Death Angel
The Enigma Years 1987-1990 (4CD Wallet Set)

Death Angel was formed in San Francisco, California in 1982 by cousins ​​Rob Cavestani (guitar), Dennis Pepa (vocals, bass), Gus Pepa (rhythm guitar), and Andy Galleon (drums). After considering a number of different names for the band, including "Dark Fury", Caestani and Dennis, Pepa settled on the name Death Angel. In 1983, the band released their first demo, Heavy Metal Insanity, with Matt Wallace serving as producer. According to Mark Osegueda, the band was like metal bands like Iron Maiden, Tygers Of Pan Tang and stuff like that. Death Angel continued to play in clubs and around San Francisco for almost 2 years. In 1986, the band recorded a Kill As One demo with Metallica member Kirk Hammett as producer. In 1987 Death Angel released their first studio album, The Ultra-Violence, with Enigma Records. The band recorded the album when all of the band members were still under 20, and the album sold 40,000 copies in just four months. The band released their second album Frolic Through The Park in 1988. While the track "Bored" from that album was being played on MTV at the Headbanger's ball, the band toured England, where they opened for Motörhead. In the meantime, the appearance of the team on television sparked interest among the majors, and soon the band received a contract from Geffen Records. Collaboration with Geffen was good for the musicians, and in 1990 they released the album Act III, recognized by many as thrash classics.