By Albert Mansour

Here we have it, Death Angel’s first official, band-sanctioned live album, as recorded at the Hard Rock Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Upon first listen, you might think this fifteen track offering is one of the greatest live albums of all time; it’s definitely one of the best to see release this year. This CD is what Death Angel is all about: heavy, thrashy, tight live playing that is highlighted by great guitar work. First of all, the track selection is fantastic, this is just an awesome set list. “Thrown to the Wolves,” “Kill as One,” “Voracious Souls,” “EX-TC”, “Disturbing the Peace” and the list goes on and on. This CD proves that this band just won’t quit and is ready to shatter your skull. This is the album that gets it right. The production is absolutely impeccable – the mix a bit unusual, but very nicely done. Death Angel consistently kicks some serious ass here and proves they also at their best live. The boys are definitely in fine form on this one. Super tight, super heavy, soaring vocals, crunching guitars — all the good stuff. Complete with a lengthy booklet containing some good colour photos, the presentation of the product is quite amazing. While I can say is that I’m not a big fan of live albums, Sonic German Beatdown is definitely worth buying and it’s almost everything a fan could ask for.

http://www.myspace.com/deathangel

(Nuclear Blast)