Richmond, Virginia metal-punk trio BAT has 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 guitarists Ryan Waste & Nick Poulos, BAT leans heavily on the dirtier side of speed metal. On May 17th, the band welcomes the release of their second full-length album Under The Crooked Claw via Nuclear Blast Records.
Today, the band offers the infectious second track entitled 'Streetbanger'. The music video was directed by Ryan Waste and the cinematography was completed by Jeff Howlett.
BAT's Ryan Waste states, "'Streetbanger' was a title and lyrical concept I’ve had since the BAT demo days, so it’s been marinating for some time. It’s one of the tunes we reworked and played live for a while so it’s already been a staple in the setlist. For the video, we walked the streets of our hometown, Richmond, VA and shot the performance in our actual rehearsal space. I was able to direct the video clip on my own terms with the help of our close friend Jeff Howlett. Jeff is an amazing photographer who shot the band photos for our upcoming album Under the Crooked Claw as well as a documentary filmmaker known forA Band Called Death (2012). 'Streetbanger' embodies our raw, no-frills attitude in BAT and what you see is what you get.”
Watch the music video for the new single 'Streetbanger' below.
Pre-order and pre-save Under The Crooked Claw now at: https://bat.bfan.link/utcclp
This Summer, BAT will be heading across the US on a series of 5 headlining dates followed by the first half of the 'Lifeless Birth Tour 2024' with headliners NECROT. BAT will perform throughout May before joining the NECROT tour on June 5th in Berkeley until departing the package on June 27th in Boston. The second half of the tour will continue until July 13 and will include PHOBOPHILIC as well as STREET TOMBS, who will be on the complete tour.
Confirmed dates for BAT are as follows:
Headlining dates
05/03 Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor
05/30 St. Louis, MO - The Sinkhole
05/31 Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
06/02 Denver, CO - The Crypt
06/03 Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon
'Lifeless Birth Tour 2024'
supporting NECROT as well as STREET TOMBS
06/05 Berkeley, CA - The Cornerstone
06/06 Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
06/07 Los Angeles, CA - First St. Billiards
06/08 San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
06/09 Phoenix, AZ - Nile Underground
06/10 Albuquerque, NM - The Launchpad
06/12 Austin, TX - Parish
06/13 Dallas, TX - Three Links
06/14 Houston, TX - The Secret Group
06/15 San Antonio, TX - Vibes Underground
06/16 New Orleans, LA - Santos
06/18 Tampa, FL - Orpheum
06/19 Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
06/20 Atlanta, GA - Boggs Social
06/21 Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
06/22 Raleigh, NC - Chapel of Bones
06/23 Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo
06/24 Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
06/25 Bensalem, PA - Broken Goblet
06/26 Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows
06/27 Boston, MA - Sonia
Photo by Jeff Howlett
The power trio, completed by drummer Chris Marshall, decamped to Philadelphia in June 2021 where Arthur Rizk recorded the basic tracks for Under The Crooked Claw. Yavé Rust tracked lead guitars and vocals later when the band was back in Richmond, ultimately to be mixed by Rizk and mastered by Joel Grind. The artwork for the album was inked by Brandon Holt and colored by Margaret Rolicki.
Jam-packed with tight, concise songs loaded with punchy choruses and lightning-laced leads, each of the 13 tracks offers a new horror short story mixing the perfect blend of heavy metal, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll or as Waste coins it "primitive heavy speed".
Watch the band's first single entitled, 'Rite For Exorcism' directed by Norman Cabrera, produced by Maya Kay, and cinematography by Rob Lucas at Wolfpack Studios here: https://youtu.be/r9XsmFB8W08
Stream the new single 'Rite For Exorcism' on all platforms now at:
https://bat.bfan.link/rfesg
Pre-order/pre-save Under The Crooked Claw:
https://bat.bfan.link/utcclp
More information:
https://bewareofthebat.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bewareofthebat/
https://www.instagram.com/bewareofbat/
https://www.youtube.com/@BATBAND
BAT is:
Ryan Waste | Bass & Vocals
Nick Poulos | Guitar
Chris Marshall | Drums