PipemanRadio Interviews Death Angel at Aftershock 2025

0:04 Hy you love done too, Yes, that's true. Woe Wow Crazy Young. It's pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio and I'm here with Will. Carroll from Death Angel nice drummer. Here at Aftershock Man. Yeah. Oh my god. It's like a Bay Area Thrash reunion and after Shock this year. I love it. Yeah. Yeah, it's our third time playing it. I think the first time we played it it was similar, like you like Exodus and Testament, and there was a lot of Bay Area representation for sure, Bay Area thrash, Yeah, totally.

0:49 I think that was a few years ago, right, It was like that stage, the Corps Light Stage was the thrash metal space that it. Was twenty twenty one. Yeah, we also played one earlier than that. I forget what year it was, but uh yeah, both times, I guess are all three times now I've been a Bay Area thrash type of thing, which is so cool. My background was I grew up in Jersey. My dad moved me to LA in nineteen eighty. Oh good time, right, So I went to Slayers first show ever, Mcalka's first show ever. Then they deserted us to go up to the Bay area, and so we had no what. A bad decision that was, I know, right, yeah, because. LA was definitely not the place for them. They had nobody they could play with. I saw a striper open for Slayer. Wow, like that kind of stuff. So me and my bro used to hitchhike up to the Bay Area after that because we were left with nobody to go to the real threshing. Like I thought, LA was great till I got to the Bay Area, just like Metallica felt the same way and Slayer.

1:50 Felt this way. What clubs did you go? Like the Stone I. Don't even remember, man, It's like all blur, but I just know that I was like, oh my fucking god when I went to shows up there, it was a whole different world. Yeah, man, And this is my battle vest from the eighties. Sweet check it out, Suicidal Possessed Excel, I love Excel Man Megan GBH fuck yeah Fate. Slayer didn't even have a patch at this point. Yeah, okay, I put the. Velvet well well done iron on or something. Yeah, exactly. Well. I remember these old Venom patches that fell aparty after like one wash it right right? Yeah? Yeah, I remember those Oh shit that Metallica one Too Kill yep, yep.

2:38 So definitely some history there. Yeah. Man, it's not like the vest nowadays where they buy him pre made, right totally. I put some blood in sweat literally on this thing. You could tell. You could tell it's seen some action. Right totally. So I was really bummed earlier. I've had a really hard day today because when you guys played who was it? I had to interview I think it was Exodus. Oh or something. It was something like And then while Carrie Kay was playing, I was interviewing Forbidden and it's like, fuck me, I'm missing all the sets. But it's worth it because, like I think, thrash metal, the fact that it's still around today and still so relevant and all these kids out there are into it is a testament to the musicianship and everything that happened in that scene way back.

3:32 Yeah. I mean, it's a crazy talented gene pool in the Bay Area when the metal and thrash metal and we're all still here for the most part. So which is wild in and of itself. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I remember going up doesn't matter the world's going to blow up in nineteen eighty four a way up, right, here. And for most of us. I mean, I'm a little bit younger. I'm a generation before. I'm fifty two, so I wasn't around at the very early ages, the stages of it. But I started playing in the scene around eighty seven eighty eight, so a little later, but caught the tail end of the magic of the original wave. For the most part, everyone from those old days has kept their chops up in their fucking oopska.

4:16 Square you can tell whatever the fuck you want. They've kept their chops up and putting out some of the best albums of their career r like right now. Right a lot of the bands, so yeah, it's amazing too, like it's even better than ever. But I was talking about it in a Forbidding interview. One of the things I dig about thrash is that a lot of bands nowadays they used some kind of formula to make metal, and none of the thrash metal bands ever sound the same similarities but totally unique in every right for every band in. The glory days. Yes, but that's I think that's one of the reasons why thrash metal kind of died out in the nineties. Everyone likes to blame it on grunge, which may have played a part in it, yeah, but it also a lot of bands were putting out subpar albums by the early nineties, and too many bands were sounding the same. Too many bands were dumbing down their sound and trying to get the big brass ring, you know, get the big money and get the big tours. So thrash fedals meant to be fast. When bands start slowing down and putting out mid tempo albums, people lost interest.

5:22 Myself included, I went straight to death metal. It's so in the glory days. Yes, every band had their distinct identity for sure, vocally, lyrically, songwriting wise, totally, and I think it's returned to that now. But yeah, the early nineties were not a good era for thrash fedal well. And it may be an unpopular opinion for the rest of the world, but for me. I remember me in the twenty five hardcore La metal fan the Metallica fans. There were twenty five of us that would be at their show when they came out with the Black album. We were like fucking poser sellouts. And it's like, I still like them today. But when you were young and to your point, when we were young back then, it was like, yeah, this isn't what I was in it for.

6:11 Yeah, Like when I heard it, I was like, god damn, this album sounds great and I understand why it was huge and there are some good songs. But when I like initially when I heard it, I was the exact same thing, like exact same reaction, like, dude, this is this is not a thrash moment on this album whatsoever. Right, But not to take away from it is a good sounding album. Right now, I'm a little more mature. It's like, Okay, it deserves all the acclaim or success it got, but I'm not a fan of it right right. Listen, me and my friends I remember, Okay, so we were going into our shows before even Kill them All came out, Kill Them All came out, and then Ride the Lightning came out, and we all said, if you took fight Fire with Fire off of Ride the Lightning and put on Kill them All, and took Jump in the Fire and put on Ride the Lightning, kill them All with one of the best albums ever, and Jump in the Fire to us represent that slowing down.

