Review by Vladimir on April 18, 2024.

At long last! I have long waited for this moment and now it’s finally here. For a while, I was actively following the Japanese black/thrash/speed metal band Bafomet on social media, and I was so eager to listen to their brand-new album that came out on December 20th, 2023, mostly due to the fact that I am always hungry for some good old black/thrash attack and because the album cover art got my attention from the moment I saw it. Their second full-length album Baptized In Goat Blood was released on CD via Iron Fist Productions, and also pressed on vinyl on December 31st, 2023 via Nuclear War Now! Productions, with the digital release being pushed all the way to March 6th, 2024. Thanks to my good friend and editor Tomek, as well as the nice donation by Iron Fist Productions, the CD release of Bafomet’s Baptized In Goat Blood finally came to my hands, with so much anticipation and excitement in my blood. If you are willing to be baptized in goat blood, and experience some badass hellish rock and roll, then you have come to the right place my friend! 

From the deepest dungeons filled with sodomy and lust, blackened thrash/speed metal destruction comes striking at full force, telling you exactly that this ritual will be “Baptized in Goat Blood”. The opening to this album goes so hard that you simply won’t be prepared for the primitive savagery and barbaric mania that runs in Bafomet’s music, with a strong punk rock/rock ‘n roll overdrive without any bullshit that means serious business. The predominant elements in their music consist of speed/thrash metal riffing and drumming, backed up by harsh vocals which shout like a demonic warrior from the depths of the abyss, with every song going so hard that you just can’t stop it. The fourth track 'Beast Of Chaos' is possibly the heaviest track on the album thanks to its inclusion of blast beats in the style of Brazilian bands such as Sarcofago and Vulcano, heavy thrashing riffs and wild guitar solos, which altogether sound like a rapid fire from all sides. The only exception on this album that goes for a more straightforward black metal direction, is the fifth track 'Resurrection' which contains those standard second wave tremolo riffing and 90’s Norwegian black metal style drumming, however that only appears for a brief moment, whereas the song it mostly maintains the established blackened thrash/speed metal style. The second half of the album is kicked off with 'Leviathan’s Priest' which is incredibly catchy and punky in its overall output, screaming straight in your face telling you that the fun isn’t over yet, and that the fun has just begun. This second half is probably more over the top than the first one, because exemplary tracks such as 'Witch’s Curse', 'Take The Knife' are just hilariously entertaining that you just can’t afford to skip these awesome bangers, especially now the final track 'Heavy Metal Avenger' that is bashing so hard that it wrecked everything apart and turned all life into dust. 

Bafomet’s songwriting is incredibly straightforward and simplistic, however it still manages to be effective and strong thanks to its catchiness and power in the riffs. Bafomet’s primitive savagery and barbaric mania has taken a lot of that from classic bands such as Nifelheim, Bathory, Sabbat (Japan), Desaster, Cruel Force and Abigail (Japan), that you can clearly tell from the raw energy and aggression that comes through their songs. I like how the album is consistent from beginning to end, both in style, as well as the heaviness of the riffs, keeping your attention at all levels as you immerse into the “power thrashing death” of Bafomet. Aside from the awesome songs, the biggest highlight for me, which is the number one reason that piqued my interest in the album in the first place, is the cover art. Stylistically it is very sketchy and it perfectly conveys the atmosphere and the energy of Bafomet’s music, but the most significant factor about the cover art is that it pays a nice tribute to Slayer’s "Show No Mercy" and Nifelheim self-titled debut by including the goat-head mascots from both albums, presenting a nice nod to their primary influences and is also a very good reference for oldschool maniacs. The leather and spike clad girl certainly knew that she would be baptized by the blood of these goats, and it is hellishl glorious. Production-wise, the album has a raw and somewhat basement studio recording type of sound with a lot of added reverb on the vocals, somewhat reminiscent to the better part of Syphilitic Vaginas discography. 

I was patiently waiting for my chance to hear Bafomet’s Baptized In Goat Blood and I can safely say that I was not disappointed. This turned out to be just the way I expected it to be, fun, engaging, heavy, wild and then some. It’s got everything an oldschool black/thrash/speed metal maniac could ever want from an album of this caliber, and this might be considered a real underground gem worth checking out. If you are into classic Japanese black/thrash bands such as Sabbat, Abigail and Evil, you should definitely grab a copy of Baptized In Goat Blood by Bafomet, and play it at full volume! 

Rating: 8.8 out of 10