22.05.2025 Angelus Apatrida

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

From the high‑energy show by Crossfaith, I headed over to the large Marquee tent. Something more classic was on the schedule now. The Spanish band Angelus Apatrida were visiting Graspop for the second time and had brought thrash metal in the finest Bay Area tradition. The tent was well filled for this early hour, though not packed. Still, the guys around vocalist and guitarist Guillermo Izquierdo quickly got the crowd moving.
The band has been around since the year 2000, and today they offered a great cross‑section of their albums so far. No one expected a big stage production, just a bit of fog and lighting in dark tones. Here, the musicians (alongside Izquierdo, David G. Álvarez on second guitar, José J. Izquierdo on bass, and Victor Valera behind the drum kit) and the music were clearly the focus. Plenty of hair was flying to the heavy riffs of songs like “Snob” from the 2023 album "Aftermath" or “We Stand Alone” from their self‑titled 2021 predecessor. The audience matched that energy, raising their fists in the air and even attempting a few tentative circle pits. The guitarists kept striking poses during their solos, making the 45‑minute set feel pleasantly short. With “You Are Next,” they really picked up the pace one last time before ending the show with a satisfied band and an equally satisfied crowd.
Simple, straightforward, and right in your face, that’s the best way to sum up the Spaniards’ performance. It was really solid thrash, the kind that unfortunately wasn’t all too common at Graspop this year. I enjoyed it, and the crowd clearly did as well.

Setlist:

One Of Us
Snob
Indoctrinate
Cold
We Stand Alone
Give ‘Em War
Sharpen The Guillotine
You Are Next

Weblinks:

	Angelus Apatrida Homepage of the Spanish band Angelus Apatrida.
	Graspop Metal Meeting Homepage of the Graspop Metal Meeting Festival at Dessel (Belgium).