WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 I want you to think for a second about a time 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:04.719 you felt completely crushed by the expectations 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.360 of other people. Oh, that is a heavy way to start. 00:00:07.580 --> 00:00:11.259 Right. But picture a massive project at work 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:14.400 where the stakes just kept rising. Or maybe a 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:16.339 personal creative endeavor you were trying to, 00:00:16.339 --> 00:00:18.480 you know, get off the ground. Yeah, you develop 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.859 this rigid image in your head of exactly what 00:00:20.859 --> 00:00:23.120 people want from you. Exactly. And before you 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:25.379 know it, you are twisting yourself into knots 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:27.719 trying to deliver that exact... perfect product 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:30.660 and the joy just completely disappears it becomes 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:33.219 a chore now what would happen if you woke up 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:35.740 tomorrow decided to completely stop caring about 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:38.060 what the critics think and build something entirely 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:40.880 for yourself um for most people i mean that is 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.340 a terrifying prospect it requires dismantling 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:45.960 your safety net entirely completely but When 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:48.000 you actually take that leap, when you stop trying 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.679 to service an imagined audience, the results 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:54.200 can be just entirely transformative. And that 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:57.079 profound psychological shift is really the engine 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.799 behind the history we are exploring today. Welcome 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.859 to today's deep dive. We are looking at a masterclass 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.519 in artistic rebellion today. We're talking about 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:09.400 the 2008 studio album Killing Season by the legendary 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:13.579 American thrash metal band Death Angel. A phenomenal 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:16.200 record. Truly. And our source material today 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.140 is the comprehensive Wikipedia article chronicling 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:21.459 the background, the intense production process, 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:24.140 and the ultimate release of this specific record. 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:26.939 Right. Our mission is to explore the true anatomy 00:01:26.939 --> 00:01:30.049 of this artistic rebellion. We're going to look 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:33.170 at how a veteran band navigated immense internal 00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:35.969 and external pressures to reclaim their authentic 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:39.189 voice. And we'll uncover why this specific thrash 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:41.290 metal album represents a triumphant creative 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:44.349 peak for the group, but also incredibly why it 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.969 marks the bittersweet end of an era. The timeline 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:49.170 of this record provides a really fascinating 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:51.950 case study in group dynamics and the psychology 00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:54.709 of creative liberation. It transcends heavy metal 00:01:54.709 --> 00:01:57.090 in 2008. It's fundamentally about what happens 00:01:57.090 --> 00:01:59.209 when artists actively choose to dismantle the 00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:00.909 very pressures that built them up in the first 00:02:00.909 --> 00:02:03.930 place. And the unseen consequences of achieving 00:02:03.930 --> 00:02:07.890 total creative freedom. The raw behind the scenes 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:10.150 glimpses we get into the band's studio process 00:02:10.150 --> 00:02:13.789 are incredibly revealing. OK, let's unpack this. 00:02:13.849 --> 00:02:16.250 Let's do it. To really understand the DNA of 00:02:16.250 --> 00:02:18.669 Killing Season, we have to establish the context 00:02:18.669 --> 00:02:22.340 of what came right before it. Prior to this album, 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:24.860 Death Angel had released a highly anticipated 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:28.819 reunion record in 2004. Right. The art of dying. