31st January 2022

Review: “Feast of Blood” by Bat Magic

A record which was met with critical acclaim upon its first release by Sore Ear Collective, “Feast Of Blood” by Bat Magic is one now set for a larger cassette re-issue via Belgium’s Babylon Doom Cult Records. Some five years in the making, the record is one created by an anonymous collection of six musicians from the equally mysterious and ever-growing Ordo Vampyr Orientis circle, recorded in a Castle Under The Blood Moon anno MMXVI…

Lulling the listener into a false sense of security, the introduction is a rich flamenco style acoustic guitar piece that evokes thoughts of spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood as the protagonist, however that moment is altogether short lived as “Blood Pact of Ordo Vampyr” resurrects the corpse with an electrostatic shock of millions of volts. The order of the day is a raw and abrasive Black Metal offering but while the caustic vocals sound like they’ve been recorded on potato in a dark, dank basement torture chamber hell, the guitars offer more second wave influsions and despite the evil guitar tone of choice, there is a black ‘n Roll sensibility akin to Sadistic Force or Bewitcher underneath it all. Bloodthirsty and aggressive, it still has its fair share of blasting with the kit being hammered to within an inch of its life, with “Solis Mors” sounding like a serious cardiovascular workout for someone of the stature of Gene Hoglan or Kevin Talley. The material has plenty of substance with the band easily able to hold down the near seven minute playing time of their average cut blistering combinations and intricate interplay. Saving the most glorious of their skull batterings until last, “Solis Corpis” incorporates some Organ meloncholic undertones that help break down the vitriolic and violence of the vocals. It’s false ending allows for the introduction of some Imperial Triumphant like majesty and a vibrant grandiose extended solo as glorious as it is unexpected. So while this isn’t one for purists, it is a piece of brilliance that will see Bat Magic rise to the top of the Black Metal underground scene should they continue along this left hand path to glorious immolation [7.5/10]

Track listing