After a slow start, thrashers Death Angel promised to turn the tempo up at Metaldays, hopefully in such a way as to shake all the rust of the previous days off of us. We were there, ready and willing.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to us to be back on this stage, third time for us!”
- Mark Osegueda (vocals)

There wasn’t a huge crowd at the beginning of the show, and those who had arrived at the main stage were all rather spread out when Death Angel took the stage. Not exactly a promising start to our pick-me-up show, but things soon changed as soon as the music started blasting.
First, we got a taste of the band’s latest album, the two years old The Dream Calls For Blood, in the shape of the album’s opener, Left For Dead. The band members showed some signs of energy, especially so bassist Damien Sisson, but like the crowd, they too needed a little bit of time to warm up.
Mark Osegueda’s comment rang true though, as the band truly did seem happy to be back at the festival, even though it had gone under a different name, Metalcamp, during their two previous visits.

“Metaldays, I know it’s hot, but do you have fucking energy?! Let’s feel it!”
- Rob Cavestany (guitar)

As hinted above, things picked up during the show, and when we reached Claws In So Deep, we also got our first moshpit, and a rather good one at that. After this, there was no turning back, and the heat generated by the action (and possibly the hot day) was so intense that the security guards sprayed us all with water hoses.
A tribute to the audience was delivered by the band in the shape of the title track of their latest album, which, according to Osegueda, was about how we all grew up with prejudice against us, but how we have all stayed strong and kept metal alive.
As we reached the end of the show, the grand finale came with Thrown To The Wolves, to which the crowd gave a wild wall of death in the beginning, and a huge circlepit at the end. There was no doubt that Metaldays was awake now.

“Cheers, skål, prost, na zdorovie, whatever the fuck you say!”
- Osegueda (vocals)

Undoubtedly, Death Angel delivered just the kind of energy input Metaldays needed this day, and the crowd became unstoppable from it. Still, I would say that this was only a standard show from the band’s side. It wasn’t one of the ‘another day at the office’ affairs, as I’m sure they were as happy to be here as they said they were, but they have delivered more powerful shows in the past, and I hope to see one of those again one day. Until then, this does the trick just fine.

Setlist (incomplete):

Left For Dead
Son Of The Morning
Claws In So Deep
Buried Alive
Voracious Souls
3rd Floor
The Dream Calls For Blood
Thrown To The Wolves