Angelus Apatrida are a band we here at Ave Noctum have nothing but high praise for. Each of their releases since 2012 which have been covered here have all been full of nothing but praise for the Albacete titans and their uncompromising out and out thrash, their last release, the self titled effort being highly recommended and one of my picks for the best releases in 2021. This time, Angelus Apatrida have decided to pull in some guests, most notably Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, and the phenomenal Todd La Torre of Queensrÿche. So once more, grab those hi tops, bullet belts, ripped jeans and battle jackets and get ready to windmill… It’s thrash time!
This album, much like any other release by Angelus Apatrida, is intense. The pace of the riff assault comes thick and fast and whilst there are some brief moments of more melodic compositions, it is pretty much what you would expect from these guys, a well-honed edge which has been sharpened by years of consistency. Add in the more expansive melodic structuring of some of the riff arrangements and lead guitar theatrics and it is a well-rounded offering.
The initial onslaught of tracks is as expected. Opener “Scavenger” is straight up relentless thrash. Raw vocal snarls have a commanding presence and the powerful riffs and rhythm section hit hard. “Cold” has a bit more groove to its delivery. Powerful and pounding, it adds in some melodic transition riffs to the massive slabs of thick chug and its big hook laden chorus has a big impact, allowing the heavy parts to slam back in harder.
“Snob” is the first track with a guest vocalist: Jamey Jasta. The overall feel of the track is wilder. Bringing some serious intensity and venom in the vocal delivery, it’s a great blending of Angelus’ kind of thrash and some crossover thrash. The fast pace with a hard cutting edge, mixed with the two vocalists’ venomous snarls and gang vocal shouts gives the track a real energetic vibe. Commanding in presence, it’s a real attention grabbing number. “Fire Eyes” is the next track with a guest, this time round it is Pablo Garcia, guitarist with Warcry. With the track being slightly slower paced in its intro, focusing on a haunting clean build with some intricate and catchy drums, it builds to a big riff before going on the groove laden thrash approach. Rich with melodic fills and transitions, the track balances an exotic flair with no nonsense thrash and the guitar work in the lead sections is fantastic.
“Rats” is just a straight up sucker punch of explosive paced thrash. Fast, hard hitting and delivered with a fierce edge, it doesn’t hold back. Bringing in the snarls and gang shouts to compliment the rapid-fire riffing, it has a similar crossover edge to it as heard previously in ‘Snob’.
“To Whom It May Concern” is the bands epic track of the album. Clocking in at over 8 and a half minutes, it’s a huge composition which showcases just how versatile the band are. Ringing harmonics and haunting arpeggios litter the intro with the soft, clean vocals and a sorrowful atmosphere which quickly shifts to a big melodic section with some sweet sounding melodic work before it finally hits the thrash pace around the 1:45 point. With a more progressive metal edge to the thrash attack, it’s an expressive track which has plenty of musical movements to work with, building up the atmosphere and impact of the track and adding the extra dimension to the vocals, making them really expressive. Shifting from hard and fast thrash to melodic grooves in the big choruses, the first half of the track hits hard. As the second chorus finishes, it shifts to a more urgent sounding section with intricate pedal riffing and some great rolling double bass blasts before it returns to the clean intro setting to lead into a massive solo. Highly expressive, featuring some big wailing notes and slick runs, it returns to the transition prior to the first verse to bring the track back into the more thrash orientated section. A final charge through the verse leads to the final chorus section which closes out the track with a powerful ending.
“Gernika” is a pounding thrash attack loaded with fast and frantic riffs which pull no punches in their hard hitting delivery. “I Am Hatred” follows in a similar fashion, laying down venom laced vocals and furious riffing. “What Kills Us” brings in another guest; Spanish rapper Sergio Rodríguez Fernández (Sho-Hai). The track has more of the crossover feel from earlier moments, blending the thrash attack and heavy riffs with the slick delivery of the Spanish rap, giving some real Public Enemy vibes. It’s got a real sting to its delivery and I find myself enjoying it more and more with each listen. The final track is “Vultures and Butterflies” featuring the legendary Todd La Torre of Queensrÿche. Taking the approach back to that of earlier track ‘To Whom It May Concern’, the track plays with ominous clean and melodic sections shifting into powerful and darkened thrash riff sequences. The vocal work of Todd is incredible, laying down some real commanding notes and giving a good counterpoint to the more raw vocals of Guillermo Izquierdo and it closes out the album in style.
If you get the bonus edition, two live tracks follow on from this, “Indoctrinate” which is arguably one of the greatest modern thrash songs ever written, and “Give ‘em War”, the titular track of their 2007 album. Both sound phenomenal in the live setting and I just wish I was in the middle of the chaos unfolding around the crowd during them!
In all, ‘Aftermath’ is a solid album which continues the impressive work of Angelus Apatrida. Whilst it doesn’t manage the same level of impact as the bands self-titled effort, it is still a phenomenal release which is worth checking out.
(9/10 Fraggle)
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