It is often a puzzle as to why so many mediocre bands get such a lot of publicity. Look around, there are mundane, mediocre bands everywhere, being rammed down your throat by desperate record labels. Bands with no ideas (except someone else’s), no tunes, no feeling and no creativity fill the glossy pages of magazines worldwide. Yet, bands like Angelus Apatrida are criminally ignored by everyone except the observant and discerning few, until fairly recently it seems.

Let’s get this straight from the start; Angelus Apatrida are NOT original in the slightest. Not even a jot; you have definitely heard it before (especially if you are over a certain age). Angelus Apatrida play out and out thrash metal you see, a genre where every aspect has already been defined long ago, and etched in stone. Where these Spanish devotees to the art of thrashing stand head and shoulders above the rest is the sheer quality of their material. It is very good indeed; in fact I would go as far as to say it sounds like absolutely classic thrash metal. Had this album been released in the late 80’s, it would probably be regarded as a seminal thrash metal album. As it is, its nostalgic charms serve as a true homage to the genre itself. Of course you can hear your favourite thrash metal bands in Angelus Apatrida, it is all there; the blind fury of Germanic bands like Kreator and Destruction, combined with the skill, crunch and virtuosity of American bands like Testament, Death Angel and Exodus. Forget this `modern’ take on thrash metal that some bands are attempting, or even a tongue in cheek  wink and nod to the 80’s (try all three together to look truly stupid!), this is the real thing. Angelus Apatrida mean it wholeheartedly.

Occasionally the band come a little too close to emulating their heroes, but as I said earlier, the fact that they aren’t original at all, is irrelevant. For fans of thrash, this album will make you want to bang your head like crazy, and rage along with the band. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to type and headbang at the same time; chances are I will end up with some keyboard letters imprinted in my forehead before this review is over.

It is a heart warming story that after toiling in the Spanish underground for a long time (the first two albums were self-released), the band were finally given a chance to shine by a large and well known label; it is a story told too rarely these days. Hats off to Century Media for giving them a chance to bring their furious thrash metal to the masses.

(8/10 Jon Butlin)

www.angelusapatrida.com