About this artist
Thanatos is a Dutch extreme metal band. With a history dating back to 1984, they are the oldest death metal band from the Netherlands. Their second album, Realm of Ecstasy, received positive marks from Dutch music magazine Oor and various international magazines for its solid compositions and challenging arrangements. After enduring constantly changing line-ups and problems with distribution, promotion, and even ownership of the rights to the second album, Thanatos folded in 1992, the final straw being the cancellation of a tour with Cannibal Corpse and Exhorder.
In 1999, founding member Stephan Gebédi revived the band, which signs with Hammerheart Records. After re-releasing the first two albums with demo and live tracks, the band's third full album, Angelic Encounters, emerged in 2000. In 2002 a mini-CD with original songs as well as covers from Celtic Frost and Possessed is released by Baphomet. After a few shows in Greece and a short tour with Pungent Stench, the band record their fourth album, Undead. Unholy. Divine, described as a solid return to 1980s metal with the addition of blast beats.