Latest Jesus

I am getting old (terribly old, I can tell you). Even bands that did not belong to the first wave of German thrash have released their works more than 25 years ago. Baphomet originated from Baden-Württemberg, not from one of the German epicentres of thrash, for example the Ruhrpott region or Hamburg. Perhaps due to the different location, they cultivated a different approach than the Teutonic role models such as Sodom or Kreator. Baphomet had a slight tendency towards technical details. Nevertheless, they stood with both feet firmly on the ground of the thrashing territory. Inter alia the cover of Hallows Eve's "Lethal Tendencies" showed their solidarity with the generation of the pioneers. As an aside, it was likeable that they played their version of a number which had been part of "Death & Insanity". This album had not been very warm welcomed by the native metal press and Baphomet's selection appeared as a kind of protest against this cautious reaction.

Less positive is the fact that the cover song is among the best tracks of "Latest Jesus". In my humble opinion, bands are well advised to cover pieces that do not kick their own tracks in the ass. Anyway, the almost epic title track meets the Hallows Eve adaption on an equal footing. The raw vocals of the verses and the chorus are contrasted by soft background vocals and a clean voice during the bridge. Especially during the very catchy chorus, the lead vocals reflect very much passion and expressiveness. The entire track drags on and on while spitting in the face of the high velocity lobbyists. Generally dubious, but in this case convincing.

Yet Baphomet also cruise through the speedy regions of thrash. "Coalition of the Lost", a further track with a strong, memorable chorus, feeds the aforementioned lobbyists. Furthermore, its instrumental part mirrors the zeitgeist of the early nineties while integrating some rather atypical elements. I am speaking of the Sacrosanct-like solo with its mechanized vibes and of the short part where a seemingly asthmatic monster takes several deep breaths while pushing the guitars into the background. By the way, Sacrosanct is not the worst point of reference in view of some bulky riffs or weird solos (for example in the opener). This means that one listens to thrash that only partially hails the original Bay Area spirit - and the rumbling German way of proceeding of the early days does also not shimmer through. Unlike a lot of (mostly great) US American products, the album does not really focus on the dominance of sharp guitars - fortunately without lacking heaviness or showing any other major deficiencies.

Summing up, one can say that the second work of Baphomet enriched the German scene rather in terms of quantity than in terms of quality, because songs like "State of Censorship", "Born of No Name" or "Full Moon Eyes" did not shine with compositional brilliance or unique traits. They did not fall through the cracks as well, but they failed to make an insistent statement as well. Thus, one should be familiar with the highlights of "Latest Jesus", but nobody needs to know the entire album inside out. Especially if you are nearly as old as me, you should use your time remaining more wisely.

Baphomet were one of the most pleasant surprises from the early-90’s when the old guard pulled a talented group of newcomers as a last resort to stop the invading groovy/aggro-metal hordes. They were also representatives of the more technical thrash/death metal wave that bore some fine “fruit” in Europe mostly, alongside Pestilence, Jester Beast, Chemical Breath, Invocator, Exoto, Decision D, Assorted Heap, etc. Their debut is a milestone in the genre(s), one of the last great works of metal before the movement’s silent demise. It was interesting to see whether the band would be able to stay afloat, or this would be another one-album-wonder with which the scene was filling up under the unpropitious circumstances…

Amazingly, most of these acts did continue their careers and produced pretty decent follow-ups, including the one under scrutiny here. In this particular case I guess an important factor was the foundation of the reputable Massacre Records by their vocalist Thomas Hertler to which Baphomet were naturally an early sing-up. With the requisite support provided, there was no reason why the guys wouldn’t give themselves another shot, and why not even two.

“Latest Jesus” marks a certain change in style towards a more complex, more progressive song-writing with the fast-paced “skirmishes” from the debut reduced to an extent, which to some may be the better proposition. “A Second to None” instills the quirky brooding atmosphere with creepy mid-tempo guitars which create plenty of menacing, “second to none” atmosphere. The guys already showed their love for horror films on the debut (remember “Elmstreet”), and here they are determined to display this interest of theirs music-wise. “Lethal Tendencies” is an odd, not very eventful composition, and the fan will find out that this is actually a cover (makes sense now), of the veterans Hallows Eve. A strange choice by all means having in mind that the Americans have always been a not very prominent, third-tier thrash metal act without any strife for progressive or technical heights… Anyway, the band go through the motions for 6.5-min producing this cut quite faithfully without any particular ornamentations. “State of Cencorship” is a sure leftover from the debut, a ripping technicaller with amorphous fast-paced riffage and sudden elaborate sweeps, a most outlandish number worthy even of the Finns Nomicon.

The title-track notches up the heaviness, but allows more dynamic riffs to sneak in later on although it’s the enchanting gothic/doom passage in the middle that grabs the attention the most also helped by a nice melodic lead section. “Coalition of the Lost” brings back the technical cutting guitars alongside the fast-paced strokes, and the listener will again be reminded of the debut’s infernal energy a fine quiet ending calming things down at the end. “Born of No Name” weaves mazey, twisted riff-formulas initially, the weirdness only increasing growing into more progressive atmospherics mid-way; more vivid moments arrive but they stand no chance to the eerie feel aggravated by the omnipresent keyboard implements which give this masterpiece an encompassing, symphonic aura. “Near Dawn” is the next in line puzzling shredder the guys thrashing wildly with reckless abandon also recalling Pestilence’s “Testimony of the Ancients” and Invocator’s “Excursion Demise”. “Full Moon Eyes” “shuts down” this superb saga with more surreal rhythms which relatively serene nature abruptly turns into violent, intricate crescendos that alternate with the more peaceful sections until they hit a short ambient/operatic deviation; a great decision, by the way, making this number another virtuous display of the band’s compositional genius.

In the long run, one would have no problems recognizing the good old Baphomet as their signature song-writing is easy to detect all over. They managed to break the difficult sophomore album spell with flying colours the way some of their contemporaries did, like Assorted Heap (“Mindwaves”, 1992), Decision D (“Moratoria”, 1993), Exoto ("A Thousand Dreams Ago", 1995), Depressive Age (“Lying in Wait”, 1993), Chemical Breath ("Values", 1994), and Sacrosanct (“Recession for the Depraved”, 1991). They didn’t modernize their sound beyond their roots the way Invocator did on “Weave the Apocalypse” (1993), nor did they space out completely akin to Pestilence on “Spheres” (1993). They remained afloat by not repeating their past exploits note-by-note, and by not surrendering to any caprices of the scene thus gaining the fans’ trust regardless of the latter’s diminishing numbers.

Mentioning “Trust”, this is also the title of their swansong which appeared two years later. An entertaining album on all counts, it was a different “baphomet”… sorry, “beast” which I can only compare to the obscure US outfit Coven’s output: it’s hard-hitting, but it’s also carefree and playful in a characteristic power/thrashy manner, an aspect the band had only revealed occasionally earlier (remember the short frolic rocker “Rise of Baphomet” from the debut). The technical and progressive character of the previous two efforts could still be felt, but that wasn’t the focus anymore as the guys obviously wanted to chill out as a last nod to their fans and the scene, instead of engaging themselves and the listener in another complex interaction.

Wandering from one “religion” to another, the band never lost their way. In fact, they provided the shortcut from the deepest pits of hell to the very upper layers of the seventh heaven; a road not often taken, but one by all means worth setting a foot on. Up the horns!