Review by Richard Henry for MPM
35 years since the last Dark Angel album, it’s been a long time coming for this, after marking a comeback announcement way back in 2013 it’s been a long wait and with the death of Jim Durkin as well in that time the band have had changes in the personnel, so what do we get in 2025 from this classic thrash band, let’s find out!
Extinction Level Event – Well we kick off with a crunchy riff and in true fashion the beat changes after two bars, fast trem picked part then a real sort of Spirit in Black sort of mid-tempo double bas part that switches out to a thrash beat, really clear production, this is a slammer from the off, full on thrash speed picking almost like a Phantom of the Opera Maiden riff on speed, great vocal parts in there as well, then the middle goes slower with a really simple riff and loads of gang vocals before the double kicks pound in, nice sweeping tapping solo comes in, it’s a statement of intent with this first song, vicious!
Circular Firing Squad – Straight in with a bruising riff and driving beat to kick this off, lovely touch after the verse riff with a sort of choir adding to the next section, was not expecting that, almost like a Cannibal Corpse riff right there, that diminished sort of feel to it, in fact this sort of reminds me of an early death metal track, just not the vocals, that middle section sort of breaks down into almost a Kreator feeling riff, love that, again that’s a very Kerry solo, lots of tapping, this one is definitely a more mid paced griding sort of song with faster parts, pretty decent so far!
Woke Up to Blood – Slow double bass and tom groove opens this one up, almost like a Live Undead feel, now did it need to go on for over a minute, maybe not, then it’s a much slower feel when the next riff hits in, love the little double bass patterns that follow the riff in that main verse, then a half time breakdown for the next section with a lovely notey riff, nice change up in the second verse eon the drums, very cool, nice use of a more aggressive vocal in the chorus, the solo is very shreddy but i have to say the sound is totally muddy unless it’s a high note, love the variation in this track, some really good parts, almost Meshuggah double bass section before we get some blast beats as the song closes out!
Apex Predator – That is a crunchy riff and its back to the early 80s, that is a 100% early sounding era of thrash riff, nearly almost like a hardcore vibe as well in that verse part, lovely sliding riff with a D beat behind it, yeah, the solo is again trem bar and shred and to be fair, like the last song it’s a bit muddy sounding, nice transition into the slower middle section with the riff getting simpler and the drums slowly grooving along, another solo comes in and its lovely and melodic which has made a change to the last couple, some really nice playing in that one, then a split second break and back in we go, really good to the point thrash track!
Sea of Heads – Really notey but incredibly groovy start to this track, nice riff that pounds along, that will have the heads nodding along in the pit, the bass sounds phenomenal on this as well, almost like a Vicious Rumors late 90s era feel in that verse for me, sort of groove metal as well Pantera vibe, chorus as well just keeps that bouncy tempo with a bit of gang vocals but the vibe to this one is different for sure, not a long song but very different!
Atavistic – Quick drum fill and back to thrash tempo again, this one really goes down that sort of early era death metal feel for me more than anything in the verse, it’s when the vocals rise up in the chorus it sounds more thrash metal, its unrelenting that’s for sure, even the middle section gets more aggressive with the riff and then the solo is another trem fest before the second solo takes a more sweep fest with some blues runs, so it’s a bit like Slayer, trem solo, more notey solo vibe, this one is just fast and furious!
Scalar Weaponry – So yeah I stand by my point, this 100% reminds me of early Swedish Death metal with that riff and the flying double bass at the start of it, that counter point melodic riff to kick it all off, the production is sharp and it really benefits the songs, the hard thing about thrash is there is very little dynamics or variation and this one just goes hard from the start, you are a min and half in before it changes to a part that to me doesn’t make a load of sense, before it breaks and goes back into the original riff again, there is a nice half time section comes in with a fast riff under slower drum parts but it really doesn’t do much apart from serve a break to going back into the faster double bass section, not the most cohesive track for me!
Scarface the Room – Love that fast tremolo picked riff over that sort of mid-tempo straight drum groove, that’s a real headbanger of a riff, the vocals are so aggressive, love that little touch of vocal choir in the background that slips in, when it hits the chorus part there is more of that sort of choir background vocal part then a really cool octave riff comes in for the next section and a great bass line all over the back of it, I really love this one because its different but still feels like it has its place on the album, nice break up from the other tracks!
E Pluribis Nemo – That is a nasty riff with the drums really sparse but creates a heavy plodding vibe to kick this one off, almost, like a Gojira style slow heavy part, it certainly has heft, then this sort of trem picked melody part in the background as well, yeah that verse riff following the double bass and the cleaner vocals, definitely has a more modern vibe, nearly like a Warrell Dane style vocal in fact bingo, this reminds me of Politics of Ecstasy by Nevermore, then in the middle it breaks into that melody part on its own that was playing along with the start riff, before it kicks back into the double bass and guitar verse riff, this for me is the track of the album and it’s probably the one most removed from the thrash style on the rest of the songs!
Terror Construct – Thats an angular riff to start this and the drums are all over the place following it before it hits the verse and its driving double bass over a slow-moving riff, the vocals are savage though as they have been all album, again that middle part is pure Pantera and even the vocal gives me Anselmo vibes before it hits the chorus part, really nice slow solo comes in and its soaring notes before a few sweeps and then a really cool sliding riff comes in accented by the China cymbal on the kit, then back to that hauling double bass, love this one, very groovy and catchy!
Extraction Tactics – Drum into from Gene before the riff comes in, nice counter point harmony riff as well, before it changes to a fast as hell trem picked riff, absolutely flying double bass along with the fast thrash tempo before it changes and flattens out in the verse, love that pre chorus with the double bass coming in again, the vocals are excellent they really soar and carry this, then after the middle break a slower double bass section with a notey riff, again Nevermore vibes from that part, never a bad thing for me, great solo comes in as the tempo picks up, aggressive as all hell, best track on the album!
8 out of 10
Solid album and what a comeback, if you love your thrash and a bit of groove metal as well you will love this, bar a bit of a muddy lead sound on some songs, the whole album is a banger and definitely worth a listen!
The forthcoming Extinction Level Event was produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica, Rush) at The Armoury Studios in Vancouver, BC.
More Dates to be Added
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