Death Angel returns to the studio after a 14-year absence, though the members had collaborated on other projects during the hiatus. ‘The Art of Dying’ isn’t as all-out thrashy as their early career, as it has a bit of a power-cranky feel in spots, and the distortion isn’t overly "sharp," either. This effort doesn’t quite match the comeback that fellow ‘80s thrashers Exodus provided us, but there are still a good number of solid tracks here, and the band hit the tour trail in 2004 with a vengeance.
"Thrown to the Wolves" starts the machine, with "5 Steps of Freedom" providing a chunky roll. All of "Famine," "Prophecy," "No," and "Never Me" are good, and the slow churner "The Evil Incarnate" features a damn nasty pickup about two-thirds of the way in.

TRACK LIST: Intro/Thrown to the Wolves/5 Steps of Freedom/Thicker Than Blood/The Evil Incarnate/Famine/Prophecy/No/Spirit/Land of Blood/Never Me/Word to the Wise