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.840 Exactly. And when a band with a deep legacy comes 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.180 back after a long hiatus, the anticipation from 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:37.979 the fan base is a massive double -edged sword. 00:02:38.180 --> 00:02:40.039 Oh, absolutely. You have listeners who have been 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:42.180 waiting years holding on to a very specific, 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:45.120 nostalgic version of your sound in their minds. 00:02:45.300 --> 00:02:47.080 A lot of pressure. The pressure to recreate the 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:49.439 past rather than forge the future is immense. 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:51.699 That dynamic brings us to a really revealing 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:55.400 quote from August 2006. Bassist Dennis Peepo 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:57.219 was talking to The Gauntlet about the... band's 00:02:57.219 --> 00:02:59.400 plans for their upcoming fifth album. Yeah, and 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:02.520 he was surprisingly candid. He really was. He 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:05.099 openly admitted that with The Art of Dying, there 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:07.520 was suffocating pressure from within the band 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.039 and from their fan base regarding what was expected 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.479 of them. He stated, quote, So we wrote that album 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:15.680 and we weren't as free -minded as we'd like to 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.360 be. That phrase, not as free -minded, it perfectly 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:22.139 encapsulates the psychological toll of a comeback 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:24.590 trap. They weren't making music purely for themselves 00:03:24.590 --> 00:03:26.949 anymore. They were servicing an expectation. 00:03:27.530 --> 00:03:30.009 Playing it safe. Exactly. Playing it safe to 00:03:30.009 --> 00:03:32.189 ensure they didn't alienate the people welcoming 00:03:32.189 --> 00:03:35.310 them back. But for Killing Season, the band clearly 00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:38.550 made a radical conscious shift. Dennis explicitly 00:03:38.550 --> 00:03:41.409 stated that for the new project, they decided 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:43.389 it simply didn't matter what the scene thought 00:03:43.389 --> 00:03:46.229 anymore. The new rule was definitive. As long 00:03:46.229 --> 00:03:48.530 as the band thought it was cool, that was the 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:50.310 attitude they were going to take into the studio. 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.479 And Dennis specifically referenced their older, 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:56.219 somewhat obscure album, Frolic Through the Park, 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.939 as a blueprint for this new mindset. What's fascinating 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:02.319 here is how Peppa uses Frolic Through the Park 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.439 as their North Star. He explicitly stated they 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:07.639 wanted the new record to have the attitude of 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:10.719 Frolic. He described that specific era as a time 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:13.460 when they took things to the extreme. They wrote 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:15.919 exactly what they wanted to write. and simply 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.699 didn't care what people thought. They put out 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:19.720 what they were genuinely into. It was an era 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:22.720 defined by fearlessness. Connecting this back 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:27.000 to you listening right now, how often do we dilute 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:29.759 our best work because we are trying to please 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:32.360 an imagined audience? Way too often. We second 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:34.360 guess our instincts in boardrooms, in writing 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.480 groups, or just in daily life. because we're 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:39.540 worried about how our ideas will be received 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:42.100 and we end up abandoning the very instincts that 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:44.600 made us capable in the first place when you try 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.100 to please everyone you inevitably engineer a 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:49.899 product that lacks a pulse it becomes sterile 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.100 Death Angel realized they needed to get their 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:54.560 pulse back, which required them to stop looking 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.759 outward for validation and start looking inward 00:04:56.759 --> 00:04:59.480 for inspiration. So let's fast forward to February 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.720 2007 to see how that inspiration actually materialized. 