Albacete Thrash titans Angelus Apatrida are back. Having celebrated their 20th anniversary as a musical entity in the midst of a global pandemic and a spell of collective societal insanity, the four-piece have had plenty of material to act as an inspiration for their latest album. With this, the band’s 7th album, they have used this current release as the time to play the ‘self-titled’ card. Usually when a band does this, they either have no clue what to call their release, or they are saying that this is the album which encompasses their musical identity. Last time out, ‘Cabaret De La Guillotine’ was a tremendous release, one which made several end of year top 10/20 lists, and it had plenty of heads rolling with its razor-sharp riffs which took no prisoners and slew all in their way. If album #6 was a relentless thrash metal killing machine, what will album #7 be?
Answer: The band itself.
This self-titled release is possibly the best example of just what Angelus Apatrida are. They are a solid thrash metal band loaded with all the characteristics you want from a top-tier thrash act. Rhythmic excellence, flashy and technical leads which have both structure and wildness in them, a massive number of riffs loaded with groove and memorable hooks, and most important of all, a solid lyrical and vocal foundation which cuts through the bullshit and gets straight to the point.
Opening track and single no.2, “Indoctrinate” is possibly the best thrash single you will hear this year. That is a big statement, especially with rumours of a new Megadave release dropping sometime in 2021, but I will stand by this statement. Much like ‘Armorist’ by Overkill back in 2014 was the best thrash song of that particular year, “Indoctrinate” is extremely similar in just how much of an impact it has. Grabbing you by the neck from the start, it’s hard-hitting onslaught spares no one as it surges forwards. A venomous vocal assault which slams the way people as a whole have acted in the past 12 months; falling for extremist ideas much like the way people still fall under the sway of religious hypnotism. The rise of disinformation and ‘post-truth’ logic, “Indoctrinate” is a huge sledgehammer to the way society has acted. High speed riffs which slip into piercing solos before a phenomenal heavy headbanging groove riff section towards the later stages of the track provide the musical foundation and the vocals are loaded with enough anger and hate to make you feel as if they are reaching out through your speakers to pummel you into submission!
The intensity continues from here. “Bleed The Crown”, the first single from the album follows up with a sledgehammer like groove which has a great flowing nature to it before it shifts into a solid thrash riff fest with some phenomenal drum work. It’s just unadulterated headbang inducing, circle-pit creating thrash metal which has a more controlled vocal delivery – fierce but not as venomous. “The Age Of Disinformation” is a slice of classic Bay-Area inspired thrash work. There are also some subtle hints of melodic death metal in some passages, especially the work in the mid-section before the full on shred-fest which opens up the second half of the track with explosive flair before slipping into a more controlled melodic transition which leads back to the solid riff work once again, showing a remarkable level of consistency in the musicianship of the band.
The rest of the release is pretty solid from here on to the end. You have a good blend of groove-laden, pounding thrash tracks like “Disposable Liberty” which have that sledgehammer like approach and you have the surging thrash feel which ranges from modern thrash-like to classic 80’s inspired. “We Stand Alone” has a killer 80’s style inspired main hook riff which is delivered at a blistering pace and “Empire Of Shame” has that distinctive heavy modern thrash feel, balancing the heaviness with the speed, throwing in some nimble riff work and walls of deep, growling guitars to keep the momentum of the track going, blending the best of both styles. Closing the release is “Into The Well” which has a darker feel to its sound, encompassing the more technical riffing present in previous tracks, but adding a more sinister atmosphere to them, balancing them with jarring walls of guitar and some subtle backing synth to just add that extra edge to the imposing feel. Vocally harsh, rhythmically solid and relentless from beginning to end, it’s a solid track which has some subtle hints of Strapping Young Lad which is never a bad thing!
Overall, Angelus Apatrida have delivered the goods with this release. It’s a solid contender for thrash album of the year and it just doesn’t let up from start to finish. Fantastic riffs, slick shredding, phenomenal rhythm work and some critical lyrics delivered with a venomous vocal roar, “Angelus Apatrida” have cemented their status as a modern-day thrash metal powerhouse and it is going to take a colossal effort to top this in terms of thrash metal releases for this year!
(9.5/10 Fraggle)
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