Say what you want about Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem (yes, it has a slower pace and an obviously rushed editing job) but I still enjoy the hell out of that movie. Honestly, how can you go wrong with a bunch of naked witches praying to Satan around a campfire or Zombie’s wife being somehow impregnated while holding the devil’s tentacle thingys? That’s the sort you shit that will haunt me to my grave. Where am I going with this? Well, when you spin the opening track to In Satan We Trust, you’ll instantly be greeted by Meg Foster’s creepy-ass voice summoning forth our beloved, goat-head beast. For me, those initial seconds set the fanboyism-a-boilin’ in my beer gut—partly from the sound clip, but mostly due to my love for Baphomet’s Blood. After nearly seven years on hiatus, Baphomet’s Blood have returned (minus S.V. Goat Necromancer) with booze in their beards, blood on their jackets, shovels on their shoulders, and eyes set on murdering lawns-o’-plenty as only Motörhead could do. Fans will be pleased with the commotion and newbies will wonder why Hells Headbangers didn’t pick these guys up – seriously, they fit right in with Midnight and the sadly defunct Speedwolf. Nevertheless, if released by HHR or Iron Bonehead, the recipe for In Satan We Trust would remain the same: stir booze, Satan, and speed together until incorporated, bake for forty minutes, and serve. Repeat as needed.
Baphomet’s Blood kicked off their Motörhead-meets-Venom desecration with 2006’s Satanic Metal Attack and, since then, these Italian inverted-cross bearers have improved greatly with each successive release. By Second Strike (a must have for lovers of the style), Necrovomiterror’s vocals took on gruffier Lemmyisms, the production became “cleaner,” and the riffs became heavier and heavier. Always fun, always consistent, Baphomet’s Blood bring in the New Year with some of their strongest material yet.
As mentioned, opener “Command of the Inverted Cross” begins with the Satanic prayer from Lords of Salem before transitioning into one of the heaviest chugs the band has ever written. This charging riff bridges the gap between elderly campfire nudity and the band’s traditional Satanic Motörhead sound. This eight-minute “epic” is a God-defying rocker; sporting nasty riffs, an in-your-face chorus, and some killer solo work. “Command of the Inverted Cross” is never quite topped in “grandiosity” or length, but the Cronos-inspired chorus of the title track and the crushing “Infernal Overdrive” try their damnedest. “Infernal Overdrive” opens with chunky, raw riffs robbed straight from I’s Between Two Worlds before dive-bombing into mid-paced gallops that make Budweiser’s Clydesdales look like sissies.
After Jack Nicholson’s toast to D.H. Lawrence, “Whiskey Rocker” passes around a fifth of bourbon to better amplify the effects of your amphetamine overdose. This song is fast, simple, and rocks your socks off. Though similar in approach to “Whisky Rocker,” “Hellbreaker” holds the torch for most addictive chorus and the heavy-metal attitude of “Elég” makes it the best closer the band never wrote. In typical Baphomet’s Blood fashion, the band concludes this release with a cover; in this case, a catchy ditty from the Hungarian band, Fáráo. Baphomet’s Blood takes the song’s simple, heavy-metal structure and dips it in battery acid. The song’s core is intact, but the intro’s aggression and the spontaneity of the full-band chorus lift it up—or drop it down—to the level needed.
Having In Satan We Trust hit my desk at the exact time of Lemmy’s passing was both a blessing and a curse. Ever since that sad day I’ve been alternating this with Motörhead releases like they were going out of style; appreciated the latter more than ever and falling in the love with the former.
But, for how much I love In Satan We Trust, it’s not a perfect one. The compression, for instance, feels like six-feet of dirt sitting on your chest, and numbers like “Underground Demons” and “Triple Six” don’t quite have the same punch as the other tunes on the album. Thankfully, the production doesn’t obliterate the experience, and these weaker songs are actually quite enjoyable. So, if you’re in need of a speed fix or you have an itch for a quick-and-dirty midnight desecratio, then put your trust in Bapomet’s Blood. “In God We Trust?” Fuck no. In Satan We Trust.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 128 kbps mp3
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
