Thanatos is one of the oldest extreme metal bands that are still active in the world and the oldest in the Netherlands. In March of 2020 they had released their 7th album and a album release party was scheduled in the Baroeg. Then shit happened with lock-downs and the date got rescheduled several times. Eventually it took nearly two years for the gig to actually happen. And this was the first gig I went to without any limitations due to corona.

The first support slot had changed over the years from The Invict to Shoot the Messiah. The latter plays thrashy death metal. The first song started out a bit mellow, later songs had bit more aggression. Nothing spectacular but a decent opening band.

Bodyfarm is band I never liked much, despite their cool band name. Somehow it all sounds a bit generic. They have some cool riffs, but few memorable songs.

The main act of course was Thanatos. They have a new rhythm section again but the guitar duo has remained the same for over 20 years now. Their latest album is probably their best since they reformed in the late 90s and the opening track is the Silent War off that album – killer song. The second song was old one, off the debut: Dawn of the Dead. And so they worked their way through most of their discography; only Justified Genocide got skipped. The older songs have stood the test of time and still sound great – even the very old Outward of the Inward and the set closer War. The newer material still have the same quality and stylistically aren’t all that different. Great gig, by a great, but underappreciated band. And great to be able to go to gigs again, normally.