Japan’s BAFOMET formed in the year 2015, but the spirit of their music belongs resolutely in the 1980s. Originally called Sigil of Bafomet, this Saikano trio plays satanic black speed metal in the tradition of the first wave of black metal bands, and does so with a seemingly effortless expertise. On “Baptized in Goat Blood,” BAFOMET shred their way through eleven anthems of true evil metal, with a speed and ferocity rarely heard in modern black metal. The guitar work is razor sharp, the drums relentless, and the bass/vocal onslaught from one Vladphemer the Sodomizer leaves a bloody trail in its wake. Standing firmly in league with fellow countrymen ABIGAIL and SABBAT and recalling the early works of VENOM and BATHORY, “Baptized in Goat Blood” keeps the spirit of true black metal alive.