Band: Necrobeast
Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal
Album: Iron Baphomet
Year: 2026
(Reviewed by Raaf Atasi for MetalfromNL)
Introduction
Necrobeast is a one man band that was spawned to life in Chile in the mid 2000s by Chilean musician (Seb Kings). The band/man later moved to Maastricht, NL, and is now blasting out some malicious Blackened Thrash Metal from the bowls of the province of Limburg. The band has had a couple of splits before it unleashed its full-length debut 'Iron Baphomet' in May 2026 via Witches Brew and Urolig Sjel Records.
Main man and founder (Seb Kings), who wrote the music, lyrics and performed all guitars and vocals on the album, has hired a couple of monsters to play on this new offering. You got bassist (Francisco Escalona) from (Nightrage, Always War, Morphetik) laying down those low ends on the record, and drummer (Filip Gäddnäs) from (Whispered, Vampiric Oath, Moonlight Sorcery "Live") beating those skins behind the kit. 'Iron Baphomet' was recorded/produced at Francisco Escalona's studio in Uppsala, Sweden.
So how does this infernal collaboration of talents on this new demonic album sound like?
Composition & Performance
As you would expect from a Blackened Thrash Metal album, it is raw, primitive, primordial and, of course, satanic.
The opening track 'In Communion with Satan' is a banger. The intro to the song is mesmerising as all hell and sets the tone for the demonic invasion that permeates this album. The song itself is evil, aggressive and merciless, and has one of the catchiest riffs on the record (minute 3:13). Very well composed and structured, and forces the listener to bang their head unstoppably. Additionally, the vocal line on that part is pretty solid. And then when the double bass hits on top of that catchy riff, the section climaxes to its absolute peak. Solid opener for the record.
I very much like the bass work on the 2nd track 'Promethean Flame' (minute 1:11) with these eerie black metal guitar chords. Francisco laid down a couple of tasty bass notes here to fill in the gap of the open chords. This song in general is one of the menacing numbers on the record, and has a prevalent Black Metal spirit. However, it even wanders into the realm of Death/Thrash at minute 2:08. Killer riff drenched in rage and filth. Additionally, Seb's vocals are seething on this part. Cool word placement and rhythmic flow that make the song extremely vicious and relentless. Moreover, the chorus features a very catchy vocal line that gets stuck in the listener's head. This song is a definite highlight for me on this album.
The title track 'Iron Baphomet' has a cool intro riff, almost reminds of me Doom Death legends Autopsy. The atmosphere in this song is certainly evil and has an old school Marduk-ish section with some relentless blastbeats and double bass executed with utmost efficiency by drummer (Filip Gäddnäs). The song's main beat and tempo lurk in the domain of Venom and Slayer's Show no Mercy and does not deliver any unexpected surprises at you, but it is still a catchy 3 minute rager that could be a mosh-inducing number in a live setting.
I love the drum intro to 'Blood Gods'. Very energetic and contagious, and establishes a nice sense of expectation for a hellish explosion. The song then kicks in with the bluesy 'Hit the Lights' inspired melody, beat and tempo, and it stays in that pocket (even when the blastbeat kicks in, you still feel that old school pentatonic vibe of the 80s sound) until minute 2:54 where it takes a bleaker turn with that midtempo beat and those haunting open chords. A much needed change of dynamic to break the song's pattern. 'Blood Gods' is an example of the simple, catchy songwriting emblematic of this subgenre's sound. Having said that, most of the album is in that realm (with the exception of some twists and turns here and there). For example, the song 'Emissary of Death' starts with an absolute earworm of a riff despite its simplicity, then it settles into the sphere of the old classics such as Kill 'em All and Show no Mercy tii the end, which is great but a tad predictable.
I have to say, I like it when the songs turn into a full-on, freight train Black Metal aesthetic. In those areas, whether with speed or atmosphere, one can hear Seb's creative compositional elements. This can be heard on tracks such as 'Promethean Flame' and 'The Awakening of the Necrobeast', whose riff and blastbeat section even borders on Death Metal (minute 1:08). 'The Awakening ...' in general gives me the vibe of Swedish legends 'The Crown'. It has the attack, the melody, the blast, and the skanky thrashy beat as well. It is also one of my favourite tracks on the record. To add insult to injury in the best way possible, you get that devastating riff at the 3:19 minute mark. Nasty Thrash/Death, almost a Demolition Hammer tribute riff. To be totally honest, I think the album could have used more sections like this.
