BAT, who I introduced last year, is back and just as raw as ever on their first LP, Wings of Chains. Anyone who checked them out earlier won't be surprised at the direction shown here -- or the songs, since all the songs from their demo and EP are found here, plus some new ones.

Mixing the new tracks in, however, doesn't change much of the flavor that was on the EP. Their lineage is obvious: Take Venom, mix in some of the crossover sound of Discharge, and you've got BAT -- not a particularly bad recipe when it comes down to it. The beat and riffing is mostly thrashing fury of the sort we heard on the last album, such as Bloodhounds, and this seems to be both the band's preference and what they're best at, but they'll go with slower, more Motörhead-ish riffs such as those on Wings of Chains. Though there are some solos, the guitar work is best when adorning the drums and bassline; this is a very rhythm-oriented band.

There are six new songs, all with their own charms (my favorite of the new lot is Condemner, a blastfest that vocalist Ryan Waste's hoarse growl is perfect for), but the best one on the album remains one of the ones from their demo, BAT. They clearly had a lot of fun making that one, and its hammering speed-metal stylings are more melodic than the other, more meat-and-potatoes tracks on the rest of the album. It's also the longest track on the album, which may have forced them to develop the song a little more than they usually have to do.

Wings of Chains isn't any different than BAT's previous material, but anyone who likes their style of music is unlikely to have a problem with that. The Cruel Discipline EP was too short for getting a full sample of the music, but this should address that need nicely.

Bandcamp: https://bat-richmond.bandcamp.com/album/wings-of-chains.