Thanatos
Emerging From The Netherworlds

Pestilence vs Thanatos.

This is the duel that was fought in the Dutch Thrash scene of the late '80s. The Pestilence won the match by knockout, but the Thanatos retained the honor of arms. Thanatos in Greek means death, so this Thrash/Death quartet admits its musical influences from the monicker itself; the shadow of Chuck Schuldiner's band and Pestilence itself looms over the artistic path of the four tulips.

The band was formed in 1984, making it one of the oldest in the European Death scene. After no less than four demo tapes, they made their debut in 1990 with "Emerging From the Netherworlds" (more or less a declaration of intent) excellently produced by Ulrich Posselt (who was he?). The cover reveals the themes of the lyrics: a blood-red sea while death "marine" emerges in the background. Who knows if our heroes have seen "Fog" by master Carpenter. The deus ex machina of these Thanatos is Stephan Gebédi, guitarist and singer, as well as the author of most of the tracks; on the second axe is Erwin De Brouwer, handling all (or almost all) the solos, and in the rhythm section bassist Ed Boeser is accompanied by drummer Remo Van Arnhem. This album contains twelve songs (it was also reissued with various demos as bonus tracks) which are a mix of Death/Thrash with a predominance of the former genre over the latter (but it is open to interpretation) thanks to Gebédi's vocal style which is not pure growl but a sort of open-mouthed cheetah snarl, indeed I would say that the blend of Chuck Schuldiner + Martin Van Drunnen of "Malleus Maleficarum" provides our Stephan.

The album opens with "Dawn Of The Dead" which encapsulates the musical coordinates of the album: angry and beastly voice, pneumatic drill-like drums, guitar sound reminiscent of virulent Teutonic Thrash groups (Assassin, Violent Force): in short, what I was looking for after having thoroughly digested "Consuming Impulse" by cousins Pestilence. There's room for melody and inventiveness with the song "The Day Before Tomorrow", opened by a graceful prolonged solo, with a vaguely Arabian incipit, where Erwin reveals that he's equipped with taste and doesn't reduce the six-string to the rank of a laughing hyena: after the exquisite beginning, the piece takes off with lyrics that talk of the end of the world accompanied by the swift Death/Thrash funeral dirge. Another strong piece is "Rebirth" which talks about Hitler ("Obsessed by hatred: destroy the Jewish Race") and it is worth noting that Erwin's lead guitar sometimes sounds like a frenetic keyboard. Slowdowns and accelerations follow each other in tracks like "Progressive Destructor" which speaks of the Islamic Holy War, and in the instrumental "Omnicoitor", a true metal ride.

There is also glory for bassist Ed Boeser, the author of the instrumental track "Dolor Satanae", who, with the four-string bass, carves out a nostalgic melody. However, a rare thing in this context, the group presents original compositions, without any empty passages, endowed with their own identity, indebted in sound to the Death/Thrash bands that preceded them; thus, a full-length album with all the trimmings that calling it a classic is an understatement. This debut album is heard all in one breath, without yawning; every now and then, even Stephan Gebédi duets with Erwin De Brouwer. There are tempo changes in some songs, direct tracks like "Outward Of The Inward", played by musicians in great form. Here's a small flaw: the drum sound is not very full: it seems that Remo is abusing some tin cans with too much speed, or it sounds like hearing cats chasing in the alley, knocking over garbage cans. A band deserving applause that failed to break through due to insufficient promotion by the small German label Shark and also because they arrived late in the burgeoning Death Metal movement. It was easier for other bands like Morbid Angel, the same Pestilence, Obituary, Deicide, Death, which had record companies more willing to invest in Death Metal. After the promising debut, they returned with "Realm Of Ecstasy" in 1992. But that's another story.

There's some little curiosity: in the inside booklet of the CD, there's a collage of partying photos of our Thanatos, where Chuck Schuldiner appears along with either Stephan Gebédi or Ed Boeser. Death family photos: the usual hottie, zombies, live images, satanic symbols, and so on. Thanatos still exists today, with only Gebédi from the old lineup pulling the strings of the usual Old School Death Metal. I have heard very little of what they have done currently, but judging by the opinions online, it's better to listen to "Emerging From The Netherworlds" at full volume.

Well done, Thanatos. I was undecided about the rating, which would be a 4 and a half. I put 5 for sympathy.