ANATOMIA NLD: THANATOS

  

SWITCH TO POLISH

Mighty Thanatos.

To write about them, is to indulge a little into my personal growth. But what else this place is this, if not my personal blog?

The band itself might be the oldest extreme Metal band from Netherlands, and a pioneer in regards to Death / Thrash Metal. The quickest way to describe them, would be by comparing to Sepultura. They might not have been AS iconic, but they were equally a great band, with awesome, timeless, landmark music.

Why they never became as popular? Beside lack of marketing / promotion, they weren't on a major label in their formative years, didn't shoot constantly videos, when MTV was still playing them, but more importantly, they split up in 1992, before they returned back in 2000 with their third, reunion album. In an industry, ESPECIALLY THEN, when the trends were not only changing each year, but sometimes you had two competing trends at the same time, it was an eternity. Combined with the fact, that the internet wasn't a factor then, and re-releases weren't a thing, one can obviously deduce the reasons for Thanatos not being properly recognized. They certainly do deserve to be considered an A-list band, their sales be damned.

I probably won't be surprised if the band doesn't ring a bell to many of people, alas, ignorance is not something to be proud of.

But how did I learn about them, and how did my journey with their works look like?

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Well, the origin of this story starts with the time when I was a huge Thrasher (hey it was 2004, Neo Thrash was en vogue then), and was discovering new bands each week. I was slowly transitioning into a Death Metal maniac, and being fascinated with this genre (still am), was searching for recommendations. Fast forward to 2008 / 2009, there were this early rateyourmusic lists (RIP), presenting more or less obscure classics. I decided to check each one of them of course, and thus my neverending journey began.

One of these albums was "Emerging from the Netherworlds", the debut album of Thanatos from 1990. It was a memorable album, but at the same time, it felt strangely naive and innocent in its delivery. Just pure, fun Deathrashing that leaves you happy and fulfilled, after the album ends. I did check their second album as well, and while it was kinda superior, I didn't have the urge to check the rest of their discography out.

Fast forward again, and we have 2012. Century Media decides to re-release Thanatos' discography, and that one time, when I was visiting a physical store, and to add insult to injury, IN A MALL (yup, they still existed in 2012, it wasn't really that LONG ago, as some people are led to believe), I saw their debut on the CD racks.

You can imagine my surprise, to see an album that I listened to few years ago felt quite odd. I would have never thought that I could own it, it kidna felt surreal, as if the internet went live. Suffice to say, I grabbed it (and paid of course), and was listening to it a lot at home. This was the first time when I realized the massive difference between listening to mp3, even with headphones and proper stereo. Sure, the album got remastered, but still, it was like night and day.

I was surprised again, when I saw their second album up to grabs the next time I was in said store. Back then, I had this mentallity, that it would be it. I had this philosophy that it's best to focus on early works, max. 3 first albums, and skip the rest, especially modern stuff, because modern felt "meh" for me. I was kinda escaping it, because I considered it plastic, fake, and derivative. Nothing would compare to that genuine attitude that the 80s / 90s bands had, for whom, the music was also a lifestyle.

Thanatos kinda changed my focus. Because again, each time I was going for shopping, I saw a new remaster of their discography. But this time, I wasn't really urged to get them at first. I listened to some of their stuff on youtube, starting with "Justified Genocide", which to this day I consider their weakest album, as I feel like it's too raw for the style that bands presents. Thankfully, I gave them another chance with "Undead. Unholy. Divine.", which I liked on the other hand, and blindly bought "Angelic Encounters".

The band themselves wasn't really happy with this particular plate, due to the sound / production / whatever, but for me, it evoked the same excitement that I had when I was listening to "Beneath the Remains" / "Arise" by Sepultura. Afterwards, I caught up with the rest of their discography, and was loyally purchasing their albums (after "Justified Genocide", they had only two, though).

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What makes Thanatos so great?

First of all, they obviously had great musical taste. There is this unspoken rule that good taste among musicians is more important than skills, and there's some truth in it. The band channeled their influences rather well. Kiss, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, they all appear one way or another, even if only subtly. But given that Thanatos goes as far as 1984 with their works, the style that they developed since the beginning, was a cross between the classic songwriting, and the then-new push for faster, more aggressive music. Ultimately, they landed in a sweet spot between creating great, catchy songs, but without sacrificing their extreme Metal integrity.

In a way, the band proves that you can craft compositions that are both complex and brutal. It also helps that the main point of reference is Slayer, but with more focus on gloomy, morbid sounds.

The band retired from show business in 2022, leaving a perfect legacy.

What can I say? Do yourself a service, and listen to their discography. And don't worry if it doesn't click instantly. As you can see from my post above, it will grow on you over time, like a blossoming flower.