Review: –

Like a bat out of hell this American trio come racing out of the speakers at you like the possessed and more hyper-active cousin of Venom, and like their forebears flying in the face of mainstream trends and posers.

The tempos are rabid, the vocals are raucous, the drums are rattling, the bass is rumbling and the whole thing reminds you of the Geordies in their classic ’81-’86 period with their no nonsense heads-down, hell-for-leather approach. ‘Wings Of Chains’ is executed in a manner that is raw but tight, loose but precise, the sharpness of the old school riffing cutting through the production as smooth as a blade slicing through flesh. They have managed to replicate the dirty unholy vibe Warfare created in their early days but bring it up to date musically and sonically.

The band is made up of alumni of Municipal Waste and DRI so it’s no surprise that the musicianship here is as tight as a tourniquet wrapped around an open wound and the collective skills of the individuals involved make this a very powerful lesson in volatile musical violence. The vocals of Ryan Waste are a dedringer for Cronos, snarling and spitting out line after line in quick succession barely pausing for breath.

This debut is explosive, adrenaline-fuelled, punked-up thrash/speed metal. Imagine a more Venomised Motörcharged Toxic Holocaust and that’s basically what BAT deliver on this raging and roaring 12 song aural attack which clocks in at just under half an hour. Vicious and Vitriolic.