metallifeline D

Death Angel, formed in 1982, is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California. Death Angel broke up in 1991, but reformed at the Thrash of the Titans benefit concert for Chuck Billy in 2001.
Death Angel was formed in San Francisco, California, in 1982 by Rob Cavestany (lead guitar), Dennis Pepa (Bass guitar, vocals), Gus Pepa (rhythm guitar), and Andy Galeon (drums), who are all cousins. After considering a number of different names for the band, including "Dark Fury," Cavestany and D. Pepa settled on the name "Death Angel" after coming across a book by that title in a book store. In 1983, the band released its first demo, Heavy Metal Insanity, with Matt Wallace serving as producer. According to Mark Osegueda, the group was then "more like a metal band, more like Iron Maiden, Tygers Of Pan Tang and stuff like that," as the so-called Bay Area thrash movement was only just beginning to rise to prominence at the time, and make its influence felt. Osegueda, a second cousin of the other four members who had been working as their roadie, became the group's vocalist in 1984 and performed his first show with the band on a bill with Megadeth in April of that year (at one of the four Megadeth gigs to feature Kerry King on guitar).
Death Angel continued to play club gigs in and around the San Francisco Bay area for nearly 2 years, writing songs and refining their stage show. In 1986, the band recorded the Kill As One demo with Metallica's Kirk Hammett (whom they had met at a record store signing in 1983) as producer. Due to the underground tape trading wave of the early 1980s, the demo was distributed extensively and brought the band to the attention of a still-wider audience; Osegueda later recalled that prior to the release of the band's first album, "we were playing in L.A. and New York, and the crowd was singing our songs, because there was this underground tape trading....That's what keeps it alive, and I think that's absolutely wonderful."
Current members: Mark Osegueda - vocals Rob Cavestany - guitars, backing vocals Ted Aguilar - guitars Andy Galeon - drums Dennis Pepa - bass guitar, backing vocals
Former members: Gus Pepa - guitar (1982–1991)