DEATH ANGEL – The Bastard Tracks

The Backstory

Bay Area Thrash Metal act Death Angel released their last studio album Humanicide in 2019. Due to the pandemic, many bands were forced to come up with ways to keep their fans engaged until they could bring their live shows back to the masses. In Death Angel’s case, they decided to record and stream a live show.

This live show was set up to be unique, as it was not to promote the band’s previously mentioned studio album, but to give new life to some forgotten material. The Bastard Tracks is a collection of Death Angel songs that have hardly been played live before or have never been played live before. There is a CD/Blu-ray version available. This is a review for just the audio portion.

The Album

The set list is comprised primarily of Death Angel material from 2010 to the present day, with a sprinkling of pre-1991 material. The are no songs from their debut album The Ultra-Violence (1987) and their reunion album The Art of Dying (2004). The set kicks off with an ominous guitar run that gives way to the powerful thrasher “Lord of Hate,” which appeared originally on Killing Season (2008). The track is followed by the anthemic powder keg “Where They Lay.”

The twin guitar attack of Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar is on fire throughout the set, but most notably on “Fallen.” “The Organization” hits you at break necks speed and balances out the onslaught with some great melodies. “Execution/Don’t Save Me” draws you in with a somber intro, then smashes you in the ear drums with it’s intense tempo changes. “It Can’t Be This” relies heavily on the meaty bass line of Damien Sisson.

“Faded Remains” (from 2020’s Under Pressure EP) and “Volcanic” show a different side of the group with acoustic guitars and a focus on vocal harmonies. This style isn’t completely new for the band as the latter song was released in 2010. Death Angel throw in a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Falling Off the Edge of the World,” and put their own stamp on it.

The Verdict

The Bastard Tracks is more of a “Best of the B-Sides” compilation than it is a true live album. There’s no crowd noise (or even added crowd noise), so the atmosphere is missing. This is a live studio recording on a stage, more or less. Some of these lesser known tracks sure could be considered for ‘A-material’ the way they are presented here.

Death Angel fans will be more than pleased to have this unique performance as a part of their collection, but new fans should probably start at the epic beginning, The Ultra-Violence (1987), Frolic Through The Park (1988), Act III (1990), and work their way up to it.

Tracklist

1. Lord of Hate
2. Where They Lay
3. Why You Do This
4. Fallen
5. Absence of Light
6. The Organization
7. Execution / Don’t Save Me
8. Succubus
9. It Can’t Be This
10. Let the Pieces Fall
11. Faded Remains
12. Volcanic
13. Falling Off the Edge of the World
14. Guilty of Innocence
15. Alive and Screaming

Death Angel is

Mark Osegueda – Vocals
Rob Cavestany – Guitar
Ted Aguilar – Guitar
Damien Sisson – Bass
Will Carroll – Drums