A recording left in BAT’s vaults for more than ten years is now available: the Richmond trio’s cover of VENOM’s ‘Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil).’ Recorded during the Wings of Chains sessions in Richmond, Virginia, in 2015, the previously unreleased track has been issued as a tribute to Conrad ‘Cronos’ Thomas Lant.
Bassist and vocalist Ryan Waste places the song within BAT’s early live repertoire, when the band performed covers of MOTÖRHEAD and VENOM. He describes Cronos and VENOM as an undeniable influence on both himself and BAT.
Waste explains: “When it came time to record our debut full length, ‘Wings Of Chains’ back in 2015, we tracked ‘Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)’ along with the 12 originals. It’s been lying dormant in the vaults for over ten years and upon hearing the news of Conrad’s passing, we decided to resurrect it in his honor.”
The recording features Waste on bass and vocals, Nick Poulos on guitar and original drummer Felix Griffin. Ian Whalen and Yavé Rust engineered the track; Joel Grind handled mixing and mastering. The original song was written by Jeffrey Dunn (Mantas), Conrad Lant (Cronos) and Anthony Bray (Abaddon). BAT’s rendition is available now on Bandcamp and through the announced purchase and streaming link.
BAT’s current lineup pairs Waste and Poulos with drummer Chris Marshall. Their latest studio album, Under The Crooked Claw, contains 13 tracks, each presenting a horror short story. Its musical blend draws on heavy metal, punk and rock ’n’ roll, a combination Waste calls “primitive heavy speed.”
The trio recorded the album’s basic tracks with Arthur Rizk in Philadelphia in June 2021. Back in Richmond, Rust subsequently tracked lead guitars and vocals. Rizk mixed the album, and Grind mastered it. Brandon Holt inked the artwork, with coloring by Margaret Rolicki. Under The Crooked Claw is also available to order and stream.
Band photography is credited to Reneé Stramel.
