Rapid Fire Reviews: Angelus Apatrida

Spain’s thrash metal quartet Angelus Apatrida continues their world takeover with their eighth LP, Aftermath. A follow-up to their 2021 self-titled release, the band has gained legions of fans and toured the world since then and Aftermath is one of the most anticipated metal albums of the year. Was it worth the wait?

I first became aware of Angelus Apatrida this past summer thanks to an email from Century Media Records. It had a link to a YouTube documentary on the band as well as links to listen to the singles off of their 2021 record. I also noticed that they were coming to my hometown of Montreal a few weeks later so my curiosity was piqued. I sampled their music, watched the doc, and decided to pick up their latest LP to get ready to welcome Aftermath in the fall. They were borderline too extreme in the vocals department at times for my taste, but overall, I really dug their sound and thought it was a solid album.

Now Aftermath has arrived and in my humble opinion, it’s a superior album to its predecessor in every way. This LP is more accessible, the songs are more melodic, to my ears the tunes are also a lot catchier, and the guitar solos are better. But most of all, this album is a lot more diverse and complex. Aftermath also features a bunch of cool guest stars and that’s always fun. The standout tracks for me are the catchy “Cold”, the epic Slayer-esque “To Whom It May Concern”, the melodic “Gernika” which may very well be my fave track, “What Kills Us All” featuring Spanish Rap Star Sho-Hai, and last but not least, “Vultures and Butterflies” featuring Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre. As a bonus on top of the ten songs, there are two live tracks recorded during their most recent tour.

Angelus Apatrida will only get bigger and better if Aftermath is any indication. This is a crop of songs that metal fans will have on repeat for months to come. It just cracked my Top Albums of the Year list and I believe that it’s one of the best thrash metal records of the past few years. If you’re new to this band, this is a perfect entry point. Not a dud on here, only killer tunes. If you’re into old school thrash metal à la Slayer and Overkill, Aftermath will be right up your alley.

Century Media Records’ Bandcamp page for Angelus Apatrida: https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/aftermath