Beastwars
The Death of All Things
Release Date: 22 April 2016
Destroy Records
Review by Cameron Cooper
Sludge. Doom. Stoner. At this point, the doom metal scene has become so densely populated, the various sub-genres seem to have fallen by the wayside, with the punk-infused, beard-and-trucker-hat stoners rising to the top of the grungy pile. But although it might be easy to lump every slow, fuzzy band with a pissed off frontman together, there’s one very good reason not to; Beastwars.
The Wellington quartet are certainly channelling some serious High on Fire vibes on, The Death of All Things, but the band are also heavily informed by the more laid back side of the rock n roll spectrum, clear on the whirling guitar, drawling vocals and plodding bass and drums of tracks like, Some Sell Their Souls.
Beneath the rough, cement-mixing surface of the band’s doom metal anthems lays a ponderous bedrock of subtly, bringing a rich, melancholy and borderline-epic aesthetic to the record. Whether you’re a riff-worshiping acolyte of the New Doom Order or a staunch naysayer who’d rather spin Manilla Road, there’s something in Beastwar’s brand of heavy metal for you.
