Time for some thrash metal! The co-headlining tour, Night of the Living Thrash, brought SACRED REICH and DEATH ANGEL to Patronaat in Haarlem on Thursday evening, November 16th, 2023. As a special guest, they brought the Spanish ANGELUS APATRIDA as their opening act.
ANGELUS APATRIDA is a speed/thrash metal band hailing from the Spanish city of Albacete. It was not their first time in the Netherlands, and quite a few people had found their way to the stage when they started to play. This was well-deserved because they were killing it. They released their latest album, “Aftermath,” just a short while ago and presented a few songs from this album. The band knows how to raise the temperature and get the first pit to appear. They easily infuse a bit of melody into their approach to thrash but nonetheless make it no less brutal. When they play “Cold,” you simply cannot stand still. You have to at least nod your head. They played a nice set, but it could have lasted a bit longer — well, at least making you crave some more. They deliver with speed, nice riffs, attitude, and a bit of groove. My advice is to definitely check them out next time they are around, as you won’t be disappointed.
It was clearly visible that these bands were co-headlining as the sold-out venue filled up before DEATH ANGEL. As soon as these Bay Area delegates played the first notes on stage, the audience went wild. The pit was on, and the vibe was electric; raised fists and happy shouting people. DEATH ANGEL knows how to deliver a great set. A few songs in, and the first crowd surfers reached the stage, pulled on by the band members. They maintained this interactive energy throughout their set and until the last song, giving high-fives or hugs before safely diving back into the audience. There was mutual enthusiasm from both the band and the audience this evening; the band was on fire. Personally, I absolutely love the bass lines in DEATH ANGEL (“Buried Alive,” for instance), and luckily, the sound mix was good, allowing the audience to perfectly groove on that. It’s safe to say they were a little untamable until the very last minute, and the crowd happily embraced it. They ended their set with “Thrown to the Wolves.” To me, they were the best band of the evening.
The bar was raised very high for thrash legends SACRED REICH from Phoenix, Arizona. The audience was already wild and ready to go, and SACRED REICH eager to play, so that quickly resulted in an audience that welcomed every song they played with enthusiasm and raised fists. They opened at full speed with “Divide and Conquer,” coming from their latest piece of work, “Awakening.“ Personally, I am not that familiar with their work, and maybe that is why I think they couldn’t top DEATH ANGEL, but they did play an amazing set full of spice. A little after half of their show, Ted Aguilar (DEATH ANGEL) joined them to play “The American Way.” The band has a long roster to choose from and delved into both their known hits and some more old favorites for the fans that have aged with the band. Although tonight it was a good mixture of younger metal lovers and older-aged lovers of thrash. They seemed to have a good time on the stage and gave what the audience longed for. Check our gallery here…
Angelus Apatrida
Death Angel
Sacred Reich
Text and photos by Elvira Visser
