Frolic Through the Park

Frolic Through the Park is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Death Angel, released in 1988. This was the band's last full-length studio album released on Enigma Records before signing to Geffen Records in 1989.

Frolic Through the Park
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 5, 1988
RecordedMarch 1988
StudioFantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
GenreThrash metal
Length56:17
LabelRestless/Enigma
ProducerDavy Vain, Rob Cavestany, Andy Galeon
Death Angel chronology
The Ultra-Violence
(1987)
Frolic Through the Park
(1988)
Act III
(1990)
Singles from Frolic Through the Park
  1. "Bored"
    Released: 1988

Overview

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Frolic Through the Park marked a change in style for Death Angel and is considered by many to be one of the band's darkest works. While retaining the speed and thrash roots of its predecessor The Ultra-Violence (1987), the album saw the band implement a more experimental and diverse direction, drawing elements and influences from funk, progressive, hard rock, hardcore punk and then-current music (particularly early U2).[1][2][3][4] The band would continue this experimentation on their next album, Act III (1990).

Despite being hailed as a fan favorite, and including one of their most popular songs "Bored" (in which its music video had heavy rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball), the members of Death Angel (particularly frontman Mark Osegueda and guitarist Rob Cavestany) have been very critical of this album, including its sound and production. In the band's documentary A Thrashumentuary, Cavestany referred to Frolic Through the Park as both their "bastard album" and an "odd album".[5] While the band has rarely performed the majority of the album's songs live since their initial disbandment in 1991, "3rd Floor" and "Bored" are the only songs from Frolic Through the Park to have appeared in their live setlists more frequently after their comeback in 2001.

Osegueda revealed in a 2003 interview that the source of the title "Why You Do This" was a line in the film The Exorcist.[6] "Bored" was used in a scene in the 1990 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.

Reception and awards

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[8]
Kerrang!     [9]

Frolic Through the Park was ranked number eight in Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4".[10]

Track listing

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No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."3rd Floor"Mark OseguedaRob Cavestany4:58
2."Road Mutants"CavestanyCavestany, Dennis Pepa3:45
3."Why You Do This"OseguedaCavestany5:33
4."Bored"CavestanyCavestany3:29
5."Confused"CavestanyCavestany, Gus Pepa7:26
6."Guilty of Innocence"CavestanyCavestany4:26
7."Open Up"CavestanyCavestany5:45
8."Shores of Sin"CavestanyCavestany, D. Pepa6:30
9."Cold Gin" (Kiss cover)Ace FrehleyFrehley4:23
10."Mind Rape"Andy GaleonCavestany5:32
11."Dehumanization"CavestanyCavestany7:01
12."Silent Killer"Cavestany, PepaCavestany, Pepa4:22
13."Witches of Knave"CavestanyCavestany5:24
Total length:56:17
CD bonus track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
5."Devil's Metal"CavestanyCavestany5:31

Personnel

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Death Angel
  • Mark Osegueda – lead vocals
  • Rob Cavestany – lead guitar, backing vocals, producer
  • Gus Pepa – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Dennis Pepa – bass, backing vocals
  • Andy Galeon – drums, backing vocals, producer
Additional personnel;
  • Bob Ross – "Shores of Sin" intro and outro
Production
  • Davy Vain – producer, mixing with Death Angel
  • Michael Rosen – engineer, mixing

References

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  1. ^ "Diamonds & Rust: Death Angel – Act III". yourlastrites.com. July 31, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Voices From The Darkside". voicesfromthedarkside.de. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Death Angel – The Enigma Years (1987–1990)". themidlandsrocks.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Death Angel – Frolic Through The Park Review – Metal-Nerd Blog". metalnerdblog.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Death Angel •• A Thrashumentary [2015]. YouTube.
  6. ^ Patarashov, Felix (April 29, 2003). "Death Angel Cильнее, чем когда-либо" (in Russian). Russian Darkside webzine. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  7. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Death Angel Frolic Through the Park review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  8. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  9. ^ Kaye, Don (June 25, 1988). "Death Angel – 'Frolic Through the Park'". Kerrang!. No. 193.
  10. ^ "Top 10 Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4". Loudwire.com. October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.