Bat Under The Crooked Claw

There's not much I love more than horror movies and speed metal. With BAT's latest offering, Under the Crooked Claw, the two are flawlessly fused into a full sonic assault that is reminiscent of the brooding and haunting sounds of classic Hammer horror films. Seeing as how frontman Ryan Waste (Municipal Waste) is a huge horror movie fan, his effort to celebrate the genre shouldn't surprise anyone. This must have been especially exciting for him when the band was able to collaborate with longtime Lucio Fulci composer Fabio Frizzi who composed and performed the album opener "Una Torcia Illumina II Cielo". 

After Frizzi's haunting intro, the fury of "Vampyre Lore" kicks in and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The first single, "Rite for Exorcism" tells the tale of a reverse exorcism where the girl wants to be possessed and turns on the priest conducting the ritual. "Streetbanger" follows and along with tracks like "Marauders of Doom'' and "Just Buried" showcases the band's fondness of NWOBHM. "Just Buried" features a guest guitar solo from Ian Chains of Cauldron, one of my favorite NWOTHM bands. While the entire album feels like a moment caught in time and showcases the glory days of 1970's and 80's horror, it's "Horror Vision" that really cements it for me. A song about the video nasties of the aforementioned decades, the films (once) prosecuted for being too violent or obscene are being celebrated and rejoiced over.

If you're a fan of crossover thrash, especially in the vein of Municipal Waste, (where you can also find BAT guitarist Nick Poulos) and/or classic horror films, Under the Crooked Claw will act as your native soil if you were a vampire in that you need it to survive!



~TJ

https://bewareofthebat.bandcamp.com/merch