Batpiss - Nuclear Winter (09/07/2013)
Blending the punk, sludge, stoner, hardcore and doom genres sounds horrific, it is very easy to get lost with so many different genres vying for attention, although Batpiss have pulled it off in their debut album, Nuclear Winter.
I find that, with any up and coming band, the first track on the album is always crucial in captivating the attention of the audience, and Nuclear Winter’s opener is an absolute ripper. Seed opens with a cheeky bit of feedback interrupted by a simple, but very well executed, distorted riff which effectively foreshadows the oncoming heavy, sludgy bass riff.
While some bands do tend to over use their overdrive and distortion pedals, Batpiss have struck the not-so-common acceptable ground of accurate usage. The various effects throughout the song add to the structural integrity of the piece, and serve not to distract the listener from the song. Other highlights include songs such as Drag Your Body, the mid-album interlude entitled Pigs Blood and the very heavily Kyuss influenced closer, Drone.
More often than not, a lot of local Australian bands that I have encountered seem to favour style over substance, whereas Batpiss have accurately captured and replicated an intricate, bare-bones, DIY punk attitude that has made bands such as The Dead Kennedys, The Bad Brains and Black Flag so popular. And with such a great album, it’s not surprising that the band has shared the stage with such bands Off!, The Bronx and Regurgitator.
In short, if you ever wondered what the dark spawn of an orgy between Black Flag, The Misfits and Kyuss would sound like, this is a band for you. Watch this band, ladies and gentlemen; Batpiss could very well be the biggest Australian music success story since the astronomic rise of Parkway Drive.
James Versluis
I find that, with any up and coming band, the first track on the album is always crucial in captivating the attention of the audience, and Nuclear Winter’s opener is an absolute ripper. Seed opens with a cheeky bit of feedback interrupted by a simple, but very well executed, distorted riff which effectively foreshadows the oncoming heavy, sludgy bass riff.
While some bands do tend to over use their overdrive and distortion pedals, Batpiss have struck the not-so-common acceptable ground of accurate usage. The various effects throughout the song add to the structural integrity of the piece, and serve not to distract the listener from the song. Other highlights include songs such as Drag Your Body, the mid-album interlude entitled Pigs Blood and the very heavily Kyuss influenced closer, Drone.
More often than not, a lot of local Australian bands that I have encountered seem to favour style over substance, whereas Batpiss have accurately captured and replicated an intricate, bare-bones, DIY punk attitude that has made bands such as The Dead Kennedys, The Bad Brains and Black Flag so popular. And with such a great album, it’s not surprising that the band has shared the stage with such bands Off!, The Bronx and Regurgitator.
In short, if you ever wondered what the dark spawn of an orgy between Black Flag, The Misfits and Kyuss would sound like, this is a band for you. Watch this band, ladies and gentlemen; Batpiss could very well be the biggest Australian music success story since the astronomic rise of Parkway Drive.
James Versluis