Release
date: 26th March 2016. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Lusus
Naturae – Tracklisting
1.
Clouds In The Sky
2.
Eyes Are Watching
3.
Arachne
4.
Skin Crawler
5.
Find The Stranger
6.
You Must Sin
7.
Burnt Offering
8.
Mask Of Satan
9.
It
10.
Astral Corpse
11.
Lusus Naturae
12.
The Strain
Band
Members:
Trevor
William Church - vocals, guitars
John
Tucker - bass guitar
Andy
"Juan Bonham" Saldate - drums
Review:
Beastmaker
from California are a brand new acquaintance to me and I was sold
from the word go. So more of this please! I guess you can say this
trio moves within the sphere of doom, but man the way Beastmaker
unleashes their magic breathes new life into a somewhat overcrowded
genre. Few new bands can match the old guard in terms of quality and
honesty, and that’s one part in which the band excels. Not afraid
to show who their influences are, they blend this with their own
beautiful ideas. And the resulting concoction brewing in the
cauldron, is invigorating and delicious.
Foreboding
and punishing with a strong hint of early Black Sabbath, ‘Lusus
Naturae’ brings out demons and nightmares from the darkest recesses
of your mind. Mid-paced tempo, for the most part, with a full and
earth-shattering bass guitar, loud and pounding drums that backs
riffs that rips through steel. Adding occult themes for the lyrics
and their magic brew is ready and potent as hell.
You
should definitely enjoy the entire album, you hear, simply because it
is badass! However, there are some tracks that stands out and
represents the band the best. Church bells initiates opener ‘Clouds
In The Sky’ and you can feel a storm brewing as evil forces
approaches. Sludgy, crawling and sinister, it’s the perfect start
to ‘Lusus Naturae’. Sticking to the lurking, crawling stance
‘Eyes Are Watching’ is even more foreboding and claustrophobic.
The brutal riffs and Trevor’s distorted vocals enhances this
greatly. The groove is on in ‘Skin Crawler’. A thumping, pounding
bass guitar leads the way as Andy and Trevor weaves their magic
around it. Slightly faster tempo, Beastmaker still breaks it down
with an eerie, trippy mid-section that only adds to their excellence.
Very Sabbath-y, ‘Burnt Offering’ is occult doom at it’s finest.
No there are no baying Hammond Organs or seductive female vocals.
Instead, the guys let their hair hang down as they belt out a
fantastic evil creation. ‘Mask Of Satan’ is the best song of them
all which is not a small feat, considering the great music
throughout. Chugging riffs play on top of the bass guitar and drums,
whose tightness and power can’t be underestimated. Ending in the
most bone-chilling fashion, ‘The Strain’ goes slow but aims for
the gut and it hits home immediately.
Like
I mentioned earlier, Beastmaker are not afraid to show where they
come from. The influence of a young and hungry Black Sabbath has the
band enveloped, and then some. But the guys sidesteps any trappings
of bringing in too much of their influences, simply by writing great
songs and having a blast playing. All while making no apologies and
rocking their socks off. I’m totally sold on Beastmaker and I urge
you to check them out folks. Great stuff, indeed!
Words
by Håkan Nyman
Lusus
Naturae is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Rise Above Records
now.
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