to hire another drummer and immediately go back to work. The band performed a few shows in Japan with a different drummer, but when they declined to hire a long-term replacement, the Geffen Records dropped them.
Osegueda left the group and moved to New York to pursue a life outside of music, and Cavestany later explained that "[w]e weren't going to try to replace him and with all that stuff happening we were just totally disgusted at how things had turned out and we felt that this was a sign that the band was not going to go on." The remaining members performed a few acoustic-only shows in the Bay Area, appearing as "The Past."
(the title of a song on Act III), with Cavestany taking over lead vocal duties. The band focused more on funk and alt-rock than traditional metal. The Organization's first demo was recorded and produced at City College of San Francisco
's multitrack studios by Eric Kauschen and Dana Galloway.
The Organization toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including two appearances at the Netherlands's Dynamo Open Air Festival, a support slot on Rob Halford
's "Fight" tour and as the main support act for Motörhead in Europe. However, both 1993's The Organization and 1995's Savor the Flavor (including a cover of Steely Dan
's "Do It Again
") distributed by, (Metal Blade Records
) failed to make waves with the record-buying public, and Cavestany and Galeon decided to call it quits.
In 1998, Cavestany and Galeon reunited with Osegueda for the first time since 1990. Along with bassist Michael Isaiah, the trio formed Swarm
and released a four-track self-titled EP in 1999, along with the five-song Devour EP in 2001. Swarm toured with Jerry Cantrell
of Alice in Chains
in 2000, and released the compilation album Beyond the End, which combined the contents of the two EPs with a cover of The Doors
' "My Eyes Have Seen You," in 2002. Although Swarm did not become a commercial success, it did bring the core of the band back together, setting the wheels in motion for a Death Angel reunion.
, a cancer benefit show for Testament
frontman Chuck Billy
. Original guitarist Gus Pepa could not participate in the reunion since he was out of the country. At Cavestany's suggestion, and with Gus's blessing, the band enlisted longtime friend and fan Ted Aguilar to handle rhythm guitar duties. Originally planned as a one-off show, the band received such a positive response that they played a string of other well-received gigs around the San Francisco area, and a pair of European tours — despite the band not having issued an album in over a decade. They also participated in Wacken Open Air 2004.
In 2004, 14 years after their last album, the band released The Art of Dying on Nuclear Blast
records. Archives and Artifacts
, a box set with remastered versions of the long out-of-print The Ultra-Violence and Frolic Through The Park, along with a bonus Rarities CD and DVD, followed in 2005.
Osegueda has since announced his involvement in the band All Time Highs, but has emphasized that he intends to remain a member of Death Angel. In August 2007, Cavestany released a solo CD of acoustic songs, Lines on the Road, the material on which was written in collaboration with Gus Pepa, and performed by Cavestany (vocals, bass, guitar) Gus Pepa (guitar) and Galeon (drums).
In April 2007, they headlined the seventh Pulp Summer Slam in the Philippines. Killing Season
, recorded at Dave Grohl
's Studio 606 in Northridge, California, was released on February 26, 2008. Death Angel’s video for "Dethroned," a track off Killing Season, debuted online on Thursday, April 17, 2008, on Headbangers Blog.
At the October 28 show at the Grand in San Francisco, Death Angel announced that founding member Dennis Pepa would be leaving the band and the show would be his final live performance with the band.
On January 10, 2009, Death Angel announced the addition of bassist Sammy Diosdado to the group's ranks. Diosdado is a Bay Area native who previously played with the San Francisco hardcore band The Sick and is a member of the rock and roll outfit All Time Highs, which is fronted by Osegueda.
, Old Grandad and Vicious Rumors
).
"Relentless Retribution" was released on September 3, 2010 in Europe. The album was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida
with producer Jason Suecof
(Trivium
, August Burns Red
, The Black Dahlia Murder
, All That Remains
, Whitechapel
, DevilDriver
), and was the first Death Angel album done without longtime drummer Andy Galeon as well as its first done without either of the Pepa brothers since the band's inception.
