Childbirth. It can be brutal but the end result can be very rewarding.
Beastwars open their self-titled debut with ‘Damn The Sky’ and an almost excruciatingly heavy riff that only signals the start of their intentions. Plundering depths not often seen in the current New Zealand music climate, Beastwars almost seem an antithesis for the current trend of Hip-hop/Pop/Twee artists that we seem to be churning out with a disconcerting regularity.
As such this album won’t appeal to everyone. You won’t hear any tracks from this being pumped over the soundsystem at The Establishment on a Friday night. Rather this is more suited to the bogan crowd, and will surely become a favourite of the ‘Lower Hutt scene’. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t give it a listen while sitting in your Aro Valley flat drinking a soy latté, anyone with even the slightest inclination towards ‘rock music’ will be impressed with the heavy, sludgy sound these four Wellingtonians are able to produce. In fact ‘stoner rock legends’ Kyuss (who most will know as that band Queens of the Stone Age used to be…) were so impressed they chose Beastwars to support them on their upcoming Wellington show.
The tracks on this album range from the aforementioned heavy opener ‘Damn The Sky’, to the slower relatively ballad-like track ‘Cthulhu’, before closing with the epic ‘Empire’. The nine-track album will take you down to places you didn’t think possible, and while it may be a little heavy for some, Beastwars have definitely birthed a healthy, bouncing, metal baby.
8.2/10