UMUR
"Official Live Tape 1987" is a live album release by Dutch thrash/death metal band Thanatos. The album was independently released in July 1987. As the title of the album suggests it was originally a cassette tape only release. At this point Thanatos had a few demos out and most of the tracks on the live album are culled from those demos. In addition to the songs from the previous demo releases, the tracklist also features a few new original compositions and a couple of cover tracks by D.R.I. ("Snap" and "Couch Slouch") and Celtic Frost ("Dethroned Emperor").
Most tracks were recorded at the "Dingus" in Venray, The Netherlands on July 24th, 1987, but a few tracks were recorded during three other shows in The Netherlands during April and June 1987. Thanatos are arguably a well playing band and the performances are tight and aggressive. There´s some nice communication to the audience from lead vocalist/guitarist Stephan Gebédy in the Dutch language, and it´s obvious from the crowd reactions that they greatly enjoy what they are witnessing. Stylistically this is raw and aggressive thrash metal in the vein of early Kreator.
A bit surprisingly maybe since this is an independent live album release from July 1987, the sound production is actually of a pretty good quality and you´re able to hear all instruments and vocals clearly in the mix and that´s a bit of an accomplishment considering the fast-paced nature and rawness of the material. So upon conclusion "Official Live Tape 1987" is a good quality release from Thanatos and definitely their most professional release up until then. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.