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band from Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, two demo tapes
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, one box set and two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s.
Two independent releases, The Ultra-Violence
The Ultra-Violence
The Ultra-Violence is the first album by the Bay Area thrash band Death Angel, released in 1987. The album was recorded while all members were under 20, with drummer Andy Galeon just 14 years old...
(1987) and Frolic Through the Park
Frolic through the Park
Frolic through the Park is the second album by the band Death Angel, released in 1988.The song "Bored" was used in a scene in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.-Track listing:...
(1988), attracted the attention of Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, who signed the quintet in 1989, and released their next album, Act III
Act III
Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel...
, one year later. While Death Angel was touring in support of Act III, drummer Andy Galeon was injured in a tour bus accident, needing 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
Thrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans was a benefit concert held on August 11, 2001 at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco, CA. The concert was a co-benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma ; and Chuck Schuldiner, leader of the death metal band Death, who was also...
benefit concert for Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
singer Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
. The band continues to record and perform today.
Early years (1982–1986)
Death Angel was formed in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, California, in 1982 by cousins Rob Cavestany (lead guitar), Dennis Pepa (vocals, bass), Gus Pepa (rhythm guitar), and Andy Galeon (drums). After considering a number of different names for the band, including Dark Fury, Cavestany and D. Pepa settled on the name Death Angel after coming across a book by that title in a book store. In 1983, the band released their first demo, Heavy Metal Insanity, with Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace is an American record producer. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and has been producing professionally since the early 1980s. Among his credits are the highly acclaimed album Angel Dust by Faith No More and the multiplatinum Songs About Jane by Maroon...
serving as producer. According to Mark Osegueda, the group was then "more like a metal band, more like Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Tygers Of Pan Tang
Tygers Of Pan Tang
Tygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, formed in 1978 and originating from Whitley Bay, England. They are a notable band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement...
and stuff like that," as the so-called Bay Area thrash movement was only just beginning to rise to prominence at the time, and make its influence felt. Osegueda, a second cousin of the other four members who had been working as their roadie, became the group's vocalist in 1984 and performed his first show with the band on a bill with Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
in April of that year (at one of the four Megadeth gigs to feature Kerry King
Kerry King
Kerry King is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since...
on guitar).
Death Angel continued to play club gigs in and around the San Francisco Bay area for nearly two years, writing songs and refining their stage show. In 1986, the band recorded the Kill As One demo with Metallica's Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
(whom they had met at a record store signing in 1983) as producer. The underground tape trading
Tape trading
Tape trading is an unofficial method of distribution of demo tapes encompassing musical genres such as punk, hardcore, and extreme metal. The practice which was most prevalent during the 1980s and 1990s, also saw people distribute recordings of live music shows...
wave of the early 1980s led to extensive distribution of the demo, bringing the band wide attention. Osegueda later recalled that prior to the release of the band's first album, "we were playing in L.A. and New York, and the crowd was singing our songs, because there was this underground tape trading .... That's what keeps it alive, and I think that's absolutely wonderful."
The Ultra-Violence and Frolic Through The Park (1987–1989)
The success of Kill As One led to a record deal with Enigma RecordsEnigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
, who released Death Angel's debut album, The Ultra-Violence
The Ultra-Violence
The Ultra-Violence is the first album by the Bay Area thrash band Death Angel, released in 1987. The album was recorded while all members were under 20, with drummer Andy Galeon just 14 years old...
