Art of Dying

Death Angel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nuclear Blast Americ
• ASIN: B0001NPUCY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,198 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

DEATH ANGEL THE ART OF DYING

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TITLE OF REVIEW, August 2, 2004

By 

General Zombie (the West) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Dying (Audio CD)

Well, looks like we've got another comeback album this year. A good one too. As you would anticipate, this isn't anything new or original, really, but it's good, and it's kinda cool to hear some new album which is almost completely devoid of any influence past the 80's.

Death Angel were one of the also-rans from the California thrash scene, arriving late, debuting in 1987. The Ultra Violence is generally considered a minor thrash classic, though their later albums are generally poorly regarded, and not considered to be true thrash.(I wouldn't no for sure. I only have the Ultra-Violence and this one) Although I can't speak for Frolic Through the Park or Act III, I can definitely say that this album isn't out and out thrash, though it is deeply rooted in it. Of the 11 tracks here, 3 are straight-up, old-school thrash.(Thrown to the Wolves, Prophecy and Spirit) No, Land of Blood and Thicker than Blood are a bit different, much more punkish and pretty groovy, coming off midway between Motorhead and thrash. The rest of the tracks fail to fall into any specific metal subgenre, though they all generally tend to have some thrash riffs, and lack any influences from Death Metal or later. They're just heavy metal. So, those looking for a straight-up, old-school thrashing will probably be somewhat disappointed, but it's still a good album.(And some of the tracks give you as good of a thrashing as you can hope for these days.)

The opener, Thrown to the Wolves, is unadulterated thrash, and by far the best track on the album. 7 1/2 minutes long, a pointless but cool acoustic intro, superb riffing, cheesy but effective gang vox in the chorus and a totally kick-ass solo(minus the pointless squealing at the beginning) Truly a brilliant track, and better than anything on The Ultra Violence. It shouldn't have been the first one on the album, though, as it creates inappropriate stylistic expectations, and raises the bar too high for the rest of the album. Thicker than Blood is the second best track on the album. The main riff is totally brilliant. Heavy, good groove solid melody too. Just a no-nonsense, driving metal track in the vein of Ace of Spades, but thrashier. The Devil Incarnate changes the pace. It's your old ominous and slow metal song. It's got vaguely hypnotic guitar lines, good vocal harmonies and a cool chorus. It thrashes it up nicely at the end too. Perhaps the third best song on the album. Prophecy is another standout, as it is the thrashiest song here other than Thrown to the Wolves. Not as good, but still solid.(It's a sad statement on the modern metal scene that merely having a good thrash song is something of particular note.) Word to the Wise is the metal ballad of the album. A good entry in the category, and it manages to avoid the standard cliches of the style. One line is really cheesy, both in content and delivery, but it pretty effective otherwise, with a very nice acoustic solo.(Cavestany work throughout this album is excellent.)

Still, I can only give this 4 stars as it's got a couple of bland, largely uninspired tracks.(Famine, Land of Blood) That, and other than Thrown to the Wolves and Thicker than Blood nothing on here is really all that great. Good, but not extraordinary. Still a worthwhile album.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOOK OUT !!!! DEATH ANGEL IS BACK!!!!, May 17, 2004

By 

Germain St-Pierre (NB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Dying (Audio CD)

When I found out that Death Angel had a new album out I was overwhelmed with exitment. I have been waiting for this album for almost 15 years. Even though we got the side projects over the years like The Organization and Swarm it wasn't Death Angel.Art Of Dying is not at the same level as ACT III was but 15 years after, i had to give it 5 stars just for the fact that we have some new materiel from them, but it is a solid record notheless. I really think that if they are in it for the long run they just might give us the Thrash Metal Masterpiece of the new Millenium in years to come , but for now I trully enjoy their new music and Am damn happy to see them back. LONG LIVE THE ANGELS!!!!!!!!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half-Good, Half-Bad, and commands an acquired taste, July 15, 2004

By 

Zander Haberstaft (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Dying (Audio CD)

Having Death Angel's first three albums, I was excited that they were releasing something new for the first time in 14 years.

The first thing that hit me was the production -very good quality. Not a bad thing. The second thing that hit me was the acoustic guitar intro. The first half of the album has the creativity of Act III (third album) and some of the speed of their first two albums ('Ultra' and 'Frolic').

Death Angel stood out among some of their '80s Thrash peers for being more "technical" and intricate with their song compositions. That ability shines through on the album, but this requires a certain patience with usual Thrash fans because frankly, D.A. can be a little bit too artsy.

Something happens half way through the album though. It is almost like they lost their energy. For this reason I'm torn: I like the first half, hate the second half. Even worse, they trade off vocals...with terrible results.

I would recommend this to any fan of Death Angel with an open mind and the realization that 14 years have past since their last effort...and a lot has happened in the musical world since then. (This point also show through on the album.) If you're not a fan of D.A. but a casual fan of Thrash, then I would be careful with this one because you'll probably love it or hate it. If you are new to the band check out their first three albums before this one.