Death Angel Celebrates 36 Years of Act III In Tempe

Heather Vandemark
May 4
4 min read

Death Angel celebrates the 36th anniversary of ACT III by kicking off their seven week tour in Tempe, Arizona with support from INCITE and Vio-lence! Last year they celebrated 35 years and since the tour went so well, they decided to do Act III part 2. I was fortunate to catch five of those shows last year and as soon as I saw the tour schedule, I booked my flight for Tempe, AZ. I love checking out different venues in different cities, especially on opening night when the setlist is a surprise. There’s not much around The Marquee Theater, but it’s a cool venue for metal shows with a slightly slanted floor, so anywhere was a good spot to see. The staff was great from the door to the floor.

I got there just in time for INCITE to take the stage. The band emerged in 2004 in Phoenix, so this was a hometown show and the fans were there for it. Since they were in their hometown, the fans got a special surprise when Max Cavalero (Sepultura, Soulfly, Cavalero Conspiracy) jumped on stage with his step son, lead vocalist, Ritchie Cavalero. I admit I did not realize it was Max, he looks a lot different, but Ritchie was just so giddy having him up there, a proud father/son moment we were fortunate to see.

Vio-lence is a Bay Area thrash metal band formed in 1985 a few years after Death Angel. They also split up after about 8 years, a few years after Death Angel split up. I’ve seen Vio-lence a couple of times and the fans are always insane with the speed and unusual vocals. I love doing some research on bands that I enjoyed their show, but what’s their story? I’ve been a Death Angel fan since Frolic, so I did know about the “Thrash of the Titans” benefit concert in 2001 for Chuck Billy, vocalist of Testament, that was battling cancer and ultimately brought Death Angel back to life. In 2018, lead singer Sean Killian had an illness that required a liver transplant. The thrash metal family came together again for a benefit show to help his family and Vio-lence started playing together again the next year, followed by new music in 2022. It makes this tour all that more special; the ties run deep!

If you follow us, you know Death Angel is one of my favorite bands. I discovered them back in 1988 with their second album Frolic Through the Park. That album was just so different from anyone else at that time. I was that fan girl back then and wrote a fan letter, they surprisingly wrote me back! They say you may forget what someone says, but not how they made you feel. I was so blown away that they took the time to respond with a hand written letter, not just a generic post card. That is who they are (cue “This is who I am” playing in your head all day) and locked me in as a fan for life.

Act III live in its entirety brings back so much nostalgia. I love seeing fans' faces light up when they hear the beginning of each song. You can almost see them take a step back in time to when they first heard the album. Some even forget that we’re 50 something now and jump in the pit that may hurt more the next day. The best thing is seeing the young fans up on the rail singing all the words to these songs that are 36 years old! It’s hard for me to put into words how a show feels, which is why I am a photographer capturing the energy in a photo. Death Angel brings the energy and drive of a younger band with the 44 years experience behind it. We are definitely planning on catching a few more shows on this tour!

Remaining tour dates:

May 5 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues

May 7 - Daytona, FL - Welcome To Rockville

May 10 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground

May 11 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel

May 12 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Theater

May 14 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall

May 15 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom

May 16 - Norwalk, CT - District Music Hall

May 19 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen

May 20 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater

May 21 - Buffalo, NY - Electric City