Artist: Baphomet’s Blood
Country: Italy
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Format: LP / CD
Year: 2026
Everything has a beginning, and beginnings are often slightly messy and unorganised. That also applies to Italy’s most straight forward, unpretentious and downright barbaric Speed-/Thrash Metal band, Baphomet’s Blood. Baphomet’s Blood’s beginning was ‘Satanic Metal Attack’, their first full-length album from 2006. Judging from this album’s cover artwork, you might not want to expect too much. And, in all honesty, that is exactly what you’re getting: a rumbling chaotic affair, a stampeding bunch of wild men, a Speed Metal rampage. As messy and unorganised as you probably hardly hear ‘em any more.
To put Baphomet’s Blood’s debut album in the right context, ‘Satanic Metal Attack’ was released in 2006, a moment in metal history that turned out to be the sparking year for a big Thrash Metal revival. Even out of their home country there would be a lot of bands jumping the band wagon, sporting their tight pants, white baseball shoes and Thrashing their way into American-styled violence. Baphomet’s Blood might have been a bit early starting their Speed/Thrash Metal career, but above all, they weren’t into all that flashy, well-produced, crossover party-mosh-style thrash at all.
On the contrary, even. These guys, at the time still a duo, were the nasty, smelly and beer drinking kind of thrashers. People who were expecting another bit of Municipal Waste or Toxic Holocaust might have been disappointed. You could almost smell these guys through the band photos, sweaty and ugly. And that is exactly how Baphomet’s Blood sounded as well.
Although there’s a good amount of Motörhead-like Punk in here as well, much of the foundation upon which Baphomet’s Blood is built can be found in the rawest examples of Speed- and Thrash Metal history. Don’t expect any Metallica or Anthrax here, nor Sodom or Kreator. Instead you should look at the first albums of Onslaught, Blood Feast and Rigor Mortis, with a good dose of early Venom. Absolutely zero finesse and even an emphasis of the shout-along pieces, fast and clunky riffs and basic rhythms. In addition, the production is raw and practically non-existent, ‘Satanic Metal Attack’ has a true live feeling – which, by the way, is something different from a noisy and unlistenable production.
While the album has been reissued a few times on various formats over the past years, it is definitely a good idea to keep this one available for future generations and for those who, back in 2006 (let it sink in that this is two decades old already!) thought this was a bit too wacky. When it was originally released, this might have sounded dated to some, and while they weren’t wrong, I think right now, anno 2026, is a better time than ever to reintroduce this humble but very entertaining beginning of one of Italy’s most enjoyable bands.
