Our attraction to horror is visceral and undeniable. Racing pulse and sweating palms, and yet you can’t turn away. It’s shocking . . . yet also exhilarating. It’s what keeps us coming back for more, that rush of fear.
Richmond, Virginia metal-punk trio BAT have been delivering their own blood-spattered horror since ascending from the underground a decade ago on a dark, leather-winged trajectory. The brainchild of Municipal Waste guitarist, Ryan Waste, BAT began in 2008. In 2013, BAT took flight with their debut 'Primitive Age' EP: rough, dark, and laden with an approach that’s straight out of the down-and-dirty side of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, quickly followed by other EPs and 2016's debut 'Wings Of Chains' full-length masterpiece.
In June 2021, the trio decamped to Philadelphia where Arthur Rizk recorded the basic tracks for the new BAT full-length. Yavé Rust tracked lead guitars and vocals later when the band was back in Richmond, ultimately mixed by Rizk.
'Under the Crooked Claw' starts with the perfect mood-setting opener, “Una Torcia Illumina Il Cielo,” courtesy of Italian horror soundtrack maestro Fabio Frizzi. The brief haunting synth piece is like a measured descent into a dank crypt where the living dead erupt with in a fury in the raging ‘Vampyre Lore.’ Eleven more tales of terror follow in rapid succession with a grisly theme throughout. “I feel like the songs could be short horror stories of their own,” notes Waste of his lyrical efforts. “The first single, ‘Rite for Exorcism,’ is basically a reverse exorcism, where the girl is accepting the demon into her and she turns it on the preacher. Evil wins in this case.”
Waste is known for his love of the NWOBHM, but with BAT, he’s taken that influence in a fresh direction on ‘Under the Crooked Claw’, with its tight, concise songs loaded with punchy choruses and lightning-laced leads. “As big of a heavy metal fan as I am, I think the dirtier side of it fits better with my vocals,” he says. “But we try to push the boundaries in BAT between heavy metal, punk and rock ‘n’ roll to where you can’t quite put your finger on it. Dynamically it all coagulates together with our dirty sound. I call it primitive heavy speed. It’s just the nastiest mix of all of the above.”
Compact Disc Pressing
Tracklisting:
1. Una Torcia Illumina il Ciel
2. Vampyre Lore
3. Rite For Exorcism
4. Streetbanger
5. Just Buried
6. Warshock
7. Horror Vision
8. Battered
9. Revenge Of The Wolf
10. Marauders Of Doom
11. Electric Warning
12. Bastardized Force
13. Final Strike
