BATS - Red In Tooth & Claw Review

BATS Red In Tooth & Claw

full review

Tracklist:
1. Higgs Boson Particle
2. Gamma Ray Burst: Second Date
3. Credulous! Credulous!
4. Andrew Wiules
5. Lord Blakeney's Arm
6. The Cruel Sea
7. Shadow-Fucking
8. BATS Spelled Backwards Is STAB
9. Star Wormwood
10. Vermithrax Pejorative
11. The Barley

Ranking: #4 for 2009

user rating

4.2
excellent

Chart.

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4.5
superb

Gabe Galloway USER (1 Reviews)

2009-09-08 | 75 comments | 1,512 views

Summary: This Progressive Post-Hardcore band shocks the world yet again with its emotional vocals and scientific references.

3 of 3 thought this review was well written

After the release of their EP, ‘Cruel Sea Scientist’, BATS have taken the world by surprise. Especially with it’s scientific lyrics and academic subjects. But of there's one thing I've heard whenever I saw anything having to do with BATS, it's that there's always the one person commenting on how it's similar to a Post-Hardcore Foals. Well, I would like to say that once I heard this album, I realized that it was so much more than a band for one who liked the Foals and wondered ‘What if there was a Post-Hardcore version of this?’

The album starts off with a single muted guitar note repeating, joined later by a complex cowbell (that’s right, they can pull off the cowbell) and drum sequence. Then the haunting, broken lyrics come in. “We have been unable to identify the particle seen in the image below…” The yells in the background make you feel as if you’re surrounded by the awe-inspiring sound. Then everything goes quiet, except for a simple drum as the lead singer speaks alone about the Higgs Boson Particle, supposedly proven by the Large Hadron Collider. This leads up to tortured screams and intertwining guitars and a heavy bass, as it leads up to the second track. This jaw-dropping performance was simply the introduction.

The first track leads directly into the second, ‘Gamma Ray Burst: Second Date’, which, I shall definitely admit, made me think of the Foals. In my opinion, this is also the album’s catchiest song. The bass and twin guitars all fit together so perfectly, with the amazing drum sequence being the icing on top of the musical cake. This song proves to be musical masturbation for the band, all showing off some of the best of their abilities, from their screaming that drips emotion, to their offbeat vocals, and the all of their amazing instruments in between.

Next we have the famous single, ‘Credulous, Credulous’, which features catchy riffs, interesting lyrics, and really show’s off the bassists’ abilities. The next interesting track I’d like to feature is ‘Lord Blakeney’s Arm’, which really shows off BATS’ more Post-Hardcore side, with complex riffs and drum patterns, and whispered vocals contrasted by loud yelling and screaming, this is a great track. After this is ‘The Cruel Sea’, the title most likely being inspired by the preceding EP ‘Cruel Sea Scientist’, is a longer, but amazing track which goes from slow and soft to quick and complex notes on a dime. Though I’m afraid to admit some of the tracks after this are a bit unmemorable.

The next featured track is in the end, which is ‘Vermithrax Pejorative’, which is, to say the least, a track that is simply epic. It starts off with a series of complex breakdowns and riffs with screams filled with emotion, and the track goes on to do nothing but impress, with euphoric dual guitars combining together, with the tortured screams, drumming that’s all over the place, and a bass to glue it all together weaves a beautiful web of Progressive-Hardcore madness that is a great finisher for the album. Unfortunately, I must admit that the real closer, ‘The Barley’ is a bit of a letdown after such an amazing track. But then again, it had such big shoes to fill, though it was an amazing track to finish the album off with a calming effect that gave the whole album closure.

To conclude this review I will say that this was an incredible album, with certain parts that would make one feel as if they are in a Utopia of music, while other parts felt a bit slow and repetitive, though the amazing parts definitely drowned out the tedious parts. So in my opinion, this album is a must-buy. BATS definitely proved themselves worthy of being admired by critics everywhere by meeting, and even beating, the standards held by it’s EP.

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