Xenos A.D. – Reqviem for The Oppressor
Review By: George Andritsakis
Review Score: 8
I don’t consider myself a thrash devotee by any stretch of imagination. Not even from the Big 4 of Thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax). It’s just not my scene. Or at least, it wasn’t until Nervosa and Arch Enemy came along. I can now add Italian bred Xenos A.D. to my miniscule list of favorite acts.
Reqviem For The Oppressor is their third album, and let me tell you something, it is incredibly well written, with lyrics that will stop you dead in your tracks and make you actually THINK about what’s being sung.
Let’s break it down.
The opening track, 1986, is a fantastic instrumental beginning to this violent, angry opus, dovetailing beautifully into the first single off the album Dogma of War. As a history buff, especially of both World Wars and the periods in between, I really got into the groove and subject matter of this tune, set in the hours before the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and the immediate aftermath. A perfect tune to be the first single. Tears On The Face Of God is a true thrash banger, with a hard driving groove reminiscent of early Sepultura or Megadeth, Max Cavalera would be proud of these headbanging Sicilians. Hell, so would Michael Corleone. The repetitive chorus makes one stand up and pump their fist into the air (if they’re not moshing away in the pit already), something that is easily chantable and easy to get stuck in your head.
Crown of Separation is what Iron Maiden’s Can I Play With Madness would sound like if it was cranked up to 11 and sped up to thrash levels. The lyrics are right on par with something Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris would belt out with no sweat, and Xenos A.D. have a perpetual smash hit on their hands here. I dare anyone with an IQ to listen to this and not jam out to it, you just can’t, it’s THAT infectious. It would be a crime if frontman Ignazio Nicastro didn’t get the crowd pumped up with that killer outro, too.
Welcome The Destroyer is a fast-paced paean welcoming the listener to the other side of life, with Giuseppe Taormina’s guitarwork being the main driver behind the tune.
Lyrically, Children Of The Atomic Sun is a full-length dystopian tale while being driven by the killer rhythm section of Danilo Ficicchia’s drumming and Ignazio Nicastro’s thunderous bass. If this tune isn’t in the permanent setlist, I’d be surprised, it’s a constant and rhythmic pounding to the skull worthy of the best metal crowds like at Wacken Open Air or the Horns Up Festival in my hometown of Trikala, Greece (which the fellas played at earlier this May, in the second part of the two part festival, I’m still kicking myself for missing Part II).
The Bleeding Hands Of Faith is another groove-laden track, all about the evil of radical Islam, with more of Giuseppe Taormina’s insane fretwork to thrash out to. The title track, Requiem For The Oppression is one of the biggest stand out tracks on the whole album though. You KNOW it’s gunna be good when it’s starts out in Latin singing “Domine Lacrimarum, Domine Tenebrarum, Requies Peccatorum, Mors Aeterna”, meaning “Lord Of Tears, Lord of Darkness, Rest for Sins, Eternal Death”. If one didn’t know better, you could say this was an up-tempo offering by those Hellenic Hellraisers Rotting Christ, but no, this is Xenos A.D., and they’re out for blood.
After several playthroughs of the entire album, it’s very hard to critique an offering this good, except for this. Now, it might just be the equipment I was running it on, either at home, in the office, or in my car. Still, I keep thinking and feeling the low end is just too low, with real sharp focus on the bass and drums throughout the album. Still, other than that, this was a killer offering, one that makes me loathe the fact that I missed them at this year’s Horns Up Festival, as videos online from said festival showed these guys to be in top form, worthy of the ticket price alone, let alone with a gaggle of other killer groups.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label: My Kingdom Music
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Playlist:
1. 1986
2. Dogma of War
3. Tears On The Face Of God
4. Crown Of Separation
5. Welcome The Destroyer
6. Children Of The Atomic Sun
7. The Bleeding Hands of Faith
8. Requiem For The Oppressor
9. Dance Of The Gods
Line Up:
• Giuseppe Taormina – Guitars
• Ignazio Nicastro – Vocals and Bass
• Danilo Ficicchia – Drums