Bassist/founding member Dennis Pepa of the long-running San Francisco Bay Area metal act DEATH ANGEL has announced his departure from the band.

"I've been with DEATH ANGEL since its inception in the '80s and believe it is time for me to move on," he said in a statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "Throughout my career with the band, I've brought a punk-influenced edge to the DEATH ANGEL sound, and as an open-minded musician in need of change, I'd like to diversify and explore other opportunities within and beyond the genre of metal. The DEATH ANGEL guys are my family, both literally and figuratively speaking, and I wish them luck on their future endeavors. Many thanks go out to Nuclear Blast Records and the fans, who have extended their support and friendship — I look forward to being involved in new music projects and continuing to connect with all of you."

DEATH ANGEL's video for "Dethroned", a track off the band's latest album, "Killing Season", can be viewed below.

Director/producer Robert Sexton had this to say about his ties to DEATH ANGEL and how the gig practically landed in his lap: "I'm excited about this video and I think D.A. fans are going to go nuts for it. It's a great song and there are a lot of layers to the story and to the visuals. There's something new to see every time you watch it, and DEATH ANGEL's performance decimates. My band GENOCIDE opened for DEATH ANGEL at an all-ages show in a Masonic Hall in Grand Haven, Michigan in the late '80s. Years later, I ran into Mark Osegueda at an absinthe party at Kirk Hammett's house in San Francisco. Mark informed me that DEATH ANGEL were doing their new album, and I asked to be put in the mix to direct the video."