Bat sign with Hells Headbangers

Today, HELLS HEADBANGERS announces the signing of Richmond, Virginia speed metal maniacs BAT. The trio features the considerable talents of Municipal Waste's Ryan Waste, ex-D.R.I. drummer Felix Griffin, and Volture's Nick Poulos. HELLS HEADBANGERS will be doing BAT's imminent debut album on both CD and LP formats, with a 7" titled Cruel Discipline to land before that. The label will also be pressing the band's Primitive Age demo on 12" vinyl, which can be heard in the meantime HERE. A statement from Ryan Waste reads: “We could not of found a better home for BAT than HELLS HEADBANGERS. Not only does the label have a great roster and distribution, they still have their ear to the underground. It’s important for us to put out everything we do on vinyl, and there will be no shortage of BAT wax to come. We're gonna hit the road hard and start laying down tracks in the studio for our first full-length this fall. Expect another nasty onslaught of pain from Nick, Felix, and myself to follow up our Primitive Age demo. Beware of the BAT because we are not slowing down."

Indeed, BAT are not slowing down, and already have a North American tour with Chainbreaker lined up for later this month and into September. Confirmed dates and venues, as well as a web-ready poster for the tour, are as follows:

• August 22 - Brooklyn, NY@ The Acheron
• August 23 - Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
• August 24 - Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
• August 25 - Detroit, MI @ Corktown Tavern
• August 26 - Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
• August 28 - Toronto, ON @ Bovine Sex Club
• August 30 - Montreal, QC @ Wings of Metal
• September 1 - Worcester, MA @ Ralph's Rock Diner
• September 2 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
• September 5 - Richmond VA @ Strange Matter

Ryan Waste explains the genesis of BAT: "The earliest incarnation of BAT can be traced back to the meeting of Felix Griffin and myself back in 2007. We began talking at a Municipal Waste gig in Austin, TX and shared the same taste in no-nonsense, straightforward playing when it came to metal and punk. We spoke of starting a no-frills project like that way back then and humored the idea every time I would pass through Texas. Originally, it was going to be more of a studio thing, where I would do all the guitar, bass, and vocals with Felix laying down the battery. We threatened to do this monster of a project for the next several years, but our busy schedules would not allot the time we needed. It wasn't until I teamed up with guitarist Nick Poulos in 2012 that we actually got the ball rolling. Nick and I had started a traditional heavy metal band called Volture and had been playing together since 2008. We had good writing chemistry, and it was a no-brainer to bring Nick onboard as the guitarist to make this an actual band. Nick is a great lead player, so with him holding down the axe, I could focus on just bass/vocals. Bass was my original first instrument, and I still prefer playing it over guitar to this day. Singing, on the other hand, was something I never imagined myself doing, at least not as the sole vocalist. I just went for it, channeling my inner Cronos with my own added rawness. I always dug the three-piece formula, and being the frontman seemed to be my calling."

He continues, "With Nick and I living in Richmond, VA and Felix in Austin, the writing process had to be spread out. We'd cook up some riffs, I'd throw down some basic drum tracks, and we'd make a skeleton of a song. We'd send Felix demos of the songs, but he’s so old school that he just learned ‘em on the spot, more or less, when he finally came in town to practice and record. With such a straightforward approach, we didn't have time to over-think the arrangements and kept the music very simple. On top of that, we recorded on reel-to-reel analog tape, so the takes were live and raw. The sound we initially wanted to achieve was there, and it was indeed primitive. The end result was rightfully titled Primitive Age, and was initially released as a five-song cassette on Tankcrimes Records. The demo caught wide attention across the spectrum of metalheads and punkers alike, bringing a refreshing raw feel to a music world swapped in overproduction. BAT played our first shows in April 2014 with NWOBHM legends Satan as well as an exclusive performance at the Tankcrimes Brainsqueeze Festival in Oakland, CA. We are now gearing up for a string of US/Canadian shows in late August/September with Toronto’s Chainbreaker. BAT signed a pact with Hells Headbangers Records in August 2014 and plan to release more crushing slabs on the only label heavy enough to contain our thirst for blood."