ANGELUS APATRIDA - Hidden Evolution
February 6, 2015, 9 years ago
(Century Media)
Full-length number five here from Spanish thrash band Angelus Apatrida, and they've clearly got their chops down, racing through things with a hysterical almost vintage Death Angel vibe at times. That I like, but I don't like when the singing in songs like "First World Of Terror" bring things back to the local Canadian sports bar, watching the burly Pantera-aping thrash band from the next municipality over do their thing. Back on the plus side, there's even a bit of fun to cuts like thrashin' opener "Immortal", which brings to mind the fun shredding of earlier Revocation discs but with a more old-school '80s thrash sound, and "Architects", which brings the Kreator love, something that is always welcome.
There's lots to like here, but the overwhelming vibe is certainly a second-tier Combat Records thrash feel, one that gets a bit too bogged down in seriousness as the album wears on, and wear it does, its 52-minute running time a full 20 minutes too long. I'm on the fence: when they're smoking, they're on fire, but when the no-fun groove-thrash hits, it's just a slog. Luckily, there's more full-steam-ahead classic thrash here, so we're inching towards a 7.0, although I suspect that a band five albums in to their career is doing precisely what they want to be doing at this point and I can't expect much change from here on in.
