Death Angel is often referred to as one of the key bands in the Bay Area thrash metal movement of the 1980s, and secured opening slots at club venues that decade, including opening for their peers Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, D.R.I., Mercyful Fate and Possessed. They are also often credited as one of the leaders of the second wave of thrash metal movement from the 1980s, and considered to be one of the "big eight" of the genre (along with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus and Overkill), as well as one of the so-called "Big Six of Bay Area thrash metal" (alongside Exodus, Testament, Lååz Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence). Following the underground success of their first two studio albums, The Ultra-Violence (1987) and Frolic Through the Park (1988), Death Angel signed to Geffen Records in 1989, and released their only album for the label, Act III, the following year. While they were touring in support of Act III, then-drummer Andy Galeon was injured in a tour bus accident and needed more than a year to fully recover. This resulted in the band's break up in 1991. However, Death Angel reformed in 2001 (without original rhythm guitarist Gus Pepa) at the Thrash of the Titans benefit concert for Testament singer Chuck Billy. The band has since released six more albums, including Humanicide (2019), to which the title track gave Death Angel their first-ever Grammy Award nomination.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Angel
Studio albums
The Ultra-Violence (1987)
Frolic Through the Park (1988)
Act III (1990)
The Art of Dying (2004)
Killing Season (2008)
Relentless Retribution (2010)
The Dream Calls for Blood (2013)
The Evil Divide (2016)
Humanicide (2019)
The Moth
Death Angel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Splinter under your skin
The one that makes you bleed forever
Been down a hundred times
Yet like the new sunrise
I shall return and we can burn together
Take my heart, take my soul
Break this bread, drink this wine
Everything will be just fine
It's only now begun
This war is far from won
The innocent will not be spared the horror
Been killed a thousand times
My corpse was drawing flies
Until the resurrection of disorder
Crush my heart, crush my soul
Twist my life out of control
Sign in blood on the dotted line
Everything will be just fine
I am the thorn in your side
You are the evil divide
Drawn to the flame we die
We die together
I am the spit in your eye
You are the God I defy
Drawn to the flame we live
We live forever
So here we are again
The rise and fall within
Splitting hairs over words unspoken
Like an unanswered prayer
This withered skin I wear
Will soon be shed as I emerge unbroken
Burn my heart, burn my soul
Throw my life out of cntrol
All for this, I sacrifice
Everyday's got their vice
The lyrics of Death Angel's song The Moth depict a charismatic and almost seductive persona who is constantly coming back from the dead to wreak havoc on the world. The metaphorical use of the moth as the entity embodies its characteristic of being drawn to the light, its inevitable destruction due to this attraction, and ultimately, its undying nature. The lyrics signify the recklessness and divergence from righteousness that comes with hedonistic desires, and how individuals can either succumb to their vices and die with them or confront them and rise from the ashes.
The opening lines, "Surprise! I'm back again, Splinter under your skin, The one that makes you bleed forever," indicate the persona's audacity and unapologetic demeanor. The reference to the splinter may symbolize how the character can be seen as nothing more than a nuisance, but once embedded, it becomes an inevitable and everlasting agony. This is paralleled in later lines, "Take my heart, take my soul, Spin my life out of control, Break this bread, drink this wine, Everything will be just fine," which showcases the persona's lure towards a life of recklessness and self-indulgence.
The chorus, "I am the thorn in your side, You are the evil divide, Drawn to the flame we die, We die together" depicts how the persona and the world are in a symbiotic relationship where the actions of the persona influence the reactions of the world. The chorus provides a sense of nihilism and an acceptance of the inevitable end that comes with rebelling against the orderly principles of society. Overall, the lyrics of The Moth are a cautionary tale of the dangers of pride, temptation, and indulgence.