, in 1987. The band recorded the album when all the band members were still under 20 years old. A video was filmed for "Voracious Souls," a song about a band of cannibals, but it never aired on MTV due to the nature of the lyrics. The album sold 40,000 copies in just four months. The group released the follow-up album Frolic Through The Park
Frolic through the Park
Frolic through the Park is the second album by the band Death Angel, released in 1988.The song "Bored" was used in a scene in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.-Track listing:...
in 1988, which spawned the single "Bored" (which was also used in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), the video for which did receive regular airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Frolic featured more diverse material than the straightforward thrash of the first album; the album included a cover of Kiss's
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
"Cold Gin," and the relatively light, playful "Bored" was written under the seemingly unlikely influence of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, and the guitar playing of The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
in particular. The band toured worldwide for the first time and found notable success in Japan, selling out two full Japanese tours.
Act III and breakup (1989–1991)
Geffen RecordsGeffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
bought out the band's contract with Enigma Records in 1989 and released the third Death Angel album, Act III
Act III
Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel...
, in 1990. Produced by Max Norman
Max Norman
Max Norman is a retired record producer and recording engineer in the 1980s and 1990s. He produced many acclaimed heavy metal releases, and was renowned for his top notch production. Max got his "big break" while he was the resident engineer at Ridge Farm Studios in London, England...
(who had previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
), the album showcased the band's newfound use of full-band backing vocals, while fusing elements of funk, thrash, and heavy metal with the use of acoustic guitars to give the album a varied feel, while staying true to the group's heavy roots. The album featured the singles "Seemingly Endless Time" and "A Room with a View" (a ballad sung mostly by guitarist Rob Cavestany), and both songs also received airplay on Headbanger's Ball, but a mainstream breakthrough still proved elusive. (The band released the "A Room with a View" video and single under the name "D.A.," and Cavestany explained to a reporter at the time that he now found the band's original name "Restricting. The name Death Angel seems to imply hardcore thrash gloom-and-doom death metal, and we're not like that at all. If I were presented with 10 records, and one of them was by a band called Death Angel, and I'd never heard of them, I'd stick that one on the bottom!")
Also in 1990, Enigma Records — after already having sold its interest in the band to the Geffen label — illegally released and distributed Fall from Grace
Fall from Grace (Death Angel album)
Fall from Grace is a live album by the band Death Angel, released in 1990. Due to label changes, the album was released without input from the band and new label Geffen Records, hence the lack of the band's trademark logo on the artwork.-Track listing:...
, an unauthorized bootleg live album featuring songs from their first two releases recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands. The album was released without any input from the band members with regard to its songs, contents, credits, concepts, or artwork. The band learned of its existence when they stumbled upon it in a record store in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on the night prior to suffering a near-fatal auto accident (see below). Enigma Records folded after the release, cashing in on the sales. The album was also, possibly illegally, picked up, manufactured and distributed by Capitol Records.
Death Angel had embarked on what was scheduled to be a worldwide tour in support of Act III
Act III
Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel...
in 1990, selling out shows at the Warfield Theater
The Warfield
The Warfield, also known as The Warfield Theater, is a 2,300 seat music venue located at 982 Market Street, San Francisco, California. It was built as a vaudeville theater, and opened as the Loews Warfield on May 13, 1922.-History:...
in San Francisco, The Ritz
Ritz (rock club)
-History:The Ritz was founded in 1980 by Jerry Brandt on 11th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. Formerly a ballroom known as Webster Hall, The Ritz still retained some of its previous incarnation's Art Deco style. As a venue, it focused...
in New York, and England's Hammersmith Odeon. The band was also slated to be the opening act for the "Clash of the Titans" tour featuring Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
later in the year (but were ultimately replaced by Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, since they were unable to perform). Additionally, Death Angel and Geffen were planning to release a live album recorded at shows in the Bay Area, and the band was intending to tour a number of other countries it had not previously visited.
But in late 1990, while driving in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
en route to a show in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, the group crashed, and drummer Andy Galeon was critically injured, needing more than a year to recover. Cavestany said at the time that "[i]n a way, it made perfect sense to have a major accident right now, it really fit the story line. We've been pushing so hard for 8 years and just not getting that far, and getting so frustrated with not being where we should be after so long, it was time for something climactic to happen!" Following the accident, Geffen Records and the band's manager pressured the group to hire another drummer and immediately go back to work. The band performed a few shows in Japan with a different drummer, but when they declined to hire a long-term replacement, the Geffen Records dropped them.
