Angelus Apatrida is a thrash metal band from Spain formed in 2000, releasing eight studio albums across a two-decade career – ‘Evil Unleashed’ (2006), ‘Give ‘Em War’ (2007), ‘Clockwork’ (2010), ‘The Call’ (2012), ‘Hidden Evolution’ (2015), ‘Cabaret de la guillotine’ (2018), ‘Angelus Apatrida’ (2021), and ‘Aftermath’ (2023)…
… features ten new songs, two live recordings, and four special guests! Yes, four! Lending their considerable vocal talents, there’s Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), Sho-Hai (Sho-Hai) and Todd La Torre (Queensryche), along with lead guitar work from Pablo Garcia (WarCry).
The band’s eighth album is brought to life by the barnstorming opening salvo ‘Scavenger’ – a high-powered, high-velocity thrash metal gallop with so much head bang ability, necks are gonna be wrecked right from the off! Angelus Apatrida is unforgiving in their ferocity-fuelled blend of thrash, electrifying listeners and concertgoers for over twenty years – the band’s new album is off to a devastating start! The band are brutal, delivering the kind of thrash you’d expect from the Teutonic Four – Kreator, Destruction, Sodom and Tankard for anyone who (still) doesn’t know who they are!
Keeping the pedal firmly pressed to the metal, Angelus Apatrida roars on with mighty the ‘Cold’, adopting a mid-tempo thunder stomp alongside its much more traditional metal gallop! Yes readers, traditional metal – ‘Cold’ bringing together thrashers and metallers. Not totally a crossover song, ‘Cold’ widens the band’s musical horizons further than ever – the album storming on with ‘Snob’ (featuring Jamey Jasta), and an electrifying increase in speed! ‘Snob’ is delivered at a hundred miles an hour, the band roaring down the Autopista at high velocity! The opening treble has been phenomenal, the incredible intensity level overpowering, Angelus Apatrida thrashing hard, fast and loose – ‘Aftermath’ moving on stealthily with the fiery ‘Fire Eyes’ (featuring Pablo Garcia). And a more majestic march than has been heard so far, the band adopting the menacing foot-stomping style of thrash – for the first minute or so! Then all hell breaks fucking loose, ‘Fire Eyes’ setting a devastating pace, destroying everything and everyone standing in its way.
A barnstorming barrage of savagery from the Spanish outfit continues at pace with the fastest song heard so far ‘Rats’ – a blazing inferno of lightning speed! The already incredibly high level of headbang ability has just shot through the fucking roof, Angelus Apatrida offering every headbanger everywhere the opportunity to rock their heads right off their fucking shoulders! Challenge accepted! A more mellow and extremely serene atmosphere descends upon the album in the shape of ‘To Whom It May Concern’ – an eight-and-a-half minute-long epic! If this were a rock album, I’d say with total confidence we were heading into balladry, but this ain’t rock! It’s thrash! And I reckon the Spaniards are teasing the senses, lulling listeners into a false sense of security, the band winding up to bish bash bosh the hell out of everyone – and yep! There it is – one and a half minutes in and ‘To Whom It May Concern’ comes alive in a blaze of crushing riffs and thunderous drums, normal thrash mode re-engaged as pace, power and aggression come to the fore once more. And without slowing for a breather, the album moves swiftly on with ‘Gernika’, ripping the airways to shreds with savage cuts and thrusts! The band are at top speed here, stopping for nothing and no one…
…blazing a fiery trail of smoke and desolation, ‘Aftermath’ roaring louder and louder – ‘I Am Hatred’ planting both feet firmly on the monitor to adopt the iconic pose of traditional heavy metal. The band are crossing boundaries again, keeping fans of multiple genres very happy, smiling ear to ear, revelling in the fantastic furore of thrash unfolding right in front of their eyes, err, ears! ‘What Kills Us All’ (featuring Sho-Hai) maintains the album’s stunning speed, devastating towns and cities with immense force. There’s just no escaping the band’s ferocity, blowing across the land like a force twelve hurricane! ‘Vultures And Butterflies’ (featuring Todd La Torre) hit the brakes, majestically marching into sight with shoulders back and head held high. The slowest – and I use the term “slowest” very loosely – song on the album ‘Vultures And Butterflies’ features the mighty foot-stomping style of thrash, retaining the incredible intensity level that’s stretched right through the album since the very beginning.
The final two songs on offer, are live versions of older ones – both showcasing the band’s immense on-stage presence and their raw, boundless energy in a live arena! The first ‘Indoctrinate’ (taken from the band’s 2021 self-titled album) is an electrifying barrage of savagery – and boy do I wish I’d been there! The atmosphere, and the mosh pit, must have been incredible! The second ‘Give ‘Em War’ (taken from the band’s 2007 album ‘Give ‘Em War’), is a faster-paced barrage of thrash, the band setting new land speed records as ‘Give ‘Em War’ roars on by. Devastating stuff – and both recorded in the band’s home country of Spain.
Overall, an hour of immense power and force, ‘Aftermath’ is a savage barrage of fast-paced, furious thrash metal.
TRACKLIST
Scavenger
Cold
Snob (feat. Jamey Jasta)
Fire Eyes (feat. Pablo García)
Rats
To Whom It May Concern
Gernika
I Am Hatred
What Kills Us All (feat. Sho-Hai)
Vultures And Butterflies (feat. Todd La Torre)
Indoctrinate (live)
Give ‘Em War (live)
Angelus Apatrida: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Century Media Records
Category: Album
Country: Spain
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
