Band: Thanatos
Title: Justified Genocide
Label: Deity Down Records
Distribution: Suburban - Bertus
Release date: March 2009
Review: CD

The beginning of Thanatos’ history goes back to 1984! As one of the very first Death Metal bands in Holland, the band gained a certain popularity within the underworlds, and the albums Emerging From The Netherworlds (1990) and Realm Of Ecstasy (1992) (both on Shark Records / Cargo) can be considered ‘classics’. The band performed live with bands as Autopsy, Kreator, Bolt Thrower, Death, Napalm Death and Sepultura, but in 1992 the band unfortunately decided to split.
In 1999, founding member Stephan Gebédi (also in Hail Of Bullets and Legion (the Dutch one), and former member of Church Of Indulgence) wanted to reform the band, and 2000 saw the light of Angelic Encounters (Hammerheart Records). That album was a killer, as if the band had never disappeared. The same goes for the following recordings, and again for this newest album, Justified Genocide. Stephan (g, v) and his horde (still the same line-up as on the latest releases), Yuri Rinkel (d; from Melechesh / Funeral Winds / Inferi / Lier In Wait / Liar Of Golgotha -fame), Marco de Bruin (b; Liar In Wait, Funeral Winds, Abode Of The Blessed) and Paul Baayens (g; Hail Of Bullets, Asphyx, ex-Cremation), entered the famous Dutch Excess Studio (Hatred, Gorefest, Arsebreed, Severe Torture, Brutus amongst others) again. For the mix and mastering, the band worked with Dan Swanö at his Unisound Studio (Misery Speaks, Demiurg, Opeth, Aeon etc).
Justified Genocide (forty seven minutes of playing time) isn’t that renewing, but it brings those superior hymns we’re used to: firm, melodic and overwhelming Death / Thrash explosions with an old school edge, created by sublime performers! Even though the members aren’t that young anymore (all of them have their extreme Metal-roots back in the eighties), they play with a refreshing yet unstoppable fury and energy. The rhythmic and groovy-technical compositions still contain the necessary entertaining elements in instrumentation (their experience is evident) and vocal presence (deep thrashy death grunts), in tempo (varying from pretty slow over mid-tempo to lightning fast) and in atmosphere (apocalyptic, war-lusting, morbid). The lyrics deal with the dark, destructive side of mankind, but there’s no national-socialist on nazistic ideology behind it, to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation. Oh yes, the album comes with two bonus tracks, taken from the 2006-7” single And Jesus Wept (with the Dark Angel-cover The Burning Of Sodom).

85/100

Ivan Tibos.