“Since when are MIDNIGHT from Derbyshire?”, one might ask when listening to DEVASTATOR for the first time – the sound of the young English band is remarkably similar to that evoked by Black Rock’n’Roller Jameson Walters (aka Athenar) from Ohio. The American project, however, is not the only influence that springs to mind. MOTÖRHEAD, too, are never far away throughout the album, with the fast opener ‘Howling Night’ being a good example for this. One has to listen to the record a few times, though, to perceive the different facets and unique features of the sound, as this subgenre of Heavy Metal is full of worthy competitors. The following songs ‘Worship The Goat’ and ‘Hail Death’ are significantly darker and faster, with the blastbeat drumming perhaps reminding a bit of NIFELHEIM (but with cleaner vocals). ‘Send Them To Hell’ and ‘Death Slut’ are both short and return to the style of MIDNIGHT again, whereas ‘Spiritual Warfare’ is longer, more complex and more melodic (the song title perhaps being a reference to the BEWITCHED album of the same name?). The concluding title track contains a strong groove and tightness that one cannot draw oneself away from, pointing at much older bands from the same field such as SODOM or DESASTER. As this format of “Baptised In Blasphemy” (originally released in 2020) is an extended version of the first full-length DEVASTATOR album, the seven tracks of the original release are complemented by a re-recorded song (‘Merciless Onslaught’) and seven live tracks from the 2022 edition of Bloodstock Open Air. Beside all the name-dropping in this review, it becomes clear that DEVASTATOR are a force to be reckoned with in the field of blackened Speed / Thrash Metal. Young Metal musicians from all over the world have come a long way since the early days of VENOM, and the music created by the four lads from Derbyshire is a perfect example for this. Recommended! www.facebook.com/devastatoruk, www.facebook.com/listenablerecs