Review Summary: Excellent musicianship and good vocals make for a remarkable album.
By 1989. Death Angel was getting a lot of attention. They had released two albums, made a name for themselves among many thrash metal scenes, and had attracted the interest of major label, Geffen Records. who promptly bought out the band's contract. Death angel now found themselves with a higher recording budget, and with the services of famed producer, Max Norman. Lead guitarist Rob Cavestany would remain the key songwriter for this album. The album was recorded in the fall of 1989, and released in 1990.
The bands third effort saw them retaining their thrash roots, but also trying many new things. Act III certainly sounds like an accomplished band. Musically, this album is not just a great thrash album, the band expands their sound, by adding acoustic numbers such as "Veil of Deception", which is extremely catchy. "A Room With a View" is also another acoustic song, that acts more like a ballad. Its hard not to love songs like these. One gets a sense of sincerity that is not often felt from bands like this. The heavier songs are a lot of fun. The guitars are nice, i got lots of heavy riffs stuck in my head after listening to this album a few times. The Bass is actually audible at some points, and sounds nice, but is usually covered up by the much louder guitars. The Drums are excellent as always, Drummer Andy Galleon does a good job of keeping the tempo and even adding his own ideas to a couple of songs.
Rob Cavestany wrote not only the most of the music, but the lyrics as well. Mark Osegueda, the vocalist, does a good enough job singing on this album. He has a good voice that goes perfectly with most of these songs, but tends to not scream as much as he used to in earlier releases. Mark sounds more like an accomplished singer on songs such as "Veil of Deception", and doesn't overdue it like in previous releases. And even guitarist Rob Cavestany makes an excellent appearance on vocals in "A Room With a View".
Overall, this album is not as thrashing as The Ultra-Violence, but Act III stands above anything the band had done up to that point. The band sounds more mature and serious on this record than previously, even though most band member s were barely in their twenties (Drummer Andy Galleon was only 18). If you want to try something different, then you came to the right place. If you haven't already, i urge to to give the record a chance, you maybe just as surprised as i was. This is the ideal starting point for anyone thinking of giving this band a chance. After hearing about this band from a friend, i hesitantly decided to take a chance and buy this. My apprehension quickly faded upon my first listen, and i never regretted it.
Mark Osegueda – Vocals
Rob Cavestany – Guitars
Gus Pepa – Guitars
Dennis Pepa – Bass
Andy Galeon – Drums
Produced and engineered by Max Norman
Recorded: Fall of 1989
Released: 1990
Geffen Records
