Death Angel - The Enigma Years 1987-1990, a four CD box set, will be released on October 2 via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order here.

Hailing from the same Bay Area thrash metal scene that gave us Metallica, Exodus and Testament, San Francisco's Death Angel were originally formed in 1982 by lead guitarist Rob Cavestany with cousins Dennis Pepa (bass), Gus Pepa (guitar), and Andy Galeon (drums). Joined by singer Mark Osegueda, their self-explanatory 1983 tape, Heavy Metal Insanity, demonstrated the influence of the NWOBHM movement in the UK, such as Iron Maiden and Tygers Of Pan Tang, common with many of their American thrash metal peers.

Building up a loyal cult following, their Kill As One demo was produced by Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and is included here as a bonus on CD One. Kill As One led to a record deal with Enigma Records, who released their debut album, The Ultra-Violence, in 1987. Produced by the band along with Vain's Davy Vain, Kerrang! magazine's Geoff Barton was of the opinion that The Ultra-Violence was, "quite possibly the finest thrash album ever made”, and he could be right! Kerrang!'s KKKK1/2 review rightly reckoned that they, "play so Goddamn fast, yet with a touch of Metallica style subtlety thrown in".

The Kerrang! review of their second Enigma album, 1988's Frolic Through The Park, stated that it was, "an album of depth and colour, with a variety of moods and textures unheard of among nearly all Thrash and certainly not expected of a band on their second effort," and the album, "Showcases a Death Angel that's not afraid to experiment or change what was a winning formula". That's not to say that "3rd Floor" and "Guilty Of Innocence" don't thrash along at a suitably demonic pace, but also finding room to slow down for "Confused" or enter Maiden-esque epic territory with "Shores Of Sin". They even made space for a cover of KISS classic, "Cold Gin". Bonus tracks are "Dehumanization", "Silent Killer" and "Witches Of Knave".

Jumping ship to Geffen in 1990, Enigma released the unsanctioned live show Fall From Grace in 1990, recorded on stage at the famed Paradiso venue in Amsterdam in 1988. With a set based around their first two albums, including "Evil Priest", "Mistress Of Pain" and "Final Death", "3rd Floor" - previously only available as a rare, Japan only bonus track - has been included here.

In 2005, Death Angel allowed their personal archive of master tapes, and even cassettes to be raided for a collection of unreleased demos and rehearsals that go right back to their earliest recordings; collected here on CD 4 as Rarities.

The success of Frolic Through The Park led to a more lucrative offer from Geffen, then enjoying huge commercial success with Whitesnake and Guns N' Roses, soon to be followed by Nirvana. But a near fatal crash whilst on tour leaving drummer Andy Galeon seriously injured, directly led to the band's split in 1991. They reformed ten years later in 2001, touring and recording new albums from thereon to the present day.

Tracklisting:

CD1: The Ultra-Violence (1987):
"Thrashers"  
"Evil Priest"   
"Voracious Souls"  
"Kill As One"
"The Ultra-Violence"  
"Mistress Of Pain"   
"Final Death"   
"I.P.F.S."

Bonus Tracks:

Kill As One Demo:
"Thrashers"  
"Kill As One"
"The Ultra-Violence"

CD2: Frolic Through The Park (1988)
"3rd Floor"
"Road Mutants"  
"Why You Do This"  
"Bored"  
"Devil’s Metal"
"Confused"  
"Guilty Of Innocence"  
"Open Up"  
"Shores Of Sin"
"Cold Gin"  
"Mind Rape"

Bonus Tracks
"Dehumanization"  
"Silent Killer"
"Witches Of Knave"

CD3: Fall From Grace (1990)
"Evil Priest"  
"Why You Do This"  
"Mistress Of Pain"  
"Road Mutants"
"Voracious Souls"  
"Confused"  
"Bored"  
"Kill As One"  
"Guilty Of Innocence"
"Shores Of Sin"  
"Final Death"

Bonus Track
"3rd Floor"

CD4: Rarities (2005)
"Vulture’s Nest"  
"The Hurt"  
"Conflict Of Interest"  
"A Passing Thought"
"Elergy"  
"Aspirations"  
"Dismal"  
"The Morrows Memoirs"  
"Samson"
"Frolic Through The Park"  
"Betrayed"

(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)