BAPHOMET - THE DEAD SHALL INHERIT (1991)
Cannibal Corpse isn't the only death metal band out of Buffalo, New York. Baphomet played some catchy death metal before changing their name to Banished in 1992, and releasing one album. The Dead Shall Inherit is their only album as Baphomet, and it's an infectious, if rather basic, death metal offering.
The immediate comparison would be Eaten Back to Life - era Cannibal Corpse. The song structures are simple, and the riffs are instantly accessible. Baphomet is perhaps a bit more precise in their attack than Cannibal was on their debut. The production is a bit thin, the guitars have very little bite, and the kick drum is too loud. The vocals are nice and guttural, bringing to mind early Suffocation.
The Dead Shall Inherit is a rather obscure release, but it's not because it's bad, it's probably a product of over-saturation in 1991. This was an album that sounded very much like everything else, so it didn't get the attention it probably deserved. The Suffering, Vile Reminiscence, and Boiled in Blood are all well written, hook-driven, and memorable tracks. Valley of the Dead is the album favorite for me - it has an awesome mid-tempo groove and a really cool beginning.
Baphomet is one of those bands that many will miss, simply because they only had one release, and it got buried with lesser acts that helped saturate the market and eventually kill the original death metal scene. Over twenty years later, The Dead Shall Inherit probably deserves a little love from genre fans. It gets a 3 out of 5.
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