rattlead.hu
Thanatos’ Emerging from the Netherworld album is 35 years old, and our colleague talking with Stephan Gebedi to about it
Stephan, is it correct, that originally you formed under the name Whiplash, but you changed the name shortly after because it was already taken?
Yep, that’s true. We started writing riffs in 1983 and when we heard Metallica’s ’Kill ’Em All’ we liked that album but also found out that the song ,,Motorbreath” had exactly the same opening riff as one of our early songs! Of course no one would believe us, so we skipped that song, but we felt that ’Whiplash’ sounded like a cool band name. After a few months we found out there already was a band with that name and we also didn’t want to be called Metallica clones. Mainly because we liked Slayer’s ’Show No Mercy’ much better than Kill ’Em All. So when we finally found a drummer in early 1984 we changed our name to Thanatos.
How did you get together exactly? What was the very first Thanatos line up?
In 1983 I started jamming with Remco de Maaijer, who I met in school. There was another metalhead at school called Robert van Arnhem (who later became infamous as one man band Apator!). He had 2 brothers, Marcel and Remo. Marcel was a drummer already but not really a metalfan; he liked jazz rock etc, but he could drum really fast, so we asked him to join. Around that time his little brother Remo also started drumming, but we’ll get to that later.
Thanatos (Greek for Death) are famous for being the first Dutch extreme music/metal band, but what were your views of the Dutch metal scene those times in general? Dark Wizard, Vandenberg, Future Tense etc.
I liked bands like Picture, Vandenberg, Highway Chile, Bodine and Exciter, but we didn’t like the so-called ’speed metal bands’ like Vulture etc so much, simply because they didn’t play really fast and aggressive. We thought we could do that better, haha. The only other interesting fast band in those days was Second Hell from Amersfoort.
Were you aware of the existence of Aardshock magazine as well?
Yes of course; Aardschok was our heavy metal bible back then. I discovered many NWOBHM bands like Holocaust, Raven, Satan, Jaguar and of course Venom via Aardschok and a weekly radio show called ’Stampij’
You released a lot of demos back in the day, can you give us any details regarding those materials?
Our first demo tape ’Speed Kills’ from 1984 was recorded in our drummer’s Marcel bedroom on the attic of his house. Because of the neighbors we had to dampen the drums with cushions and put duct tape on the cymbals! We also had really small guitar amps and we couldn’t play that well yet, so that demo tape sounds kinda shitty. Still it did really well in the underground and people thought it was very original to put acoustic intermezzos in between the 7 songs. ’Another’ Dutch band who became more famous than us, used that same idea (acoustic intermezzos between the songs) on an album they released in 1991. Not mentioning any names, but the same band also started using an upside down Ankh in their artwork, many years after we started doing that on the cover of our 1987 Official live tape…but maybe they didn’t know and already asked AI for help back then, hahaha. Just kidding. After the Speed Kills we did 3 more demo tapes which were recorded in small studios and sounded much better. I think ’The Day Before Tomorrow’ from 1987 was our best demo.
Did you manage to increase your fanbase with those efforts? Did you manage to make a name for the band?
Yes, definitely. We were featured in many underground magazines all over the world and from 1987 we started doing a lot more shows. Not only in Holland, but also Belgium, France, Germany and Portugal.
Would you say, that with the addition of drummer Remo van Arnhem, second guitarist Erwin de Brouwer (previously bass) and bassist Ed Boeser solidified the line up?
Yep, that was the line up that recorded the final demo tape ’Omnicoitor’and the first 2 albums. It was also the first line up with a great stage presence… when they were not too drunk, haha
Remo is the brother of former member Marcel van Arnhem and played with him in Sepulchral Death, isn’t he?
No, that’s not completely right. I think Marcel played with them first and recorded the Praising Death demo tape. When he left, Remo played with them for a short time, but they didn’t play in the band together at the same time
He was involved as session musician in one of my favourite Dutch band Sempiternal Deathreign as well, does it mean, that he was a talented, experienced drummer?
Yes, he was a very talented drummer for sure.
How about Erwin’s musical past with Endor and Killer Force?
