The sun rises for everyone
We are the same
The standard behavior attacks again
Attacks again
A cold, unforgiving grip tightens around our throats, draining the final breath from ordinary lives. Beyond wrecked fields and shattered glass, silent plotters map out their schemes by dim candlelight. Their eyes hold no honesty, their hands no mercy. With empty words, they devour the poor as raw material, churning labor into gleaming coins. Newly risen tyrants, hearts hollow like tin cups, strike bargains with faceless giants. They promise shelter, yet sharpen blades against muffled cries. Under a starless sky, black flags rise, and the people wander—hungry, worn, and robbed of hope. The weight of heavy boots crushes delicate dreams. Before dawn, freedom falters, and fear takes its place at every table.
Daniel Knutz refuses this fate. His powerful new single, Bats vs Rats, with additional vocals from Hanka, springs forth from this grim backdrop as an antifascist gothic anthem that defies the encroachment of extremist ideologies worldwide. From its opening snarls, the piece channels deathrock intensity: blades of guitar, pounding drums, theatrical throats. It also confronts systemic issues such as poverty and threats to civil rights head-on, urging us to recall our own strength. Here, “bats” personify those who dare to resist oppression, while “rats” stand as symbols of the forces sowing division and upholding injustice. With an old-school deathrock sound akin to 45 Grave, Specimen, and Christian Death — swirling, sinister guitar lines, pumping beats, and theatrical vocals, conjuring a brooding glamour born of dark nights – all with a sardonic sense of humor. By celebrating the “people of the night” as sparks of resilience and possibility, the track suggests that even amid suffocating darkness, the fires of change can still burn bright, and light can ultimately prevail.
Is Knutz summoning old magic or rallying a besieged crowd under Pluto in Aquarius?
The video, directed by Dop & Co’s Apostolos Tsakiris, offers a playful performance filmed in both the streets and the studio (we see you on the walls, Fad Gadget and Alien Sex Fiend). Don’t be fooled by the goth theatrics, bat-wing hoodies, and Bauhaus meets Christian Death-inspired vocals. Underneath it all, Knutz’s spirited presence gleams, and his resolve to swing the pendulum back where it belongs remains unwavering.
Watch the bats take flight below:
Bats vs Rats is out now. Order the single here.
Before stepping into the solo spotlight, Daniel Knutz drove Brazil’s The Knutz, the post-punk deathrock outfit he founded with his brother Tiago Abud. Over three albums and two live releases, the band earned their place in the scene, touring Latin America in 2017 and winning praise for their 2018 album The Tower. Venturing beyond familiar borders, Knutz moved to Berlin and co-founded the flamboyant Discodrama with Ludmila Houben. Eventually, he set out on his own, embracing full artistic independence—recording, directing, and releasing his creations on his own terms.
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