San Francisco's precocious
Death Angel
finally reached musical adulthood (though some band members were still barely old enough to vote) with 1990's
Act III
. Their first album to benefit from major-label distribution and a truly top-notch production courtesy of
Max Norman
, it also witnessed the continuing development of lead guitarist
Rob Cavestany
, who literally dominated the album with his impressive chops and superior songwriting. Coupled with his generally well-thought out lyrics (sung by the still mediocre
Mark Osegueda
), songs like
"A Room With a View,"
"The Organization,"
and especially first single
"Seemingly Endless Time"
seemed to confirm the band's destiny as apparent heirs to intellectual thrashers
Anthrax
, then in swift decline. Sadly, a number of external (sparse promotional support, the genre's dwindling popularity) and internal forces (bandmate squabbling) would make this the band's final album. At least it served as a fond farewell and remains the ideal starting point to the
discography. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia