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Album Reviews : Golden Bats – Golden Bats III

By on October 23, 2012

It seems I took a bit too long to review Golden Bats’ third self-titled EP; a fourth has already come out, and a fifth is on the way. Whether that’s more to do with my lack of spare time or the productivity of the one man behind this band (all five of those EPs were released in 2012…), I’ll leave up to you.

Golden Bats is described as “one dude with some fuzz and a drum machine… oh, and some delay”, and that’s a pretty accurate summation. Fuzzy doom riffs and pained yells drenched in reverb are the foundation of all four tracks, and sure it’s nothing terribly unique, but it’s done bloody well. It’s just full of groove, and if you’re not nodding slowly within thirty seconds of hearing it then there is something wrong with you. It’s the type of music that demands a beer in hand, and perhaps something a bit greener. While the two originals (“Nine Bloody Steps” and “Flesh Recorder”) are easily the stronger half, he has made the two covers his own. In fact, I didn’t even realise they were covers until I read the notes. “Death Ship”, originally by the Hoodoo Gurus, actually turns out to be one of the darkest numbers, while Ngozi Family’s “Night Of Fear” ends up sounding undeniably Black Sabbath (with much more tortured vocals).

If fuzz and doom are part of your staple diet then Golden Bats III, as well as all of the others, are worth additions to your collection. Grab them all (the first three are free downloads) at the link below and listen to them in chronological order, but be sure to give each the required time to really take in those riffs.

Band: Golden Bats
Album: Golden Bats III
Year: 2012
Genre: Doom
Label: Independent
goldenbats.bandcamp.com

Track list:
1. Nine Bloody Steps
2. Flesh Recorder
3. Death Ship (Hoodoo Gurus cover)
4. Night Of Fear (Ngozi Family cover)

About

Mitch Booth is the owner, designer and grand overlord of Metal Obsession. In the few seconds of spare time he has outside of this site, he also hosts a metal radio show over on PBS 106.7fm in Melbourne (Australia) and organises shows under the name Untitled Touring. You should follow him on Twitter.