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:05.480 Okay. Guitarist Rob Cavastani posts an update 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:07.800 on the album's progress, and the shift in the 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:10.800 band's energy is palpable. Yeah, he writes that 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.180 they've been jamming out at their studio in Oakland, 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:15.980 putting the framework of the new album together. 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:19.060 And he specifically notes that good vibes are 00:05:19.060 --> 00:05:21.329 flowing. You don't get good vibes flowing when 00:05:21.329 --> 00:05:22.910 you're constantly looking over your shoulder 00:05:22.910 --> 00:05:26.209 at the critics. That update is the sound of a 00:05:26.209 --> 00:05:28.569 group of musicians who have successfully shed 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:32.050 the weight of external expectations and rediscovered 00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:34.990 the joy of collaboration. A major part of protecting 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:38.009 those good vibes was a strategic choice they 00:05:38.009 --> 00:05:40.800 made about their schedule. Rob mentions they 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:42.680 were going to lay low on live shows until the 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.939 album was completed. They deliberately chose 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.259 to isolate themselves in Oakland to focus entirely 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:49.639 on the creative process. But doesn't isolating 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:51.819 yourself like that run the risk of creating an 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:53.959 echo chamber? Yeah. How did they know the good 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:56.019 vibes were actually translating into good music 00:05:56.019 --> 00:05:58.779 without a crowd to test it on? That is always 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:01.500 the inherent risk of studio isolation. However, 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:04.100 taking a break from the grueling, repetitive 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:07.779 cycle of touring is often necessary for a band 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:10.199 trying to reclaim their identity. Because the 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:13.339 road just drains you. Exactly. By stopping the 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:15.720 tour machine, they could bottle up all that kinetic 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:18.439 energy and pour it directly into the songwriting. 00:06:18.810 --> 00:06:21.490 They were curating a protected environment to 00:06:21.490 --> 00:06:25.170 nurture this fragile, new, free -minded attitude 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:27.670 before exposing it to the elements. But they 00:06:27.670 --> 00:06:30.610 did allow for one massive, incredible exception 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:34.420 to that isolation. Yes. Rob notes in his update 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:36.660 that they fully intended to avoid playing shows 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:39.220 before summer, but then they received an invitation 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:41.220 they just couldn't refuse. They were asked to 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:44.519 play the Pulp SummerSlam 7 at Amaranto Stadium 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:47.500 in Manila. Stepping out of a dark rehearsal space 00:06:47.500 --> 00:06:50.319 in Oakland to play a massive stadium in the Philippines 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:52.660 is quite the pivot. Just picture the contrast. 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.579 They leave their isolated jam space to fly out 00:06:55.579 --> 00:06:58.089 in April. Rob wrote about how they couldn't wait 00:06:58.089 --> 00:07:00.290 to hit that outdoor stage in the sizzling heat. 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:02.910 He predicted the crowd was going to be insane. 