Among the youngest bands ever to storm the metal genre, Death Angel has come to be known as one of the most influential bands to emerge from the thriving Bay Area Thrash Metal Scene in the early 1980s, an era when one could catch Cliff Burton at the front of the stage at Ruthie's Inn banging his head to Death Angel's inventive style, and speedy, complex arrangements. In 1986, a Death Angel demo produced by Kirk Hammett titled "Kill As One" sparked the interest of Enigma Records.