When guitarist Mark Staffhorst (ex-Second Hell) was still in the band he suggested Erwin when we were searching for a new bass player. He knew Erwin from Killer Force and Erwin also replaced him in Second Hell when Mark joined Thanatos. Erwin was actually a guitarist, so when Mark left Thanatos, Erwin switched from bass to guitar.
Do you still remember, how were you picked up/signed by Shark Records? Were there perhaps other/bigger label’s interests in the band besides Shark?
We had already been waiting for a long time to get signed, but the bigger labels weren’t interested. So finally we went for Shark Records cause their deal seemed OK and we did not have to invest our own money for recordings or artwork etc.
You entered the RA.SH Studios Gelsenkirchen, Germany, November 1989., how did the recording sessions go?
It was our first time in a big studio and we were very inexperienced. The engineer/owner wasn’t really interested in our music, he didn’t like our attitude and we were not allowed to be involved with the mixing process. We recorded the guitars, bass and drums ’live’ together in the studio. Only the vocals and guitar solos were recorded separately. I believe everything including mixing was done in 10 days or so. Still it was a fun experience; we behaved like little children on a school trip, getting drunk and causing mayhem in the studio and neighborhood so in hindsight I understand the studio owner now for not liking us, haha.
Did you have a decent budget to record the album?
No idea. Shark paid for the recordings and artwork but we never got a penny for that record; no royalties, no idea about the album sales. So this day we have no idea if the album sold 25,000, 50,000 or 100,000 copies. I think we sold quite some copies cause everyone I meet seems to have the album, haha
Do the album contains interesting riffs, compositional solutions and they are quite good thrash riffs, followed by mid-tempo bridges and fast short solos?
Yeah I think so; that’s up to the listeners to decide.
How do you view, that it was released in 1990 and by this time thrash was no longer solely about being the fastest and meanest, some offerings started to sound more controlled and intelligent and Emerging… belongs to this category…
Yes, but I still think the album sounds a bit too controlled and thin. The songs are fine but when you compare to our 3 last albums ’Justified Genocide’, ’Global Purification’ and ’Violent Death Rituals’ those 3 are much more aggressive and brutal; I miss some of that brutality in ’Emerging from the Netherworlds’. But since a lot of people consider it a ’classic’ I don’t want to complain too much about the album; it’s a good record, but the sound should have been heavier and more aggressive.
Are some songs on this album not too dissimilar to Slayer, particularly Reign in Blood, speaking about the short menacing songs like Bodily Dismemberment?
No, I don’t think so. Erwin wrote Bodily Dismemberment and I think it’s one of the most aggressive songs on the album. Maybe Erwin was a bit more influenced by Slayer than me at the time, cause I was already listening more to bands like Possessed, Death, Infernal Majesty etc. So I guess our influences were a bit different maybe.
Are the slightly longer tracks like War, Impostors’ Infiltration and Progressive Destructor more original and certainly leave a lasting impression?
Again, I don’t know. I wrote those 3 songs and especially ’War’ became one of our ’trademark’ songs and the regular set closer, so that one certainly left a lasting impression
How do you view, that every song is excellent work, none of them sticks out from the album in a negative way; Dawn of the Dead and Outward of the Inward contain all the stylistic characteristics of Thanatos, and they are still standing the test of time against the works of any star bands of the genre?
Hmmz. I think the album gets a bit weaker towards the end; I think it was a bad decision to end it with 2 instrumental songs and then have ’The Meaning Of Life’ as final/bonus song on the CD version. So the album burns out like a candle. I like the first 8 songs and Dawn of the Dead, War, Outward of the Inward and Bodily Dismemberment are my favorites and really great songs that could compete with any other band back then, but we should have put 2 more really good songs after ’Impostors Infiltration’ instead of Omnicoitor, Dolor Satanae and The Meaning of Life which are more ’filler than killer’. But that’s my opinion 
Are your vocals boarder on being death metal, which is/was pretty common in this genre?
Yes, I was listening to both (dark) thrash metal like Dark Angel, Infernal Majesty, Sacrifice, old Slayer, as well as the first death metal bands and I liked it both, so my voice was boardering between those genres. I guess Thanatos have always mixed thrash and death metal influences since 1985. Listen to the 1985 promo tape; we even used blast beats on that tape already
Is Emerging… a prime example of great death/thrash metal?
