The Bitch is Back: Bitch's Heavy Metal Onslaught
There were few bands in the 1980s that embodied the raw, unfiltered aggression of heavy metal quite like Bitch. Their 1987 release, "The Bitch is Back", was a snarling beast of a record—part statement, part provocation, and a full-throttle ride through the band’s gritty vision of metal. Emerging from the underground Los Angeles scene, Bitch was one of the first female-fronted metal bands to push the boundaries of image, sound, and sheer audacity.
Historical Context: The Scene and the Fury
By 1987, heavy metal was at an explosive crossroads. The scene had fractured into multiple directions: thrash was rising, glam was reigning supreme on MTV, and the underground still pulsed with the raw energy of traditional heavy metal. While bands like Metallica and Slayer were laying down the law for extreme metal, Bitch continued forging their own path—one that straddled shock theatrics and classic heavy metal power.
Bitch had already made waves with "Be My Slave" (1983), an album that drew as much attention for its dominatrix-inspired imagery as for its pounding metal anthems. But "The Bitch is Back" wasn’t just a follow-up; it was a deliberate statement of defiance, reinforcing that Bitch was here to stay—louder, prouder, and nastier than ever.
Musical Exploration and the Heavy Metal Backbone
Unlike many of their contemporaries who were either veering into radio-friendly territory or descending into extreme metal chaos, Bitch remained steadfast in their commitment to pure heavy metal. The album’s title track, a cover of Elton John’s
"The Bitch is Back," was more than a gimmick—it was a reclamation. Betsy’s raspy, aggressive delivery twisted the song into a venomous declaration of resilience.
Controversies and Shock Value
Bitch had always been a band that thrived on controversy, and this album was no exception. Their overtly aggressive imagery and themes of power and control were still a talking point, with critics either praising them for breaking gender norms in metal or dismissing them as a gimmick. But the music itself was undeniable—this was a band that could back up their aesthetic with serious musicianship and intensity.
The Production Team: Metal Blade’s Signature Sound
Joseph Romersa helmed the production, ensuring the album had the punch and grit needed for a heavy metal record. The legendary Bill Metoyer, a name synonymous with Metal Blade Records, handled the sound engineering, lending the record the same crisp, aggressive production that made albums by Slayer, Armored Saint, and Flotsam and Jetsam legendary.
Recorded across multiple studios, including Stagg Street Studio and Preferred Sound, the production maintained a raw but polished edge. Scott Campbell’s engineering work ensured the guitars cut through with searing precision, while the rhythm section pounded through like a war machine.
The "Blood Dripping Axe" Record Label: A Collector’s Holy Grail
One of the most infamous details about "The Bitch is Back" is its release under the Metal Blade Records imprint featuring the notorious "Blood Dripping Axe" logo. For collectors, this version is considered a prize, as it marks an era where Metal Blade was at its most raw and fearless, championing underground metal acts that pushed the boundaries of the genre.
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Album Fact Sheet: BITCH The Bitch is Back
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Music Genre:
Heavy Metal
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Album Production Information:
The album: "BITCH The Bitch is Back" was produced by: Joseph Romersa
Sound/Recording Engineer(s): Bill Metoyer
Bill Metoyer – Producer, Sound Engineer
Legendary Metal Blade in-house producer who helped define the raw, aggressive sound of 1980s heavy metal.
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Bill Metoyer is a highly influential producer and sound engineer whose work became a cornerstone of American heavy metal in the 1980s. As Vice President and in-house engineer at Metal Blade Records, he was directly responsible for capturing the raw intensity and unpolished power of bands like Slayer, Armored Saint, and Flotsam and Jetsam. His production style favored clarity without sanding off the aggression, helping underground metal sound dangerous, immediate, and unmistakably alive.
This album was recorded at:
- Stagg Street Studio - by Kevin Beauchamp
- Preferred Sound - by Scott Campbell.
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Scott Campbell – Sound Engineer
Freelance engineer whose late-1980s work captured the aggressive edge of American thrash and underground metal.
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Scott Campbell is a freelance sound engineer I associate with the no-frills, high-volume reality of late-1980s metal recording. During that period he engineered vinyl albums for a wide range of bands including Sacred Reich, Flotsam and Jetsam, Bitch, Masi, Heretic, Rigor Mortis, Dr. Kow, Tyrant, and Cryptic Slaughter. His work documents an era where speed, precision, and raw power mattered far more than studio gloss.
- Track Record - b< Ken Paulakovich
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Ken Paulakovich – Sound Engineer
Veteran underground engineer whose mid-1980s work helped shape the raw studio sound of American thrash metal.
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Ken Paulakovich is a sound engineer I associate with the hard-working backbone of the 1980s underground metal scene. Active from the mid-1980s onward, he engineered dozens of albums where speed, volume, and authenticity came before polish. His studio work with bands such as Sacred Reich, Tyrant, Incubus, and Pandemonium documents a period when thrash metal was still being carved out in real time, loud, aggressive, and unapologetically raw.
Logo and cover art graphics:
Vince Gutierrez
Original logo design: Ron Cordy
Album cover photography: John Scarpati
John Scarpati a professional photographer whose photography has appeared on hundreds of album and CD covers for bands and individual musicians. In the 1980s he has photographed Heavy Metal bands including: Rigor Mortis, Sound Barrier, Armored Saint, Ruthless, Rush, Wrathchild America, Eden, Bitch, Stryper, Black Sheep, Rage, Trauma, Poison and many others..
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Record Label & Catalognr:
Metal Blade Records RR 9627
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Record Format:
12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) Weight: 230 gram
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Year & Country:
1987 Manufactured in Netherlands
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