Bat Out of Hell

A lawsuit settlement prevents Bat Out of Hell I and II songwriter Jim Steinman from commenting on Bat Out of Hell III in a "derogatory" manner, so this review will speak on his behalf: Bat III is a thrown-together mix of Steinman scraps — twenty-year-old songs and pieces from his aborted Batman musical. Producer Desmond Child and a team of other songwriters try their damnedest to re-create the bombast and grandiosity of Steinman's arena-opera epics, but their efforts fall short. "The Monster Is Loose" and "If It Ain't Broke Break It" delve into Limp Bizkit territory, astonishingly, sporting horns and new-metal guitars. The high points are the old songs, particularly Meat Loaf's emotionally charged "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," but for the most part, the old magical feeling sure ain't coming back.