Info
- Band(s): Baphorator
- Label(s): Nuclear War Now! Productions
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl
- Release Year: 2024
- Review Date: July 16, 2024
- Author(s): FelixS
After a self-released demo tape in 2023 this American duo returns with a half-hour debut LP through none other than Nuclear War Now! Productions. The label ever seems to be the place to go for relentlessly savage Black/Death Metal. And, if you had no idea what to expect, a quick peak at the band name, logo and cover art will reveal just every bit of what ‘I.B.L.I.S.’ has in store for you…
Usually a label-initiated piece of promo text is quite useless as it more often than not contains just a string of hollow words and superlatives, but I must say that this time the promotional description was quite accurate. Resemblances with Abhorer, Bestial Summoning, Impurity and Beherit were drawn. A job well done, as I couldn’t find a more precise definition of the music of Baphorator. For sure, you can just add a few more of the same sort of bands, but the essence of the music is definitely just that.
Fast relentless pummelling in combination with murky grinding guitars (quite close to that of later Archgoat) and otherworldly barking vocals. The chaos and the suffocating atmosphere do feel authentic and pays true homage to those aforementioned bands in general and Blasphemy in particular. In that sense, ‘I.B.L.I.S.’ simply continues the path chosen with the bands self-titled demo tape from last year, with the only significant difference being a slightly less noisy and stuffy production. Yet, calling the production of ‘I.B.L.I.S.’ clear or clean is probably as far off as you can get, but it gives a bit more room for its musical texture and the individual instruments.
In short, Baphorator is still not for the faint of heart, but if you like the bands that are mentioned as reference or the likes of Naked Whipper, old Barathrum, Revenge, Bestial Warlust, Blood, Sadomator, Proclamation… Well, you know the drill, don’t you?
Nuclear War Now! Productions
- Country: USA
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp
