Wings of Chains

What you get with Bat is as blunt as their name hitting you in the back of the head. Haha, yeah, it’s not a goth band, that’s for sure. The 3 members of the Virginian group have copious skill in the crossover thrash scene, Felix Griffin famed as drummer for D.R.I. and M.O.D., while I don’t really have to explain that Ryan Waste currently partners Nick Poulos in Municipal Waste. That crossover spirit gets carried over to this heavy metal concoction, which dirties up ‘80s riffing and sends it full pelt into the garbage truck of your ears.

For a 30 minute album, Bat didn’t really need to provide much variety, though the 12 songs veer between thrashy stuff like ‘Master of the Skies’ to groovier riffing on ‘Wings of Chains’ to something a little scuzzier on ‘Code Rude’ that takes more direct cues from punk and hardcore. The music is not often complex, riffs taking shape as chord-based melodic punk at times, though the massive filthy bass and insistent kick drums pull most songs into metal territory, while flashing solos briefly nod to the excesses of Motörhead. Overall, however, slightly heavier bands, such as Venom, Whipstriker, and Midnight, are going to share the same fans, since Bat offer the nastiness and unfettered adrenaline rush of the new wave of black speed despite Waste’s intelligible snarled vocals.

I fell in love with Bat owing to the recent EP Axestasy, for which ‘Ritual Fool’ was re-recorded, sounding fairly similar there in its cocky surge of caustic down-strumming, though perhaps the version on Wings of Chains ends up dirtier and less immediate. Although it takes a while to get into a few cuts, the whole album will show its quality after a spin or two, especially when the second half slows down a little and adds more classic hooks in the chorus to the title track, which is certainly one of the best cuts. Like most work in this area, Bat don’t offer a great deal to interested newcomers, though they do plenty on their debut full-length to plaster speedfreaks’ faces with smiles and sweat.