Mark PruettReview: Baphomet’s Blood “Metal Damnation”
Release Date: July 24, 2026
Label: Dying Victims Productions
By: Mark Pruett
San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy) sits quietly along the Adriatic, a postcard of sunlit beaches, warm surf, and summer crowds drifting between cafés and umbrellas. Tourists see serenity. Locals see routine. But beneath that coastal calm, something far more malevolent has been taking shape. For two decades, in rehearsal rooms tucked away from the promenade, Baphomet’s Blood has been distilling a strain of Italian speed metal that is both great music and an invocation to summon something sinister.
Since 2005, the band’s output, four full‑length albums, two EPs, and a box set, has carried the unmistakable stamp of obsession. Time, repetition, and a near‑ritualistic commitment to the craft have pushed them to the front of Italy’s speed‑metal underground. Their fifth album, Metal Damnation, is a sharpening of the blade… and it’s hungry for flesh. The lineup is Necrovomiterror (bass, vocals), Bloodoildrinker (guitars), S.R. Bestial Hammer (drums), G.S. Philtyrant (guitars), and Nightagressor (guitars), and it reads like a roster pulled from a forbidden text. Of course, the music follows suit. Eight tracks, no filler, all velocity. A thrashing descent into evil conducted at full throttle.
REVIEW
Devil’s Night opens the record with a distorted film clip (Rosemary’s Baby?), a proclamation of Satanic lineage that immediately sets the tone. The band erupts in a barrage of guitars, bass, and drums… fast, ragged, and unapologetically raw. The tempo shifts feel abrupt, almost jarring, as if the song is being yanked between dimensions. But the guitar solo? Pure combustion.
The title track, Metal Damnation, wastes no time. It’s blistering, crunchy, and steeped in ritualistic imagery. Necrovomiterror’s vocals channel that unmistakable Lemmy‑esque grit, a gravel‑throated snarl that fits the subject matter like a spiked gauntlet. Another tempo shift leads into another guitar solo that tears through the mix like a blade.
Midnight Patrol arrives with a riff that screams like a siren in the dark. The lyrics paint a predatory tale of stalking, shadows, and the sense that something is watching from just beyond the streetlights. It’s one of the album’s strongest narrative moments, and the band leans into the menace.
With We Don’t Care, Baphomet’s Blood delivers their mission statement. It’s fast, reckless, and dripping with that devil‑may‑care swagger that has defined them since the beginning. The band sounds energized, almost celebratory, as if reveling in the chaos they conjure.
https://youtu.be/hfd3tYDF-RM?si=mIw303Svsviho48m
Italian Steel simmers with a spoken‑word intro. Whatever the translation, the intent is clear: a declaration of identity and purpose. The track then moves at their trademark breakneck speed, but there’s a welcome shift in tone. There’s a notable groove element just below the surface on the track. This one a nod to range, a breath of fresh air before the next assault. The Motörhead influence is unmistakable, but never derivative.
Evil Bringer opens with a film quote that challenges religious authority (unknown origin/source), as if a symbolic rejection of dogma. What follows is a full‑scale speed attack, a barrage of riffs and drums that feels like a ritual cleansing by fire. The solo is, again, a standout.
The Ironbonehead stays true to the band’s formula: loud, fast, and unrepentant. It’s a reminder that Baphomet’s Blood knows exactly what they’re here to do. Also, what they do is done without compromise.
The closer, Killer (or Ready for Hell, depending on how you read the lineage), is a faithful and invigorated tribute to the legendary band Killer out of Belgium. It’s a fitting end: a salute to tradition, executed with the band’s trademark ferocity.
CONCLUSION
Metal Damnation is exactly what you’d expect from Baphomet’s Blood at this stage in their career. The familiar pillars are all here: Satanic imagery, anti‑religious themes, and the kind of nocturnal menace that has defined their catalog. Twenty years in, the band has fully grown into its identity, refining what they do best: dark, pointed lyricism, blistering speed metal, and a proudly countercultural spirit.
Their reverence for Lemmy/Motörhead and early Metallica remains unmistakable. The vocals channel that gravel‑throated Lemmy snarl, and the guitar tone and pacing echo the Kill ’Em All / Ride the Lightning era in all the right ways. And once again, the guitar solos are the crown jewels of the record… soaring, searing, and consistently brilliant. When everything locks into place, Metal Damnation stands as a worthy entry in the band’s growing archive.
Constructively, there are a few areas that could be sharpened. The time and tempo shifts in “Devil’s Night” feel abrupt, more disorienting than chaotic, and they break the momentum of an otherwise strong opener. The overall mix leans muddy; the musicianship is excellent, but the drums don’t quite hit with the physical force they should, and the bass doesn’t fully anchor the low end. Most notably, the vocals (strong as they are) sometimes get buried beneath the instrumentation. If this is intentional, it still leaves the record feeling slightly less cohesive than it could be.
In the big picture, these are minor issues. If anything, they come from wanting to feel this music even more intensely. I’ve genuinely enjoyed this album (it’s been spinning nonstop) and each listen reinforces how effective their straightforward, no‑nonsense approach really is. At this point, diving deeper into their back catalog feels essential, and I’d recommend this record to anyone reading. Support the band, spread the word, and keep the sacred flame burning.
Most of all, keep music evil.
TheNWOTH Score: 8/10
Links
Bandcamp: https://baphometsbloodofficial.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baphometsblood/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baphomets_blood_official/
Label: https://dying-victims.de/news/
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