Haha, those are your words. And I’m not going to argue, but I think our 2nd album ’Realm of Ecstasy’was much better.
Do you agree with, that the music is unbelievably varied full of technical rhythm changes, unexpected moves and melodies which stick immediately, but the latter does not decreases the brutality of the music, largely thanks to the unearthly rattles of you?
Haha, what do you expect me to say?! Thanks for the compliments and it’s great to hear you appreciate the music that way. I want to stay a bit modest and say that I think we did a good job on that album and we did the best we could back then.
Do you think, that the tight musicianship etched into the roarin’ flare of the material and enhanced by devilish wails of aggression easily sparked comparisons to Sepultura and Testament?
Thanks again for the compliments but to be honest I don’t really see the Sepultura comparisons. I never was a big fan, but I do like Beneath the Remains and Arise. As for Testament; I loved the Legacy demo tape and the debut album, but then I lost interest until the The Gathering album with Dave Lombardo, so I don’t consider both bands a direct influence, but yeah, maybe the tight riffing rhythmic picking is a bit similar. Not intentional though.
Thanatos was more than a carbon copy, you were in your own realm, weren’t you?
That was basically our aim; to sound different from the rest and have our own style and sound. We didn’t invent any style but we were at the forefront of both the extreme thrash and proto death metal scene. We didn’t jump on the bandwagon when everything was already well established
The songs here are fast, pounding and relentless from start to finish and the intensity of the riffs and solos on this release is the greatest aspect of the album…
I think we also had some good slower mid parts among all the fast stuff and Erwin’s guitar solos were really good. Combined with my more primitive whammy bar attacks that made a good combo. Maybe a bit like Chuck and Rick Rozz on Leprosy, haha.
How do you explain, that it is very noticeable how carelessly the parts of the guitars are played, especially in high-speed moments?
I don’t know…the right amount of drinks and drugs maybe? I think this was simply the way we approached our music. I can say that for me personally all music I ever wrote for Thanatos came straight from the heart; I don’t need to think about it too much and I don’t need a certain mindset or anything. This is simply who I am musically. I like other types of metal and heavy rock, but when I pick up a guitar, Thanatos music comes out. It’s simply my DNA I guess.
Do you mind, that this album is well mastered, each riff can be heard well and the bass comes though under the guitar, the drums don’t overpower any of the other elements and the vocals have a perfect touch of reverb to complement the production?
Ehm no… I can’t agree with that 100%. I think you’re right that all instruments and vocals can be heard clearly and they don’t overpower eachother. As far as that goes, the mix and mastering was good, but as I said earlier the guitars should have sounded heavier and aggressive and the drums could have sounded heavier as well. The album lacks a bit of brutality and aggression but overall I think it’s a good album.
At the mid/late ’80s a lot of talented, influential Dutch bands were popping up, such as Asphyx, Pestilence, Sinister, Delirium, Sempiternal Deathreign, Gorefest etc., how familiar were you with ’em? How deep(ly) were you involved in the underground scene?
Obviously I know all those bands and a lot more; we played shows together with them, some of those bands were good friends. In 1991 or 1992 I was even asked to join Gorefest and even played a few songs with them at a show in Germany, but I decided to stick with my own band. And yes, I was heavily involved in the underground scene; like tape trading, I was writing for underground zines and I started writing for Aardschok magazine in 1985 or 1986 I think(?). I arranged shows and small festivals (Ultra Thrash Orgy) in Rotterdam with bands like Messiah, Assassin, Napalm Death, Ludichrist etc.
What were the shows/tours in support of the record?
No full European tour but we did a LOT of shows in those years; playing every weekend and mini tours to other countries. We played with bands like Sepultura, Kreator, Napalm Death etc in those years. Those were great times for sure
Stephan, thanks a lot for your answers, what are your closing words for our readers?
It’s great to see that people are still interested in an album that we released 35 years ago and that it is considered as a ’classic’ in the genre! It makes me proud and humble, thank you!
