The Dream Calls for Blood is the seventh studio album by American thrash metal band Death Angel.[1] It was released on October 11, 2013, via Nuclear Blast.[1] The album sold 5,400 copies in the U.S in its first week of release and reached number 72 on the Billboard 200, marking the first time in Death Angel's history that they cracked the Top 100 on the American charts.[2]
| The Dream Calls for Blood | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 11, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | April–May 2013 | |||
| Studio | Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, Spiderville Studios, Oakland, California | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 47:25 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Jason Suecof, Rob Cavestany | |||
| Death Angel chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
Guitarist Rob Cavestany described the album's title as "basically our motto"[2] and further explained that:
In our point of view the dream being our band and keeping the band going and making music for your life. The blood is all the sacrifice and all hard work that goes into it and that's the metaphor for that. It's not only meant for music. It's also meant for other people to relate in their own life and goals that they're trying to achieve and the sacrifices that it takes to achieve these goals. And along with that, there's also a tinge of aggression in there about other people that cut corners and don't quite go through all the steps it takes to achieve the goal the right way. So there's a little bit of a middle finger to those people that go about it that way and don't fully respect what it takes.[2]
The album features a guest guitar solo by the album's producer, Jason Suecof.[3]
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 9/10[6] |
| Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | 8.5/10[7] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[8] |
| Metal Forces | 8.5/10[9] |
| Metal Hammer | [10] |
| Metal Storm | 8.5/10[11] |
| Rock Hard | 8.0/10[12] |
The Dream Calls for Blood has been well received by critics. Writing for About.com, Neil Pretorius praised the album as "another triumph for a band that clearly still has a lot of gas left in the tank" and for "throw[ing] down the gauntlet to the thrash scene at large".[4] AllMusic's Fred Thomas also praised the band for remaining a "powerhouse of tight and shiny thrash metal" this late in its career, observing that Death Angel "still sound visceral and hungry decades into their work, a rare case of a band getting sharper as it goes instead of mellowing".[5] While Greg Pratt suggested in Exclaim! that the album's length was too long, he applauded the album's "super-tight rhythm section, killer guitar work and excellent vocals".[8] Metal Forces' Neil Arnold noted that the album is a more "straight-laced" thrash album in contrast with the band's more experimental fare, which he claimed stands as "simple proof that Death Angel rules the thrash scene".[9]
Track listing edit
All music by Rob Cavestany, all lyrics by Mark Osegueda, except "Territorial Instinct / Bloodlust" music and lyrics by Rob Cavestany.[3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Left for Dead" | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Son of the Morning" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Fallen" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "The Dream Calls for Blood" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Succubus" | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Execution / Don't Save Me" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Caster of Shame" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Detonate" | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Empty" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "Territorial Instinct / Bloodlust" | 6:37 |
| Total length: | 47:25 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Heaven and Hell" (Black Sabbath cover) | 6:47 |
| Total length: | 54:12 | |
Personnel edit
- Death Angel
- Mark Osegueda – lead vocals
- Rob Cavestany – lead guitar, backing vocals, producer, additional engineering, mixing
- Ted Aguilar – rhythm guitar, co-lead guitar on track 6, backing vocals
- Damien Sisson – bass
- Will Carroll – drums
- Guest musician
- Jason Suecof – guitar solo on "Empty"
- Production
- Jason Suecof – producer, engineer, mixing
- Ronn Miller – assistant engineer
- Eyal Levi – additional engineering
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
- Brent Elliot White – cover art
- Rob Kimura – CD layout design
- Nick Koljian – band photography
Charts edit
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200[2] | 72 |
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | October 11, 2013 | Nuclear Blast | CD, digital |
| United Kingdom | October 14, 2013 | ||
| North America | October 15, 2013 |
References edit
- ^ a b "DEATH ANGEL: 'The Dream Calls For Blood' Lyric Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. September 23, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "DEATH ANGEL's 'The Dream Calls For Blood' Cracks U.S. Top 100". Blabbermouth.net. October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Death Angel (2013). The Dream Calls for Blood (Media notes). Nuclear Blast.
- ^ a b Pretorius, Neil. "Death Angel – The Dream Calls For Blood Review". About.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Death Angel – The Dream Calls for Blood review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ Van Horn, Jr., Ray. "Death Angel - The Dream Calls for Blood". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Gromen, Mark (October 17, 2016). "Death Angel - The Dream Calls for Blood review". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Pratt, Greg (October 4, 2013). "Death Angel – The Dream Calls For Blood". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Arnold, Neil. "DEATH ANGEL The Dream Calls For Blood". Metal Forces. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ Moffitt, Greg (September 17, 2016). "Death Angel: The Dream Calls for Blood review". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "Death Angel - The Dream Calls for Blood review". Metal Storm. January 15, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Kupfer, Thomas (2013). "Review Dynamit : Death Angel - The Dream Calls For Blood". Rock Hard (in German). No. 317. Retrieved August 25, 2023.