00:07:03.189 --> 00:07:05.870 And their plan was to absorb that massive shock 00:07:05.870 --> 00:07:08.250 of adrenaline from an outdoor festival and then 00:07:08.250 --> 00:07:10.449 immediately retreat right back to California 00:07:10.449 --> 00:07:13.790 to get what he called their studio tan. I love 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.750 that phrase, studio tan. It's perfect. That decision 00:07:16.750 --> 00:07:19.730 acts as the perfect catalyst. You isolate to 00:07:19.730 --> 00:07:22.430 focus the writing, but stepping out for one massive, 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:24.689 energizing show in a completely different environment 00:07:24.689 --> 00:07:27.730 provides a vital reality check. It reminds them 00:07:27.730 --> 00:07:29.769 of the raw power and physical impact of their 00:07:29.769 --> 00:07:32.329 music in a live setting. Precisely. They can 00:07:32.329 --> 00:07:34.829 then carry that visceral memory right back into 00:07:34.829 --> 00:07:37.569 the studio to fuel the actual recording process, 00:07:37.990 --> 00:07:40.689 ensuring the songs don't become too sterile or 00:07:40.689 --> 00:07:43.230 overly intellectualized. Let's move the timeline 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:46.290 to September 2000. when that recording process 00:07:46.290 --> 00:07:49.470 officially begins. The band heads down to Los 00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:52.209 Angeles to track the album. Setting up shop at 00:07:52.209 --> 00:07:55.509 Studio 606 in Northridge, California. Choosing 00:07:55.509 --> 00:07:58.209 a prestigious facility like Studio 606 tells 00:07:58.209 --> 00:08:00.589 you they were backing up this rebellious, free 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:03.629 -flowing attitude with serious production firepower. 00:08:03.790 --> 00:08:06.129 Oh, absolutely. They weren't just making a gritty 00:08:06.129 --> 00:08:08.389 underground demo. They wanted this record to 00:08:08.389 --> 00:08:10.670 sound massive. And they backed up that studio 00:08:10.670 --> 00:08:13.149 choice with the personnel they hired. Here's 00:08:13.149 --> 00:08:15.430 what gets really interesting. They bring in producer 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:18.490 Nick Rascal and X to helm the project. For those 00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:20.610 familiar with rock and metal, that name carries 00:08:20.610 --> 00:08:23.629 immense weight. A massive pedigree, having shaped 00:08:23.629 --> 00:08:26.449 the sound for giants like Foo Fighters, Rush, 00:08:26.689 --> 00:08:29.269 and Alice in Chains. They also brought in engineers 00:08:29.269 --> 00:08:32.230 Paul Figg and John Lucenow to round out the team. 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:35.309 Hiring a producer like Nick Rascal and S is a 00:08:35.309 --> 00:08:37.889 definitive statement of intent. A producer of 00:08:37.889 --> 00:08:40.009 that caliber isn't just there to push buttons 00:08:40.009 --> 00:08:42.470 on a mixing console. They are there to challenge 00:08:42.470 --> 00:08:44.830 the band, to refine the arrangements, and to 00:08:44.830 --> 00:08:47.149 capture lightning in a bottle. But a producer, 00:08:47.309 --> 00:08:49.909 no matter how skilled, can only capture what 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:52.509 the band brings to the room. And the band clearly 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:55.600 brought everything they had. Rob Cavastani posted 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.419 an update in September 2007 that is pure joy 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:01.559 to read. He details arriving in L .A. and diving 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:03.820 into final pre -production. For anyone unfamiliar, 00:09:04.179 --> 00:09:06.080 pre -production is basically locking yourselves 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:09.360 in a room to iron out every single riff, tempo 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.860 change, and transition before the official recording 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:14.179 microphones are even turned on. It's the gritty 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:17.220 work. Rob talked about jamming for hours, digging 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:20.000 incredibly deep into the tiny details of the 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.840 arrangements. That level of meticulous detail 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:26.100 during pre -production is only possible because 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:28.480 they spent those quiet months in Oakland getting 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.330 the foundation right. The good vibes they cultivated 00:09:31.330 --> 00:09:34.710 in February translated into serious, joyous focus 00:09:34.710 --> 00:09:37.309 by September. You can hear the enthusiasm bleeding 00:09:37.309 --> 00:09:39.850 through Rob's updates. He talks about the tracking 00:09:39.850 --> 00:09:41.789 phase, the actual recording of the instruments, 00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:45.250 and says it sounds insane. He points a massive 00:09:45.250 --> 00:09:48.269 spotlight at drummer Andy Galean, noting that 00:09:48.269 --> 00:09:50.889 the raw drum tones they were getting were huge. 00:09:51.250 --> 00:09:53.570 He said Andy was totally ripping it up and playing 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:55.889 the best he's ever been. Beyond the performances, 00:09:56.190 --> 00:09:58.470 Rob just geeks out over the gear available at 00:09:58.470 --> 00:10:01.590 Studio 6. Any guitar player would. He mentions 00:10:01.590 --> 00:10:03.809 that besides his own equipment, the studio had 00:10:03.809 --> 00:10:06.529 a massive arsenal of guitars, amps, cabinets, 00:10:06.649 --> 00:10:08.470 and effects waiting to be experimented with. 00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:11.269 He called it being knee -deep in guitar -tracking 00:10:11.269 --> 00:10:13.490 heaven. