Beastmaker is a band with solid heavy-rock bloodlines—their singer’s father played bass on Montrose self-titled, arguably one of the finest examples of American proto-metal and inarguably the best thing Sammy Hagar has ever sung. The California trio rises above the crop of faceless Swedish outfits on Rise Above, taking us back to the glory days of Witchcraft, Electric Wizard and maybe even Cathedral on their second album.
“Evil One” starts things off on a low-slung Sabbathy note, although there are certainly shades of Witchcraft here as well. “Heaven to Hell” very nearly out-Ozzys Ozzy, and that riff is 100% pure Iommi worship. “Now Howls the Beast” begins with actual howling, before delivering a punishing crunchy riff punctuated with breakdowns aplenty… and a few guitar harmonics more reminiscent of Zakk Sabbath (who, incidentally, they are opening for this month).
“Of Gods Creation” sounds more like latter-day Sabbath—it wouldn’t be outta place on 13. The devastating doom riffs continue on “Nature of the Damned,” a straight-forward grungy stomper with a killer chorus breakdown. Sabbath is definitely the primary influence here, but as opposed to, say, Orchid, they don’t come off as a de facto cover band, but just another chip off the doom-metal block.
On tour:
BEASTMAKER W/ Zakk Sabbath
5/17: Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant St*
5/18: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
5/19: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
5/20: Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Theatre*
5/21: Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter*
5/22: Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall*
5/23: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
5/24: New Orleans, LA @ Siberia Nola*
5/25: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio
5/26: Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill
5/28: St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
5/30: Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
5/31: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
6/2: Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
6/3: Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing*
6/4: Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
6/6: Spokane, WA @ The Pin
6/7: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
6/8: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
6/10: San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
6/17: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
*Denotes Headline Show