The closing track 'Jakten' is a relentless and evil number, reminiscent of Swedish Black Metal titans Marduk in certain parts. This song also has a banger riff that kicks in at minute 4:13 (one which, again, I would love to hear more of on a Necrobeast album). Moreover, I enjoyed the double vocal layering on 'Jakten' at the 3:21 minute mark. It certainly adds more ferocity and grimness to the piercing Black Metal riff behind it. Seb does that vocal layering a couple of times on the album, and I think they are brutally nasty and merciless.
The guitar solos on this record are chaotic, mostly relying on the minor pentatonic scale and the old school bluesy sound that is rooted in the 80s style of soloing. And sometimes they are just dissonant notes and runs. I feel like the solos could have used more thought and refinement to have their own personality, and not be a mere rehash of past glories. Furthermore, I believe that the solos need to be more tightly executed. At times, I feel that a solo needs a second take. I particularly would have recommended a better lead ending to the song 'Emissary of Death' for example. Too messy and unintelligible. Another example would be the solo to 'In Communion with Satan'. I also felt it was overly chaotic and could have been tighter. I know this music style is immersed in chaos and rawness, and the solos are indicative of that spirit. But I still believe it could have been more of a "controlled" chaos that delivers the same rage and diabolic fury. However, the solo in 'Promethean Flame' is pretty awesome. I wish there were more solos in that direction. Carefully considered melodies with more precision in execution.
Production
As mentioned in the beginning of the review, the album was recorded at Francisco Escalona's studio in Uppsala, Sweden. The choice of production that (Seb Kings) and Escalona went for matches the aura of the music and lyrical theme. Raw, fuzzy, untamed and rough around the edges. It almost sounds like the band is playing live, which I think is a good trait. Having said this, the production is clear and you can hear everything in great balance. The guitar tone is aggressive and assaulting. The drums are punchy and unhinged. The vocals are piercing and have a tremendous attack. And the bass is smoothy audible and efficient in the mix, not buried nor overbearing. In short, the overall sound matches the aesthetics and deliver the intended message.
Critique
My issue with the album 'Iron Baphomet' is the predictability of a lot its parts. This, of course, is a matter of taste because I happen to know so many people who love this kind of raw, familiar bread and butter taste of Blackened Thrash. And to be fair, the simplicity and predictability of this style can result in some real catchy riffs, which is the case on this record. However, sometimes the music can become a bit repetitive (and this is a trait to Blackened Thrash in general). Therefore, you could end up with some very memorable tracks and some less memorable tracks, which (to me) is also the case on this record. Some tracks stuck with me more than others. 'In Communion with Satan', 'Promethean Flame', 'The Awakening of the Necrobeast' and 'Jakten' stand out the most for me. They have more intricacies and details. They have twists and turns. I enjoy that (think Hellripper's brand of Blackened Thrash) more than the straight-up Motorhead/Venom/Metallica's Kill 'em All inspired Blackened Thrash. And I'm certain that some will disagree, and that's totally ok. That's what music is all about, differences of tastes. The other aspect that I bitched about was the soloing. I think the solos could have been improved upon in terms of note choices and tightness.
Conclusion
Overall, the album is highly energetic and entertaining, but does not break any new ground. It is meat and potato satanic Blackened Thrash Metal with a predominant inspiration from Motorhead/Venom/Bathory/and the first debuts by Slayer and Metallica. However, it also ventures into darker, more extreme territories like the incorporation of blastbeats, which transport the band from the Blackened Thrash/Speed Metal realm into a straight up, full-fledged Black Metal dominion. Moreover, there are some interesting and really creative sections across the album. Some really evil notes and banging riffs thrown here and there adding dynamics and twists to the record. I'm looking forward to hearing the evolution of Necrobeast and what crazy ideas founding member (Seb Kings) has in store for us on the next release.
