In performances in the last few years, this song is removed. I don’t know if the entire scene in which it appears is removed, but frankly I think the show would make far more sense without it.

Falco is torturing captured members of the Lost in his search for Strat, seeking revenge for Raven’s kidnapping, when Zahara arrives, bearing Strat’s bloodied shirt, with news of his demise. Falco celebrates his death but ignores pleas from Raven and Sloane and a logical argument from Zahara to let them go in the wake of Strat’s death. The women leave and he sings the song as he and his henchmen torture the Lost, building up to him eventually electrocuting Jagwire at the end of the song.

This scene serves to make Falco truly evil. He’s not just older and different than the Lost. He’s not just a father trying to protect his daughter. He’s a powerful man and he enjoys causing pain.

Surprisingly, this version of “In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King” is very nearly the same as Meat Loaf’s. Considering that Steinman was not there for Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose and has ripped the album at every opportunity, it’s surprising that not only does he include a song that appeared on that album but he doesn’t arrange it differently.

A mix of church bells, horns, synths, and guitars give the opening fanfare, then it cuts back to the menacing, threatening rhythm as Rob Fowler delivers his vocals. The chorus brings back the church bells, horns, and synthesizers, joined by ensemble backing vocals that go with Fowler.

The same thing happens again and it’s over.

Fowler is able to deliver the song a bit better here than ’06 Meat Loaf, who had started to show signs of age. But that’s really the only difference between the versions. It’s one of the weakest songs Steinman ever wrote, which makes it shocking that it ever appeared in Bat out of Hell: The Musical, even ignoring what it does storywise.