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:10:13.690 --> 00:10:16.210 this is the ultimate payoff of the mindset shift 00:10:16.210 --> 00:10:19.450 Dennis Pippa talked about back in 2006. The contrast 00:10:19.450 --> 00:10:22.450 is wild. A year prior, they were stressed, feeling 00:10:22.450 --> 00:10:25.429 trapped by fan expectations. Now they are in 00:10:25.429 --> 00:10:28.230 a world -class studio surrounded by endless gear. 00:10:28.429 --> 00:10:30.789 playing exactly what they want to play. They're 00:10:30.789 --> 00:10:33.769 describing the tedious, notoriously grueling 00:10:33.769 --> 00:10:37.210 work of studio tracking as heaven. When you successfully 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:39.730 remove the anxiety of external expectations, 00:10:40.129 --> 00:10:43.049 the actual labor of creating your art becomes 00:10:43.049 --> 00:10:46.049 joyous. It ceases to be work and becomes pure 00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:49.669 play. They had finally recaptured that dangerous, 00:10:49.850 --> 00:10:51.909 unpredictable energy they had in their early 00:10:51.909 --> 00:10:54.529 days, and you can hear that liberation in the 00:10:54.529 --> 00:10:57.049 final product. Let's look at the anatomy of the 00:10:57.049 --> 00:10:59.259 record they built. The result of this creative 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:01.799 joyride was Killing Season, released on February 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:05.159 26, 2008. We're talking about a tight, aggressive, 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:08.379 47 -minute, 11 -track record. It's also worth 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:10.299 noting the label they partnered with for this 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:13.100 release. Putting the record out on Nuclear Blast, 00:11:13.139 --> 00:11:15.279 which is an absolute titan of an independent 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:17.679 metal label, ensured the album would reach the 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:20.120 core global metal audience. While allowing the 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.580 band to maintain their creative autonomy, the 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:25.299 tracklist alone reflects the aggressive, unapologetic 00:11:25.299 --> 00:11:27.419 attitude they were aiming for. You've got the 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:29.840 fierce opener, Lord of Hate. You've got tracks 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.740 like Sonic Beatdown, Carnival Justice, and God 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:35.659 vs. God. It all culminates in a massive, nearly 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:38.360 seven -minute closer called Resurrection Machine. 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.840 Resurrection Machine is an incredibly fitting 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.779 title for a band that... essentially had to revive 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:47.059 their own creative spirit to make this record. 00:11:47.179 --> 00:11:50.039 It is. And it's also vital to look at the writing 00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:52.759 credits across these tracks. This wasn't a dictatorship 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:55.299 led by one member. The source material highlights 00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:57.539 that the writing duties were deeply collaborative. 00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:00.580 The tracks were written by a collective effort. 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.919 Andy Galian, Rob Cavastani, Mark Osaguita, and 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:06.820 Dennis Peepa all shared the writing credits. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:10.379 It was a true unified band effort. I also have 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:12.519 to mention the surprise guests on this album 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:15.059 because it adds so much color to the wild anything 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:17.720 goes vibe of the recording session. Yes. The 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:20.019 album actually features backing vocal cameos 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:22.820 from Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and comedian 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:25.279 Brian Posen. Pulling in friends like Scott Ian 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:27.620 and Brian Posen for backing vocals reinforces 00:12:27.620 --> 00:12:29.870 the idea that they were just having fun. They 00:12:29.870 --> 00:12:31.590 were making the record they wanted to make without 00:12:31.590 --> 00:12:35.309 worrying about strict genre purism or how serious 00:12:35.309 --> 00:12:37.190 they looked to the outside world. They were letting 00:12:37.190 --> 00:12:40.169 the good vibes dictate the process. So after 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:42.789 all this buildup, the liberation from expectations, 00:12:43.070 --> 00:12:46.470 and the pure joy of the studio sessions, how 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:49.299 did the world react? Well... When the album dropped, 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:52.220 it didn't shatter mainstream commercial billboard 00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:55.100 records. Selling around 2 ,300 copies in its 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:57.799 first week in the U .S. But the critical response 00:12:57.799 --> 00:12:59.919 in the metal community was fiercely positive. 