DEATH ANGEL are one of those high caliber bands that keeps getting better with age, like good wine...  Their last album, 2014's The Dream Calls for Blood was a lauded masterpiece that set the bar very, very high... It truly made us salivate for the next opus, The Evil Divide. While not as refined as it's direct predecessor (which was practically flawless thrash) it is still an extremely high quality album that is almost on par with it; every thrash fans should enjoy this one a lot!

"The Moth" starts off with a bang, hooking you with a strong chorus that features some great back vocals from Rob Cavestany. The very well written lyrics are about the relation between people and life itself; like a moth that is attracted to light, we are bound to be attracted to the things that harms us in life. "Cause for Alarm" has an hectic guitar riff at the beginning and the riffs remains fast, raging and technical all thorough until the end! "Lost" surprises us however with a very mellow and melodic power ballad that you can't get out of your head after a few listen; Mark Osegueda showcases here a quasi DIO-esque voice, complete with high pitched, stirring choruses sections, only slightly more raspy. The band isn't known for their slower tracks normally, but they really hit it right with this one! "Father of Lies" feature again strong riffing and a killer chorus... but later on, it slows down with a very melodic solo. The sad acoustic-driven outro only adds to the song's overall charm. "Hell to Pay" is a shorter song that is quite aggressive and gritty-fast that doesn't want to calm down at all! "It Can't Be This" is a more groovy, mid-paced song where the lyrics are about resentment and rejection about a certain situation. "Hatred United, United Hate" is one of the better songs, with intricate guitar riffing and again, choruses that stays in your head. The solo is also composed of very well done note bending. "Breakaway" is a more chaotic and evil sounding track and  starts off with a feeling of apprehension ans suspense before going full-berserk! The lyrics are about letting go of all of your anger and fears, cleansing you in the process. Overall, it's the most aggressive song of this release. "The Electric Cell" is a weirder song with a very unorthodox chorus... Somehow it's working out very well and it has still those killer riffs and melodies. The lyrics I believe are the continuation of what Mark talked about in the opener of the album.... hence the name of the song! Lastly, "Let the Pieces Fall" also feature some unorthodox choruses sections. The lyrics are ultimately about not giving up and doing your things all the way through, just like in the song "The Dream Calls For Blood".

This album is already on my list for Best Thrash releases of the year! I'm eager to listen to those awesome news tracks at a gig, as the band is mindbogglingly good live! 2016 is definitively extraordinary for thrashers... and The Evil Divide is a very good example why, as pretty much all the songs are stellar!