The Dream Calls for Blood is the seventh studio album by American thrash metal band Death Angel. It was released on October 11, 2013, via Nuclear Blast. 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.
Background
Guitarist Rob Cavestany described the album's title as "basically our motto" and further explained that:
The album features a guest guitar solo by the album's producer, Jason Suecof.
Reception
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". 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". 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". 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".
Track listing
All music by Rob Cavestany, all lyrics by Mark Osegueda, except "Territorial Instinct / Bloodlust" music and lyrics by Rob Cavestany.
Personnel
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"