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:03.659 Major publications heralded it as a massive return 00:13:03.659 --> 00:13:06.679 to form. Rock Hard magazine gave it a 9 .0 out 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:09.899 of 10. Chronicles of Chaos gave it an 8 .5 out 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:12.080 of 10. And All Music gave it a very positive 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.820 nod. It is important to note that it wasn't universally 00:13:14.820 --> 00:13:17.570 beloved. Publications outside the core metal 00:13:17.570 --> 00:13:20.090 bubble, like Pop Matters, gave it a much more 00:13:20.090 --> 00:13:22.309 mixed review, hovering right down the middle 00:13:22.309 --> 00:13:24.590 with a 6 out of 10. Honestly, getting a mixed 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:26.909 bag of reviews from mainstream outlets is almost 00:13:26.909 --> 00:13:29.070 proof that they succeeded in their mission. If 00:13:29.070 --> 00:13:31.330 you are making art that takes risks and actively 00:13:31.330 --> 00:13:34.350 ignores expectations, it shouldn't please absolutely 00:13:34.350 --> 00:13:37.289 everybody. The fact that the major metal publications 00:13:37.289 --> 00:13:40.350 loved it shows they hit their target with the 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:42.710 audience that actually understood their new attitude. 00:13:43.009 --> 00:13:45.730 So what does this all mean? We have a veteran 00:13:45.730 --> 00:13:49.120 band. that successfully rebelled against the 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:51.840 suffocating pressure of their own comeback. They 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:54.480 found pure joy in the studio, collaborated deeply 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.960 on the writing, and delivered a critically acclaimed 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:59.720 album. By all metrics, it's a total victory. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:03.259 It is a victory, but a deeply poignant one. Yeah. 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:05.840 Because despite the collaborative writing process 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.240 where four members were sharing credits, and 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:10.899 despite the sheer euphoria of the recording process 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:14.879 in Studio 606, Killing Season would mark a massive, 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.009 irreversible turning point. point for the group. 00:14:17.149 --> 00:14:18.649 This is the part of the timeline that always 00:14:18.649 --> 00:14:20.929 stops me in my tracks. Killing Season marked 00:14:20.929 --> 00:14:23.429 the final Death Angel album to feature founding 00:14:23.429 --> 00:14:26.610 members Dennis Pipa on bass and Andy Galeon on 00:14:26.610 --> 00:14:29.110 drums. The very guy who stated they needed to 00:14:29.110 --> 00:14:32.210 reclaim their free -minded attitude, Dennis Pipa. 00:14:32.289 --> 00:14:34.629 And the drummer who was ripping it up, playing 00:14:34.629 --> 00:14:37.470 the best he's ever been, Andy Galeon. After reaching 00:14:37.470 --> 00:14:40.110 this incredible creative peak together, they 00:14:40.110 --> 00:14:42.309 walk away from the band. We have to understand 00:14:42.309 --> 00:14:44.950 the specific dynamic of what they are losing 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:47.830 here. The bass and drums are the rhythm section. 00:14:48.269 --> 00:14:51.509 In a thrash metal band, the rhythm section is 00:14:51.509 --> 00:14:53.809 the literal heartbeat of the music. It is the 00:14:53.809 --> 00:14:55.769 engine that drives the aggression and the groove. 00:14:56.029 --> 00:14:58.509 Losing the founding rhythm section is losing 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:01.509 the foundational floorboards of the band's identity. 00:15:01.789 --> 00:15:04.230 It feels almost counterintuitive to the story. 00:15:04.730 --> 00:15:07.009 You would think that fixing the internal pressure, 00:15:07.309 --> 00:15:09.669 having fun in the studio, and making an album 00:15:09.669 --> 00:15:12.529 you all genuinely love would act as the ultimate 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:14.879 glue. You'd assume it would keep the band together 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.440 forever. But maybe reaching the absolute top 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:19.960 of that mountain is enough. This raises an important 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.460 question about the entire life cycle of creative 00:15:22.460 --> 00:15:25.059 partnerships. How could an album characterized 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:28.879 by such freedom, unity, and shared joy be the 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:30.899 final chapter for the founding rhythm section? 