7:07 Yeah. I do love that song though, because it kind of stands out on Kill Them All. It's kind of the rock and roll tune a little bit. Yeah, yeah, so I like it because it's surrounded by thrash metal. One are two songs I'm okay with. It's when the band started recording entire albums that are just mid tempo, you know. But yeah, I love the first four Metallic albums. I didn't like it in Justice for All when it came out. I thought even that was a step too far away from thrash. But I well, it took like fifteen years, But after fifteen years of not digging that album, I fucking love it Now. I love Injustice for All. But yeah, the first three albums especially are Magic Absolute Magic. Which is your favorite album of your band of Death Angel? Yes?

7:50 Act three nice and second would be the second album I recorded with the band, The Dream Calls for Blood, And most people when they asked me that, they think I'm gonna pick one of the albums I'm on as my favorite, But no, I think Act three is their pinnacle of songwriting and recording and everything. It's they they were all cylinders are firing crazy on that album, and we're doing we have a US tour coming up or we're doing that album in its entirety nice, So it's a real challenge playing some of those songs. For sure. Are you gonna play any Florida shows on that Tourdino? I don't think so. Man, we're like the stepchild. I love going down there and playing down there and this total metal scene. For sure. A lot of tours that still go down there. It could it cost a lot of extra money to dip.

8:37 Down their time and time by the time you get down to May like you could done Florida near West Balm Beach, Okay. And we don't even have interrestrial. We don't even have a radio station at support todaymore like the Buzz. You don't have a classic rock station, or we have a. Classic rock but it's even downhill. We used to have a station called the Buzz and that's where you heard stuff like Death Angel, Okay, and it's been gone for a long time. So if you don't have the radio to support it, that's the problem too. Right right right? You know? Yeah, I love playing Florida and we only do it once every like four or five years. It's like, man, it's a shame. But yeah, unfortunately we're not going there.

9:20 What's your favorite festival to play in the world, in the world, in the world, I'd say hell Fest. Hello, Like I hate to say, we're at Danny Wimmer, but that is my favorite. I cover that festival and oh my god, it's like just so badass, like the whole like I can't even explain it. Every base is covered, I know, right, anything you could imagine is provided there, right from catering to like the bars backstage at the bands, all the different stages, like as a stoner rock stage, a Black Metals, death metal stage, it's just over.

10:02 They had a thrash metal stage, yeah, over the top. I started to pit for Exodus' show. Who else played on the thrash metal stage? Do you remember? Not? I don't even remember, Like it's like such a blur. Yeah, yeah, I remember Exous because I started to pit and I was in the whole time. I was like, oh my god, it's one of the best Exodus bits ever. It's funny. Death Angels played the hell Fest quite a few times over the last fifteen years, and the last couple of times. The last time you played it, people were complaining that it's getting too big and it's getting kind of corporate and it's gonna turn into another Vodkin and that may be inevitable, but when I was there, I didn't notice any of that. It felt like the same awesome festival we played every time. Yeah, so I hope it doesn't lose the little personal time help not either, but it's great.

10:49 It really blew my mind the first year I did it when it got dark and the whole place was on fire. Like you were in Hell Yeah, man, like when they light up the Yeah, yeah, totally. It's fucking awesome. So here's a little tidbit of information. Okay, Danny Wimmer went to visit hell Fest several years ago so he could model these festivals off the European model. This is I mean, it's on the right track, man, as far as American festivals go. This is the best one I've I've been to. This is, like I said, our third time playing, and every time it's well run, totally pro. The backstage accommodations are great. I will say the last time we played here, in our dressing room there was a basket full of weed products like h three year old joints and edibles, and we didn't get that this year.

11:40 God Damn, I think that company's out here. They were sponsoring. They were called heavy Grass. I think, yeah, that's it exactly, So they were the ones putting that in there. So we have to bring heavy Grass back to got. It, man, you got it. But the pizza of and over here is kick ass open bar. Yeah. Did you check out the drip bar too? No, it was like a coffee bar, some coffee juices, Okay, shake smoothie. Kind of hard to check that out when there's free margaritas right next to it. Yeah, you're right right, but it always does have a long line, like everybody. I couldn't believe there's a line for that. There wasn't a line for free alcohol, Like, yeah, what is this world coming to you? No? Totally, So anything else you want to share with the listeners, we haven't covered array that they need to know about Death Angel.

12:24 Just be on the lookout for us. In the late November and most of December, we're going to doing a US tour doing the Act three album in its entirety, and we're touring or with Toxic Holocausts, Great fucking Punk crossover Thrash, Nice Band, and a couple other bands that are slipping my mind right now. Just make sure you come and see Death Age. Absolutely, but yeah, we're practicing our asses off trying to get it to sound as close to the album as possible. I love it. So if you're a fan of the Act three album, you probably won't be disappointed. I hope you won't be disappointed. I'm sure or I won't. Yeah, because like Thrash Forever and all right, I'll tell you one last quick story that you would think. It's funny that I even said during Forbidden that first Metallica show, Mustain gets off the stage.

13:14 I think I was like thirteen, walks up to me, starts talking to me, hands me it's business card. It said Metallica power Metal, Dave Mustain because there was no such thing as thrash yet. Yeah, man like bands were called power metal or speed metal right before thrash came along. Yeah, totally so. But you guys are badass. I'm so happy you're here at Aftershock, and I want to look and see a lot more of you. Thank you so much, man when we want to come back for sure. Thanks for being on the Adventures by Man. Take care about Hey, what's up? This is Will Carroll from Death Angel, and you're listening to the Pipe Fan at W four CY Radio.

13:54 I'll always free, Thank God, Thank you for listening the Adventures of Patement on W for c u I Radio