Osegueda left the group and moved to New York to pursue a life outside of music, and Cavestany later explained that "[w]e weren't going to try to replace him and with all that stuff happening we were just totally disgusted at how things had turned out and we felt that this was a sign that the band was not going to go on." The remaining members performed a few acoustic-only shows in the Bay Area, appearing as "The Past."
Post-breakup (1991–2000)
In the summer of 1991, with Galeon fully recovered, Death Angel's remaining members, without Mark, reformed with the band under the name of The OrganizationThe Organization (band)
The Organization was a heavy metal band formed in 1991 after the breakup of the thrash metal band Death Angel. The band incorporated elements of metal, funk, and alt rock, releasing two albums in the early 1990s on Metal Blade Records. The band included the original line-up of musicians from...
(the title of a song on Act III), with Cavestany taking over lead vocal duties. The band focused more on funk and alt-rock than traditional metal. The Organization's first demo was recorded and produced at City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco, or CCSF, is a two-year community college in San Francisco, California. The Ocean Avenue campus, in the Ingleside neighborhood, is the college's primary location...
's multitrack studios by Eric Kauschen and Dana Galloway.
The Organization toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including two appearances at the Netherlands's Dynamo Open Air Festival, a support slot on Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
's "Fight" tour and as the main support act for Motörhead in Europe. However, both 1993's The Organization and 1995's Savor the Flavor (including a cover of Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
's "Do It Again
Do It Again (Steely Dan song)
"Do It Again" is a song by American jazz-rock group Steely Dan, which was released as a single from their debut 1972 album Can't Buy a Thrill...
") distributed by, (Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
) failed to make waves with the record-buying public, and Cavestany and Galeon decided to call it quits.
In 1998, Cavestany and Galeon reunited with Osegueda for the first time since 1990. Along with bassist Michael Isaiah, the trio formed Swarm
Swarm (band)
Swarm , formed after the demise of Death Angel in 1997 by former members Rob Cavestany, Andy Galeon and Mark Osegueda, who were joined by Michael Isaiah...
and released a four-track self-titled EP in 1999, along with the five-song Devour EP in 2001. Swarm toured with Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
of Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
in 2000, and released the compilation album Beyond the End, which combined the contents of the two EPs with a cover of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' "My Eyes Have Seen You," in 2002. Although Swarm did not become a commercial success, it did bring the core of the band back together, setting the wheels in motion for a Death Angel reunion.
Reunion (2001–present)
Death Angel officially reunited in August 2001 for Thrash of the TitansThrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans was a benefit concert held on August 11, 2001 at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco, CA. The concert was a co-benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma ; and Chuck Schuldiner, leader of the death metal band Death, who was also...
, a cancer benefit show for Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
frontman Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
. Original guitarist Gus Pepa could not participate in the reunion since he was out of the country. At Cavestany's suggestion, and with Gus's blessing, the band enlisted longtime friend and fan Ted Aguilar to handle rhythm guitar duties. Originally planned as a one-off show, the band received such a positive response that they played a string of other well-received gigs around the San Francisco area, and a pair of European tours — despite the band not having issued an album in over a decade. They also participated in Wacken Open Air 2004.
In 2004, 14 years after their last album, the band released The Art of Dying on Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
records. Archives and Artifacts
Archives and Artifacts
Archives and Artifacts is a box set by the band Death Angel, consisting of remasters of their first two albums The Ultra-Violence and Frolic through the Park, as well as a bonus CD, and a DVD with video recordings of the band and a music video. There was an error in the first pressing of the box...
, a box set with remastered versions of the long out-of-print The Ultra-Violence and Frolic Through The Park, along with a bonus Rarities CD and DVD, followed in 2005.
