Death/thrash metallers Thanatos may not be a household name, despite harbouring members from Asphyx and Hail of Bullets, but they were the first Dutch death metallers to sign to Century Media Records no mean feat from a country known for its outstanding death metal with such acts as the aforementioned Asphyx, Pestilence and Sinister. Formed in 1984, the band called it quits in 1992 but then reformed in 1999 with three new releases to their name and this exclusive Good Friday date marks their maiden voyage on UK soil.
No strangers to playing the UK extreme metal underground is London's own Basement Torture Killings with their brand of humorous grinding death metal. With two full-length releases to their name, BTK (as they are affectionately termed) have been spreading the gore since 2007 and frequent live appearances have kept them in the local metal consciousness. Unfortunately, their take on the genre is incredibly mediocre with the lightspeed riffing and drumming commonplace to death grind. There is a drought of musical variety within their setlist with songs sounding detectably similar, ultimately rendering their take on extreme metal forgettable in an intensely saturated scene. On the positive side, they display a good sense of humour that secure smiles from the few present.
When Thanatos take the stage, the venue is undeservingly half full, launching into the title track of their latest full-length effort 'Global Eradication' showcasing a cleaner sound compared to their early death metal work. As is not rare at this venue, the sound is somewhat sludgy, taking away the sharpness of the Dutchmen's death metal but nonetheless, heads still bang in the audience. The pounding music is reflected in an austere stage presence and in between songs, guitarist and vocalist Stephan Gebédi shows sincere appreciation for those that came out on this bank holiday.
The setlist is formulated with pre and post reunion material, both with differing interpretations on death thrash metal, presumably reflecting the years they were written in. Songs from the debut 1990 album 'Songs from the Netherworlds' and sophomore effort 'Realm of Ecstacy' are considerably more caustic and less slick than the last three albums. Guitars are meat-and-potatoes death thrash with the occasional bone-crunching passage perfect for headbanging, as is adeptly illustrated tonight by the rendition of 'Dawn of the Dead' and the likes of 'And Jesus Wept' is a relentless thrashing frenetic assault on the ear drums. All the while, the throat-ripping vocals of Gebédi finish off the music with a raw level of viciousness.
Closing song 'War' concludes the night with a bang, featuring a range of tempos and some slow doomy riffs to bolster the death thrash metal hybrid. The crowd emits a full ovation as Gebédi announces that the band will be happy to drink with all interested parties. They may not be the most talked about Dutch extreme act but their longevity speaks volumes from a country awash with top tier death metal. Their first show in London was nothing short of a delight and hopefully, Thanatos should be invited to return to batter the capital once more.
FUTURE GIGS
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