Bates Motel

TOOM

(c)(p)1996 Nearly Nude Music

Review by Neil St.Laurent

Thanks to the band for the CD

Bates Motel, the location of suspense in those Pyshco films, and the name of a metal band hailing from Vancouver, Canada, offer us "TOOM", full title "Tales Of Ordinary Madness", a high energy collection of seemingly original and energetic music.

Right from the opener, "Killing Me", the music positions itself as a highly approachable, and potentially catchy, metal flare (definitely flare is the word to use as the music has a certain simple prowess about it). Focusing on the rhythm and mood, rather than technicalities, the music of Bates Motel is typically the classic lead/rhythm guitar approach. Far from the bands of the NWOBHM strain, the music on "TOOM" doesn't tell any grand sagas or mysterious tales, but rather adds impact by using simple riffs and having an enthusiastic sound (i.e. a lot of music sounds as though the artists were getting bored playing it, whereas the members of Bates Motel seem to keep every component of the music alive). One of the many exceptions to the standard is "Like A Cat", where the sound replicates a sort of prowling theme sound and although the lyrics are quite silly, the music is appealing to one's 'curiousity'. Indeed, despite being based on the classic lead/rhythm approach, the appeal of this album comes from all the deviations -- and although sometimes it does sound like a random collection of elements, it is generally combined fairly well to produce a single unit of sound.

Beyond the 'standard' fare, songs like "Cemeteries" offer a somewhat keyboard driven atmosphere, but the song's prominant value is still in the simple clean guitar melodies that progress through the song.

The only complaint would be that elements from the opener, "Killing Me", may too heavily influence some of the remaining songs. That is almost to be expected though, as "Killing Me" is the most appealing song on the disc.

It isn't too often that you can find something outside of the extreme and experimental genres that is uniquely appealing in some fashion. Without a doubt however, the music of Bates Motel does appear somewhat experimental, but if you pay attention you will realize that it is instead a collection of what is known elegantly rearranged to provide original material. However, one of the main appealing points of the album is the most difficult to describe, each component of the music sounds as though its purveyor was genuinely interested in the music and thus there is a lot of energy in this recording.

Bates Motel is:
Quinn - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Kermit - Drums
Mr. Bates - Vocals, Guitar
Sandy - Bass

Contact:
Bates Motel
8625 Olser
Box 101
Vancouver BC V6P 4E6
Canada

Email: BMOTEL@uniserve.com

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