Osegueda has since announced his involvement in the band All Time Highs, but has emphasized that he intends to remain a member of Death Angel. In August 2007, Cavestany released a solo CD of acoustic songs, Lines on the Road, the material on which was written in collaboration with Gus Pepa, and performed by Cavestany (vocals, bass, guitar) Gus Pepa (guitar) and Galeon (drums).
In April 2007, they headlined the seventh Pulp Summer Slam in the Philippines. Killing Season
Killing Season
-Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Andy Galeon - drums*Dennis Pepa - bass, vocals...
, recorded at Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
's Studio 606 in Northridge, California, was released on February 26, 2008. Death Angel’s video for "Dethroned," a track off Killing Season, debuted online on Thursday, April 17, 2008, on Headbangers Blog.
At the October 28 show at the Grand in San Francisco, Death Angel announced that founding member Dennis Pepa would be leaving the band and the show would be his final live performance with the band.
On January 10, 2009, Death Angel announced the addition of bassist Sammy Diosdado to the group's ranks. Diosdado is a Bay Area native who previously played with the San Francisco hardcore band The Sick and is a member of the rock and roll outfit All Time Highs, which is fronted by Osegueda.
Relentless Retribution
On May 28, 2009, Death Angel announced founding member Andy Galeon had quit the band, leaving Cavestany as the sole ever-present member in the current line-up. He was replaced on tour by Will Carroll (formerly of ScarecrowScarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
, Old Grandad and Vicious Rumors
Vicious Rumors
Vicious Rumors is an American power metal band founded in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.The brainchild of Geoff Thorpe, the band has been active on the metal scene since its inception in 1979...
).
"Relentless Retribution" was released on September 3, 2010 in Europe. The album was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...
with producer Jason Suecof
Jason Suecof
-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
(Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
, August Burns Red
August Burns Red
August Burns Red is an American metal band, from Manheim, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2003, the group began their first performances while a majority of the members were attending their senior year of high school, and soon began playing shows around Lancaster, before being signed to CI Records, and...
, The Black Dahlia Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American heavy metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. The band comprises vocalist Trevor Strnad, guitarists Brian Eschbach and Ryan Knight, bassist...
, All That Remains
All That Remains (band)
All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, which formed in 1998. They have released five studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold nearly 800,000 records...
, Whitechapel
Whitechapel (band)
Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade, Zach Householder; bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Ben Harclerode. Their band name is derived from a district in the built-up inner city of London, known...
, DevilDriver
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to...
), and was the first Death Angel album done without longtime drummer Andy Galeon as well as its first done without either of the Pepa brothers since the band's inception.
Personnel
Death Angel has had numerous line-up changes; guitarist Rob Cavestany is the only constant member.| Dates & releases | Members & prominent instruments | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| (1982–1984) |
|
|
| (1984–1991) |
|
The Ultra-Violence The Ultra-Violence is the first album by the Bay Area thrash band Death Angel, released in 1987. The album was recorded while all members were under 20, with drummer Andy Galeon just 14 years old... , Frolic Through the Park Frolic through the Park Frolic through the Park is the second album by the band Death Angel, released in 1988.The song "Bored" was used in a scene in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.-Track listing:... and Act III Act III Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel... ) and one live album Fall from Grace (Death Angel album) Fall from Grace is a live album by the band Death Angel, released in 1990. Due to label changes, the album was released without input from the band and new label Geffen Records, hence the lack of the band's trademark logo on the artwork.-Track listing:... together. |
| (1991) |
Chris Kontos (musician) Chris Kontos is best known as the drummer of Machine Head on their first album, Burn My Eyes. He and the band parted ways before their second album in 1997... – drums |
Chris Kontos (musician) Chris Kontos is best known as the drummer of Machine Head on their first album, Burn My Eyes. He and the band parted ways before their second album in 1997... briefly filled in for Andy Galeon on drums when he was critically injured in an accident. |
| (1991–2001) |
Band split |
|
| (2001–2008) |
|
Killing Season -Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Andy Galeon - drums*Dennis Pepa - bass, vocals... ) and one live album together. |
| (2008–2009) |
|
|
| (2009) |
|
|
| (2009–present) |
|
Relentless Retribution - Reception :-Charts:-Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Damien Sisson - bass*Will Carroll - drums*Jason Suecof - Guitar solos on "Truce"... ) |
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat. Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
US Ind. Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
BEL Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wal) |
CHE Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
HUN Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
NLD MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
||||||
| 1987 | The Ultra-Violence The Ultra-Violence The Ultra-Violence is the first album by the Bay Area thrash band Death Angel, released in 1987. The album was recorded while all members were under 20, with drummer Andy Galeon just 14 years old...
