DEATH ANGEL kicks of latest tour at Count’s Vamp’d!

May 4, 2023 – DEATH ANGEL kicked off their latest tour with a special headliner set at the infamous Vegas rock bar, Count’s Vamp’d here in Las Vegas. This date was one of a few one off dates without the rest of the Klash of the Titans main tour bill, which includes Kreator and Sepultura as main headliners, along with Spirit World on an opener slot next to this legendary Bay Area thrash outfit.

This night was one for the books as far as this venue goes, though. I have never seen an act this heavy on this stage for as long as I’ve been going there! It’s a club policy that there be no moshing, which was a little bit of a bummer. But headbanging is always allowed and encouraged so you can bet your ass I left with a sore neck!

Avenger of Blood

The first band to kick off the night was Avenger of Blood. This band has been a Las Vegas staple in the metal scene for years. With a rejuvinated lineup that includes Corey Sorrenti (Puppet, Mr. Scary) and Chris Garcia (also formerly of Puppet). Drummer Shannon Frye, guitarist Marc Flores, and vocalist Sal Lalli are listed as more longstanding members. According to their profile on Metal Archives, they disbanded in 2013 and were only a studio project until recently. I had heard many things through the years about this band, and they’ve been on my Thrashy spotify playlist for years now. So it was really great to see them after not being able to for years. They sounded great up on the Vamp’d stage, though they looked slightly uncomfortably cramped due to their set up being in front of Death Angel’s kit. I would love to see them again where the stage isn’t so full of other equipment outside of their own.

Tyrants by Night

A great addition to just about any metal bill out here, Tyrants by Night pumped up the crowd with their high energy old-esq Metallica sound. This is something I’ve always liked about these guys. They are solid every time I’ve seen them perform, and they just seem to be getting better each time. (I can’t even tell you exactly how many times I’ve seen them, just that it’s been A LOT of times.)

DEATH ANGEL

As mentioned above, this show was one of a select few one off headliner dates for thrash legends, Death Angel. The band tore through an extensive setlist of their catalogue that left fans visibly happy and pleased throughout the set and the entire evening. Opening with “Lord of Hate” and going straight into “Voracious Souls”, you could already feel the teetering energy on the Vamp’d floor.

It’s also worth noting that for this show all of the tables and chairs were moved out of the crowd area – something I had never seen here before. (It’s not unusual for patrons here to be able to eat and drink while watching full live bands perform so it was definitely a treat to see all the extra space! But don’t let that fool you… there were more bodies in all that space and it was absolutely a smart move on the venues end to do this!)

Vocalist Mark Osegueda almost seemed to tempt the crowd a little bit throughout the set – you could tell there were some people that just wanted to rage and mosh. But that’s not allowed at this venue so he encouraged the crowd to keep headbanging and throwing that high energy back at him, which they absolutely did the entire set.

Full Setlist:

1. Lord of Hate
2. Voracious Souls
3. Seemingly Endless Time
4. Relentless Revolution
5. Father of Lies
6. Son of the Morning
7. Aggressor
8. Mistress of Pain
9. Absence of Light
10. The Dream Calls for Blood (Preceded by band introductions)
11. The Moth
12. Immortal Behated
13. Humanicide
14. The Ultra-Violence / Thrown to the Wolves

I had only gotten to see these guys play one other time – at the House of Blues for the Bay Area Strikes Back tour opening for Exodus and Testament. They were extra high energy that night, and they were equally high energy on this night. The whole show they ran back and forth across the stage and overall just presented the epitome of what thrash metal embodies. I can’t say enough just how special this show was, and if you missed it you definitely missed out. Death Angel at such an intimate venue? Yeah, you don’t see that happen out here very often!