BAT – Cruel Discipline

BAT is a relatively new speed metal supergroup that hails from the US. The big name on this project is Ryan Waste, of Municipal Waste fame, but the band’s other members have no shortage of experience in other great bands as well. “Cruel Discipline” is the follow-up EP to the band’s first demo “Primitive Age” that was released a couple of years ago, and this EP is the very definition of short but sweet. The two songs here don’t even break 5 minutes combined, but they get their point across very quickly. Both songs follow the Midnight black ‘n roll/speed metal formula that is built on dirty old-school sounding riffs. The vocals are gruff and aggressive, but entirely understandable. There is a somewhat hilarious vocal break in “Cruel Discipline” that is enjoyable just because of the sheer absurdity of it. After all, no matter how great Ryan Waste’s vocals are for this sound, he’s not exactly the guy who should be doing a vocal solo. Aside from the vocals, there is plenty of punk influence, of course, and this gives the band a lot of attitude. The production is outstanding; it really is perfect for this style of music, especially because the bass cuts through the mix well. The sound is not particularly clean, but easy to understand.

Of the two tracks, the title track is the stronger cut, largely because of its incredible guitar solo. One thing I always dig about these 80s speed metal worship bands is that they have phenomenal guitar players who understand how to construct a great solo, and “Cruel Discipline” proves this easily. The solo on “Rule of the Beast” is a bit more frantic, but is good nonetheless. This second song is a bit faster than the first, but very much in the same vein of worshipping Venom.

Ultimately, “Cruel Discipline” is an impressive release. Its only flaw is that it is too short. Perhaps these guys are too busy with their other projects, or they’re sitting on a goldmine of an album waiting to be unleashed, but two songs is too few in this case. For the right price, this is a definite must-buy, but more importantly, it also clearly marks a band that you should keep on your radar for the inevitable full-length.

Be sure to check out and like BAT on Facebook!

Highlights

"Cruel Discipline"

"Rule of the Beast"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%. 

Written by Scott 

Chapel – Satan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll

If there’s one subgenre of metal that I’m surprised has yet to really take off, it would have to be black ‘n’ roll. On the surface, this style combines the ever-popular extreme metal vocals with a punk-infused speed metal sound. Drawing its influences from Motorhead and Venom, among others, it really does astound me that few bands other than Midnight have really been well received with this sound. Another contemporary of Midnight’s is Chapel, hailing from Western Canada. Their debut album, “Satan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll”, is a great example of how brilliant this sound can be when it is done well.

As mentioned, the primary inspiration for this album is a cross between Motorhead and Venom, with the vocals of Bathory. The band generally uses a pretty rocking tempo, accompanied by a punk drumbeat (accenting the bass drums between beats, rather than on them). There is plenty of energy, and the playing is pretty loose. That’s not to say the band are poor musicians or that this album is messy, but Chapel’s general sound isn’t conducive to tight playing. Likewise, when a guitar solo erupts, it sounds both spontaneous and erratic. It truly has that Motorhead rock ‘n’ roll feel to it. In terms of the songwriting, “Satan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a mixed bag. The first half of the record is much stronger than the second, and the opening four tracks are the best. Regardless, at 32 minutes, there is just enough of this sound for you not to get bored. The major highlight is “Hell Breaks Loose”, which features some very oldschool riffing that is pretty different from anything else on the album, but it mixes things up in a good way. 

“Satan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” is just one of those albums that reminded me why I like metal. It’s doesn’t take itself too seriously, is a lot of fun, and just rocks out. Even if you prefer cleaner vocal styles, Chapel should have pretty wide appeal as they don’t really play up any of the clichés of extreme metal aside from the vocals (and even those are pretty tame relative to something like Gorgoroth or Burzum). 

Be sure to check out and like Chapel on Facebook!

Highlights

"Rock 'n' Roll From Hell"

"Satan's Rock 'n' Roll"

"Hell Breaks Loose"

Final Rating

4.1/5 or 82%. 

Written by Scott