BLOODPHEMY hailing from Amersfoort, The Netherlands were initially formed in 2000. After the release of their debut full-length album, the band abandoned and restarted in 2015. From then onwards, BLOODPHEMY released one EP and three full-length albums. They are a Death Metal band with influences from both, the Swedish and the Florida Death Metal School. "Blood Sacrifice" is the fourth full-length album and it was released via Danish label Emanzipation Productions which is specialized in Death Metal. It has a length of more than 40 minutes.

BLOODPHEMY deliver an album of dark and powerful traditional Death Metal without compromise. The overall theme of the album is set by the opening intro "Last Cry For Humanity" which provides a chilling atmosphere for the things to come. Those things come fast and brutal with "House Of Souls": heavy and grim guitar riffing, fast tempo, relentlessly hammering drumming, and growling vocals at the low end of the guttural range. The lead guitar solo is not overly technical, it is straight to the point and fits perfectly to the overall sound. One of the sound characteristics on the album is the repetitive use of guitar squeals such as in "Pledge Of Allegiance" and "Sin". "Pledge Of Allegiance" is a mid-tempo steamroller which features a lot of double-bass drums and a bitonal lead guitar solo. On the other hand, "Sin" contains a number of changes in tempo, in general it is a mid-tempo track, but with fast eruptions and with a slow, almost Doom Metal inspired part. The riffing and the lead guitar parts are doom-laden throughout.

"Flock Of Lambs" has dominant atmospheric patterns which create a very dark song. There are a lot of tempo changes with fast parts driven by blast-beat eruptions. The lead guitar solo is almost uncharacteristic with clean harmonies. One of the highlights are the vocals which are pretty diverse including some higher pitched parts. "Revelation" is another steamroller with aggressive and super heavy guitar riffs and a lot of double-bass drums. The gloomy atmosphere is provided by the lead guitars as well as by the background female voice that comes along a spoken-word part during the middle part of the track. "Revelation" closes out at breakneck speed and provides a fine transition to "Bloodbourne" which is one of the fastest track on the album.

"In Cold Blood" starts with a playful lead guitar intro before it erupts into a blast-beat festival interrupted by mid-tempo parts driven forward by the double-bass. The song structure of "In Cold Blood" has more complexity compared to the other tracks on the album and the lead guitars are less harmonic as well. "In Cold Blood" includes the guest vocals of former MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (DESPAIR; INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and the track was also released as lyric video with the YouTube link given below.

"In Righteous Solitude" is a head-banger with a lot of grooves. The lead guitars dominate the track with their catchy sequences. The lead guitar solo is pretty short compared to those on the other tracks. The final track "Derogated Salvation" raises the heat one more time in terms of speed, aggression, and atmosphere. Dominated by the bitonal lead guitars and the double-bass drums, the track enters the mid-tempo break in which synthesizers intensify the atmosphere. The lead guitar solos are doom-laden and the song fades out with a piano.

"Blood Sacrifice" is a very good Death Metal album. BLOODPHEMY focus on delivering a very dark and aggressive album and it includes a lot doom and gloom. While I said in the intro, that the band is influenced by the Swedish and US Death Metal School, "Blood Sacrifice" has its very own (perhaps Dutch) signature which shows the bands own character and their good songwriting. Sound elements are not repetitive, tempo and textures are diverse across the album. "Blood Sacrifice" is very well produced. BLOODPHEMY raise the bar with their new album and it is their best one to date. Traditional Death Metal fans will love what they hear and "Blood Sacrifice" should be in the album collection of everyone who loves Death Metal.