Influential thrashers Death Angel bringing latest tour to San Antonio’s Vibes Event Center

While Death Angel may not have been able to muscle its way into the U.S. “Big Four” of thrash — which includes Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax — the band put a lasting stamp on extreme metal thanks to pioneering late-’80s releases that mixed extreme speed, technical playing and insightful lyrics.

Now, the Bay Area thrash act is headlining a ripping package tour on which it will play its major-label magnum opus ACT III in its entirety. The tour, which also includes fellow neck snappers Toxic Holocaust, Lions at the Gate and Misfire will scream into Vibes Event Center on Saturday, Dec. 13. Tickets for the show are already on sale.

Death Angel burst onto the late-’80s metal scene with inventive, speedy music showcasing impressive guitar chops, advanced songwriting and sharp, socially conscious lyrics from lead guitarist Rob Cavestany, who remains as the group’s only original member.

Although ACT III didn’t catapult the band to the kind of mainstream fame shared by Metallica and Megadeth, it remains a genre high-water mark, and the subsequent Cavestany-led incarnation of Death Angel continues to enjoy considerable critical and underground praise for releases such as 2013’s The Dream Calls for Blood and 2019’s Humanicide, which included a Grammy-nominated title track.

$42.59, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 13, Vibes Event Center, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibeseventcenter.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.