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:34.379 The paradox. Often, the struggle to reclaim your 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:36.879 identity requires an immense amount of shared, 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:40.450 focused energy. Once that goal is achieved, once 00:15:40.450 --> 00:15:42.409 you have proven to yourselves and the world that 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:44.429 you can still make brilliant art on your own 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:46.889 terms, the tension that was holding the group 00:15:46.889 --> 00:15:49.429 together dissipates. The mission is officially 00:15:49.429 --> 00:15:52.590 complete. That casts the entire album in such 00:15:52.590 --> 00:15:55.129 a different light. What we've seen today is the 00:15:55.129 --> 00:15:57.850 complete, complex journey of killing season. 00:15:58.350 --> 00:16:00.629 It started with a band suffocating under the 00:16:00.629 --> 00:16:03.269 pressure of a highly anticipated comeback and 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:05.509 the weight of their own legacy. It pivoted dramatically 00:16:05.509 --> 00:16:07.830 when they made a conscious, rebellious decision 00:16:07.830 --> 00:16:10.970 to adopt a free -minded attitude. To stop caring 00:16:10.970 --> 00:16:12.730 about the scene and start trusting their own 00:16:12.730 --> 00:16:15.970 instincts. That mindset shift led them to absolute 00:16:15.970 --> 00:16:19.090 studio euphoria in Los Angeles, working with 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.730 top -tier producers to capture huge tones and 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:24.090 experiment with endless gear. And ultimately, 00:16:24.269 --> 00:16:26.789 it resulted in a critically acclaimed thrash 00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:29.539 metal album. that served as a phenomenal yet 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:32.340 bittersweet swan song for two of the band's founding 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:35.399 members. It is a profound narrative arc. They 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:37.580 refused to fade out slowly under the crushing 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:40.679 weight of expectations. Instead, they chose to 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:43.460 burn intensely bright entirely on their own terms 00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:46.220 before stepping away. For you listening, there 00:16:46.220 --> 00:16:48.259 is a massive takeaway hidden in this timeline. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.019 Capturing lightning in a bottle, whether you 00:16:51.019 --> 00:16:53.220 are sitting in a corporate boardroom tinkering 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:55.840 in a garage on a weekend project or standing 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:59.379 in a legendary recording studio, requires a very 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:02.419 specific kind of courage. It requires the courage 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:05.240 to aggressively tune out the critics, both the 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:07.539 real ones and the imagined ones living in your 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:10.359 head. You have to build something that genuinely 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:13.650 makes you and your team happy. And you have to 00:17:13.650 --> 00:17:16.529 do that even if you know that your team, exactly 00:17:16.529 --> 00:17:19.450 as it exists right now, is destined to change. 00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:22.150 Which leaves us with a final, lingering thought 00:17:22.150 --> 00:17:24.789 to ponder. We are socially conditioned to view 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:27.589 a band breaking up or a team disbanding as a 00:17:27.589 --> 00:17:30.329 failure. We always want more. But when a group 00:17:30.329 --> 00:17:32.670 finally sheds all external pressure, locks in 00:17:32.670 --> 00:17:35.490 together, and achieves total, uncompromised creative 00:17:35.490 --> 00:17:38.490 fulfillment... Does that ultimate act of expression 00:17:38.490 --> 00:17:40.730 sometimes signal that their specific journey 00:17:40.730 --> 00:17:43.170 together has naturally and successfully reached 00:17:43.170 --> 00:17:46.009 its end? Is it possible that the absolute best 00:17:46.009 --> 00:17:48.410 thing you can do together is also the last thing 00:17:48.410 --> 00:17:50.690 you do together? It's a powerful thought. That 00:17:50.690 --> 00:17:53.210 is something to really chew on next time you 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:55.750 finish a major project. Thank you so much for 00:17:55.750 --> 00:17:58.069 joining us on this deep dive. We encourage you 00:17:58.069 --> 00:18:00.529 to keep exploring, keep questioning the expectations 00:18:00.529 --> 00:18:03.250 placed on you, and maybe go turn up some heavy 00:18:03.250 --> 00:18:04.869 metal today. We'll catch you next time.