Line by Line Meaning
Surprise! I'm back again
I have returned unexpectedly
Splinter under your skin
I cause pain and discomfort
The one that makes you bleed forever
My actions have long-lasting consequences
Been down a hundred times
I have faced many challenges
Yet like the new sunrise
But I keep coming back
I shall return and we can burn together
I will seek revenge with you
Take my heart, take my soul
I offer my emotions to you
Spin my life out of control
Let me lose my way
Break this bread, drink this wine
Let us form a bond
Everything will be just fine
It will all work out
It's only now begun
The fight has just started
This war is far from won
It will be a long battle
The innocent will not be spared the horror
Even the innocent will suffer
Been killed a thousand times
I have faced many deaths
My corpse was drawing flies
My body was left to rot
Until the resurrection of disorder
Until chaos is reborn
Crush my heart, crush my soul
Destroy me emotionally
Twist my life out of control
Let my life spiral downwards
Sign in blood on the dotted line
Make a commitment with me
Everything will be just fine
Things will work out
I am the thorn in your side
I am a constant source of pain for you
You are the evil divide
You are the cause of conflict
Drawn to the flame we die
Our attraction to danger results in our demise
We die together
We face death side by side
I am the spit in your eye
I am a symbol of disrespect to you
You are the God I defy
I reject your authority
Drawn to the flame we live
Our attraction to danger gives us purpose
We live forever
Our legacy will never fade
So here we are again
We have come full circle
The rise and fall within
Life is full of ups and downs
Splitting hairs over words unspoken
Arguing about minor details
Like an unanswered prayer
Like a wish that never comes true
This withered skin I wear
My current state of being
Will soon be shed as I emerge unbroken
I will overcome my struggles
Burn my heart, burn my soul
Destroy me emotionally
Throw my life out of cntrol
Let my life spiral downwards
All for this, I sacrifice
All of this is worth it to me
Everyday's got their vice
Everyone has their flaws
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Rob Cavestany
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@palmtr3352
Surprise! I'm back again
Splinter under your skin
The one that makes you bleed forever
Been down a hundred times
Yet like the new sunrise
I shall return and we can burn together
Take my heart, take my soul
Spin my life out of control
Break this bread, drink this wine
Everything will be just fine
It's only now begun
This war is far from won
The innocent will not be spared the horror
Been killed a thousand times
My corpse was drawing flies
Until the resurrection of disorder
Crush my heart, crush my soul
Twist my life out of control
Sign in blood on the dotted line
Everything will be just fine
I am the thorn in your side
You are the evil divide
Drawn to the flame we die
We die together
I am the spit in your eye
You are the God I defy
Drawn to the flame we live
We live forever
So here we are again
The rise and fall within
Splitting hairs over words unspoken
Like an unanswered prayer
This withered skin I wear
Will soon be shed as I emerge unbroken
Burn my heart, burn my soul
Throw my life out of control
All for this, I sacrifice
Everybody's got their vice
@palmtr3352
Surprise! I'm back again
Splinter under your skin
The one that makes you bleed forever
Been down a hundred times
Yet like the new sunrise
I shall return and we can burn together
Take my heart, take my soul
Spin my life out of control
Break this bread, drink this wine
Everything will be just fine
It's only now begun
This war is far from won
The innocent will not be spared the horror
Been killed a thousand times
My corpse was drawing flies
Until the resurrection of disorder
Crush my heart, crush my soul
Twist my life out of control
Sign in blood on the dotted line
Everything will be just fine
I am the thorn in your side
You are the evil divide
Drawn to the flame we die
We die together
I am the spit in your eye
You are the God I defy
Drawn to the flame we live
We live forever
So here we are again
The rise and fall within
Splitting hairs over words unspoken
Like an unanswered prayer
This withered skin I wear
Will soon be shed as I emerge unbroken
Burn my heart, burn my soul
Throw my life out of control
All for this, I sacrifice
Everybody's got their vice
@timothyk2989
Saw them twice on this tour. With Slayer and Anthrax in Austin and at a small club in Houston. They hang out and talk to fans afterwards. Respect. 🇺🇸😎
@damianblankenship9210
Same tour in Cleveland.
@themetalbutt2598
Total old school thrash, this albums gonna be brutal
@WuduFever
+themetalbutt
Don't get me wrong, I really like Death Angel, for instance 'The Dream Calls For Blood' is my #1 during workouts, but as I see it, they had more than just a few modern elements in their compositions since their reunion. Especially from 'Relentless Retribution' to the newest stuff. Again, please don't get me wrong. I love all those songs, but to me old school thrash is a whole lot different.
@draganov
+Volker Garde While you are correct, this would be what Thrash would sound, if they had proper equipment back in the 80s. The 'recorded with potato' sound from the 80s has its charm, but the music loses a lot of its power due to it. :) Case in point - the re-recording of Exodus' "Bonded" album slays the original with its sound (not talking songs- or vocalists-, or delivery- quality, just the sound). :)
I dream of having Coroner re-record their classics. Two of the top-ten thrash albums of all times, with weak and empty sound :(
@WuduFever
draganov
I rather meant the elements of the composition than the sound itself, but you're also right: Thrash Metal would've been different, if they had better production back then.
Oh yeah, Coroner would be nice. Also Exciter, Protector or Living Death. Imagine 'Grippin' A Heart' with the bloody good tone production can bring forth now :D.
I'll definitly have to check out Exodus' 'Let There Be Blood'. Though it is not very old-school-ish, I've to admit that I really like Dukes voice and the two Exhibit albums.
@chondrinenigma
+draganov Brickwalling (aka making everything louder) does not actually make a better sound. Turn 'Ride the Lightning' up to the max and it still sounds fantastic. Turn 'When Death Comes' by Artillery up to the max and your eardrums will bleed. Almost all modern productions lack the punch of the stuff recorded in the 80s and are hard on the ear. I mean, just listen to the last Heathen album. No dynamics whatsoever and the drums sound significantly worse than albums that came 20+ years before. All because "our album needs to be louder than their album"
@draganov
*****
No man, not "louder", but clearer, meatier. I am with you on the brickwalling thing, it is ridiculous. Bit RtL sounds ... well, vegan to me :) KEA sounds vegan as well, regardless of it being probably the best sounding 80s thrash album.
I will give an example with a Coroner track - check out ?v=9jvkIusMvFU and its album version after. The live sounds WAY more punchy and solid, while the album is kinda weak. :) And I think this better live sound is thanks to technology when used with restrain. :)
@GospelSaves
Extremely underrated, THE thrash album of 2016!