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1988 | Frolic through the Park Frolic through the Park Frolic through the Park is the second album by the band Death Angel, released in 1988.The song "Bored" was used in a scene in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.-Track listing:... |
143 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | ||||
| 1990 | Act III Act III Act III is the third album by the thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1990 on Geffen Records. Regarded by many critics and fans as the band's finest effort, the album was produced by famed metal producer Max Norman , and marked the first major label release by Death Angel... Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:... (24280) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 72 | ||||
| 2004 | The Art of Dying
Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic... (1233) |
— | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2008 | Killing Season Killing Season -Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Andy Galeon - drums*Dennis Pepa - bass, vocals... DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... ), LP |
— | 21 | — | — | — | — | 59 | — | 56 | ||||
| 2010 | Relentless Retribution Relentless Retribution - Reception :-Charts:-Personnel:*Mark Osegueda - vocals*Rob Cavestany - guitars, vocals*Ted Aguilar - guitars*Damien Sisson - bass*Will Carroll - drums*Jason Suecof - Guitar solos on "Truce"... |
— | 10 | 48 | 86 | 70 | 95 | 45 | 9 | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Archives and Artifacts Archives and Artifacts Archives and Artifacts is a box set by the band Death Angel, consisting of remasters of their first two albums The Ultra-Violence and Frolic through the Park, as well as a bonus CD, and a DVD with video recordings of the band and a music video. There was an error in the first pressing of the box...
|
| 2007 | The Long Road Home
|
Live albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Fall from Grace Fall from Grace (Death Angel album) Fall from Grace is a live album by the band Death Angel, released in 1990. Due to label changes, the album was released without input from the band and new label Geffen Records, hence the lack of the band's trademark logo on the artwork.-Track listing:...
|
| 2009 | Sonic German Beatdown - Live in Germany
|
Demo albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Heavy Metal Insanity
|
| 1986 | Kill as One
|
Singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Bored" | Frolic through the Park |
| 1990 | "Seemingly Endless Time" | Act III |
| "A Room with a View" | ||
| 2004 | "Thrown to the Wolves" | The Art of Dying |
| 2008 | "Dethroned" | Killing Season |
| "Sonic Beatdown" | ||
| 2010 | "Truce" | Relentless Retribution |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Voracious Souls" | |
| 1988 | "Bored" | |
| 1990 | "Seemingly Endless Time" | |
| "A Room with a View" | ||
| 2008 | "Dethroned" | Robert Sexton |
| 2010 | "Truce" | |
| 2011 | "River of Rapture" | Tommy Jones |
Other appearances
- Metallic Attack: Metallica - The Ultimate TributeMetallic Attack: Metallica - The Ultimate TributeMetallic Attack: The Ultimate Tribute is a tribute album to thrash metal band Metallica. Motörhead's cover of "Whiplash" from this album won a Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" in 2005. The album contains covers of songs from Metallica's first 5 studio albums.-Track listing:...
album ("Trapped Under Ice") (2004) - Alone in the DarkAlone in the DarkAlone in the Dark is the title of several works of fiction:*Alone in the Dark, a series of video games*Alone in the Dark , a 1992 video game and the first in the series...
movie soundtrack ("The Devil Incarnate") (2005)