Death Angel emerged from the Bay Area in the mid-eighties, and is often mentioned in the same breath as Heathen, Testament, Forbidden, and others, though their unique style set them apart from the pack just a bit. The young family affair (the lineup consisted of two brothers and three of their cousins, one of which was 12-year-old drummer Andy Galeon) debuted in 1987 with The Ultraviolence, their fastest and heaviest album, but also their most conventional, as the followups Frolic Through The Park and Act III are where the band really started to spread their wings, cultivating a loyal following with their highly inventive take on thrash. With the departure of vocalist Mark Osegueda, however, the band decided to change both name and style, and so two albums were released as The Organization, neither of which really caught on with the public, and the band quietly faded away.


The members carried on in various local bands (one of which was Swarm), but it wasn't until 2002 that four of the five original members got back together and officially reformed the band. May 2004 sees the first product of the reunion, in the form of The Art Of Dying. In many respects the new album continues where the last left off, though their unique style preventing the album from sounding stale or dated. Death Angel remains one of the creative forces in thrash, and The Art Of Dying is a welcome comeback from the band.

Interesting fact that Kirk Hammet actually produced their demo tape.