Death Angel Interview with Mark Osegueda

By Josh Pierson

In 2000, the legendary Bay Area thrash band Death Angel took the stage once again at The Pound in San Francisco after a nine-year hiatus, in support of their good friend Chuck Billy’s (vocalist for Testament) fight against cancer. After this, they saw that the chemistry was still alive in the band and that fans were not just pushing, but screaming and yelling for a new Death Angel album and tour. With that said, in 2004 the band released their fifth studio album, “The Art of Dying” and found that their fan base was still alive and well.

Just a few months ago Death Angel released their sixth album, “Killing Season,” which seemed to culminate the last 20 years of Bay Area thrash into one mind blowing insanely riff-packed album. With also the new “Testament” album out only a few weeks apart from Death Angel’s release, thrashers are definitely getting a good healthy dose of old school thrash all at once, but when listening to “Killing Season” I get to reminisce a little bit and feel like I’m 12 years old again, listening to classic Death Angel and Metallica.

Now, with the new Death Angel album out and packing great press wherever it’s heard, they hit the road with God Forbid, Soilent Green, and fellow Bay Area thrashers Light This City on the “In Thrash We Trust” tour. Before seeing a show I had been waiting my entire life for, I was able to sit down with lead singer and thrash legend Mark Osegueda to chat a bit (and I have to admit, I was actually nervous for the first time in a long while):

Fringe: How’s the tour going so far?

Mark: Oh, it’s been a blast. We did a month in Europe, then we were back home for a day and a half. And now we’re four weeks into it, then we’re back home for five days, and then back to Europe for another month.

F: How was the San Francisco show you just played?

M: It was mad, all the bands were like “Oh my god.” It was mad.

F: You just played two shows in a row at Slims in San Francisco with Forbidden. How’d that go?

M: That was crazy, that was crazy, that’s why we were kind of wondering about this show Sunday. But, this one was packed, and the crowd was going mad.

F: Any crazy drunken stories yet?

M: I’ve been a good boy, I came back from Europe with bronchitis. Usually I’m the big drinker in the band, but I’ve been pretty tame so far. I’ve had my drunk nights, but no intense stories just yet. I’m sure when I get back from Europe I’ll have some for you.

F: You’re also in “All Time High’s,” another Bay Area sleaze rock band. Is that going to stay a side project or take a front seat for you in the near future?

M: When we first started the ultimate goal was to attack it as hard as we could, and then when Death Angel started going again, it kind of took a back seat to the bigger of the two monsters. Death Angel had a two-year hiatus, and God had a four-year hiatus in between albums. Most people can sit still for that long, but I can’t.

F: Do you have any favorite Bay Area bands that are unsigned?

M: Hmm. That’s a tough one, there’s a lot of ‘em, and a lot of them are starting to get signed.

F: Over all the years of touring, what’s your favorite country/city to play in?

M: Always be home. Anywhere in Italy, Holland, New York, Japan. There’s just some that stand out always. There’s Germany, it’s hard to pick one.

F: The Japanese are crazy about metal…

M: In their own way, over the top, yeah they are.

F: Why did you choose to work with Nick from 606 studios (who has produced Foo Fighters and the new Rush)?

M: We all listen to different types of music. Like the sounds he did on Foo Fighters, he did the latest Rush record, Shadows Fall, it’s pretty incredible. We always wanted to work with someone who was a little more rock oriented to get bigger tones and less metal tones of the moment. He got ‘em, and that’s why we decided on him. We asked if he would consider producing us, we fedex’d our stuff down, Nick heard the demos we were writing and said let’s make this happen.

F: With metal coming back the way that it has as of recent, do you feel that it’s a perfect time for Death Angel to make a comeback?

M: I think the time’s better now than ever. It was fortunate we did “Art of Dying” when we did, if this would have been the first album we might have been a little off step. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Chuck (Billy) and the “Thrash of the Titans” show (2000, The Pound). I think it’s the reason why there’s this whole resurgence of thrash or general interest in it again.

F: “Killing Season” is being hailed as a return to true thrash, how do you feel about being back at the forefront of the scene?

M: We’re happy as hell, there was something that was so magical about us at the time. We have the same excitement now, but have a better vision of what we want to do, but with all the other albums we were trying to push the envelope and bring as much sound and different influences to the thrash sound.

F: Light This City is a Bay Area thrash band as well, prior to this were you friends at all?

M: Prior to this, no. We’ve become great friends now.

F: I’ve always wondered, where did the name for “Frolic in the Park” (1988) come from?

M: Rob wrote a song called “Frolic Through the Park” which never made it on the album. It’s just basically elementary lyrics about a person walking through the park at night and a mugger killing him. We used a lot of metaphors like the ‘Park’ is life, and frolicking through the park is like life.

F: When the band broke up, you left for New York. Why there?

M: Whenever we toured, I always had a fondness for it, and made a lot of friends there. I love the energy and the city. I was 16 to 20 and whenever we would tour out there and it was a manic city.

F: Back in 2000, you guys actually opened for the Deftones here in Sacramento. How was that experience (I never thought I would see Death Angel opening for them)?

M: Yeah, that was insane. Deftones guys’ are big Death Angel fans, and they were playing a hometown show and heard we had reformed.

F: How does it feel knowing that after 20 years Death Angel has such a great presence in the metal community again?

M: We have more respect for it now than we did originally, because it was the only thing we knew the first time around. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

F: How are the crowds different now than they were in the ’80s?

M: I think the biggest thing now is the generations that come out. Now there are young kids and older people. But back in the day there was just a magic about it you can’t deny. It was the era of tape trading. You’d be playing and see Cliff Burton out in the crowd head banging. You can’t replace things like that.

F: What do you think of the rumors of Metallica’s new album being more of a return to thrash?

M: I’ve got my fingers crossed, I want it to be. They have as good if not a better chance to do that than anyone. No one else in this genre, no one else has written Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, or Kill ‘Em All… . They have, and plenty of people who have put them down…haven’t.

F: Any newer albums out that you’re digging?

M: The new Hellacopters, Cavalera Conspiracy, other than that I tend to listen to earlier nostalgic things.

F: What are some of your vocal influences?

M: Bon Scott, Ozzy, Dio, Steven Tyler- it’s rock ‘n roll, and as far as front men are concerned Steven’s the best.

F: For anyone that hasn’t heard the new album, or for some bizarre reason haven’t ever heard of Death Angel, what would you say to them to go out and listen?

M: This new album is a perfect marriage of contemporary metal and what influenced metal, it’s the perfect one, it’s got power and it’s got melody and is technically there and is a great metal album.