Thanatos

Thanatos established itself as Holland's pioneering death/thrash metal outfit back in 1984. Live performances alongside acts such as Napalm Death, Kreator, Sepultura, Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Death Angel, and Messiah occupied the period leading up to their debut full-length, which arrived in 1990. A contract with Sh**k Records in 1989 paved the way for Emerging From the Netherworlds. Realm of Ecstasy arrived next in 1992. Critical and audience acclaim greeted both records, yet label-related dissatisfaction prompted the group's dissolution that same year. Hammerheart, a Dutch imprint, chose the peak of the death and thrash metal resurgence seven years afterward to reissue those efforts while offering a fresh recording agreement. Stephan Gebedi, the founding guitarist and vocalist, assembled a revised lineup featuring Paul Baayens on guitar, Aad Kloosterwaard behind the drums, and Theo van Eekelen on bass before reactivating Thanatos in 2000 with the issuance of Angelic Encounters.