siLLy puPPy BEASTMAKER is a trio from Fresno, CA that makes traditional doom metal in the vein of classic bands like Pentagram, Saint Vitus and Trouble as well as old school Black Sabbath and takes it all back to the grarage rock grit with a stoner vibe along with the luxury of 21st century production techniques. The band consists of Trevor William (guitars / vocals), Andy “Juan Bonham” Saldate (drums) and John Tucker (bass) and despite not being the most prolific band of full-length albums since their circa 2015 formation, the band has however been cranking out EPs like there’s no tomorrow with 10 coming out in 2018 alone,

YOU MUST SIN is the first EP, first release and overall a declaration of intent actually that announced the band was joining the ranks of the greater doom metal world and aligning their energies with the pioneers who have steered the genre into the modern era. Armed with an amateurish looseness as not to take themselves too seriously, this debut of five tracks finds the prevailing methodology of cranking out heavy distorted bluesy riffs that chug along at mid-tempo with the occasional more hefty tempo changes along with psychedelic solos that dissipate into the sonicsphere like a waft of bong smoke in a college dorm.

With an effect of wind sounds and cathedral bells leading the way, BEASTMAKER finds itself surfing familiar territory with the chugging riffs resembling the aforementioned influences almost to a T which along with Church’s dead ringer Ozzy-isms finds the whole affair a tad too traditional for my liking. With lyrics of Pagan mysticism poised in poetic perfection, the storylines fueled by the hazy fuzz of the guitar and bass find the band as masters of mimic and in the end too little originality to really take seriously. BEASTMAKER is amongst a new breed of stoner induced traditional doom metal bands that seems to think that just going through the motions is enough and judging by the popularity of one of metal’s least technically adept sub-genres it very well could pay off in the commercial aspects.

Overtly derivative and staunchly unwilling to experiment YOU MUST SIN sadly marks this beast with the sense of complacency that hasn’t deviated significantly through its massive run of recent EPs. Ultimately BEASTMAKER is a band too steeped in its influences and past glories albeit dressed in the modern era’s clothing with an excellent production and mixing job. While i guess the point is for a fuzzed out trad doom metal band to stick to the playbook, ultimately i just find such ceaseless attempts to replicate the past to feel hollow and unsatisfying. While doom metal is hardly the only guilty party in this attempt to cash in on the past, it sure seems to have a larger roster of characters than most attempting to do so with BEASTMAKER clearly existing in that very camp.

Nightfly USA doom/stoner metal band Beastmaker impressed me with last years Lusus Naturae. Their Black Sabbath infused retro metal was on heavy rotation in my house quite a while. Sure, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking but what matters the most with this sort of stuff is how good the riffs are right? There it scored pretty highly with me.

Inside The Skull is a quick follow up by today’s standards. History is littered with rushed second albums that have fallen flat in an attempt to capitalize on the any momentum built up by the first. Well fortunately that’s not the case with Beastmaker as they’ve released an album at least as good as Lusus Naturae, quite possibly better. There’s not much in the way of musical growth, the band adopting the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it ethos, but the new songs display more confidence and maturity. The sound is brighter but the riffs are still as crushing as ever but there’s still room for some melody. Pick of the bunch is opener Evil One, Heaven To Hell, Now Howls The Beast and Inside The Skull simply for having the best riffs but to be honest there’s very little to choose between most of the album. Give Me A Sign is more dynamic with the heavier chorus riffs being preceded by the cleaner guitar tones of the verse adding some welcome colour. Trevor William Church’s mournful Ozzy style vocals are perfect for this sort of stuff and he’s also responsible for the solid guitar work. Equally solid is the rhythm section of Andres Alejandro Saldate IV and John Michael Tucker who largely keep things simple but add enough variation with syncopated rhythms to keep things interesting.

There are loads of bands out there doing this sort of stuff but Beastmaker are one of the better examples. If you enjoy the likes of Sabbath, Cathedral and Pentagram these guys are for you.

Kev Rowland

Formed in California in 2014, this is the second full-length album from the doom/stoner trio. Now, I like doom as much as the next metalhead, and have lots of stoner in my collection, but I can’t get out of my head that this is NWOBHM-tinged doom as opposed to the real thing. Now, back in 1979 I was sweet sixteen, and fell into the genre wholeheartedly but even in the early days it was easy to see what bands were going to make it, what bands might make it, and what bands were probably just going to release one album or single and then vanish, and Beastmaker fall into the last category. They are currently touring with Zakk Sabbath, and I can imagine that they would be a great warm-up band, but never anything more than that.

This is an okay album, but there isn’t enough in the way of good songs for me to want to keep returning to it, and there is a feeling that they have a lot to do if they ever want to break out of the second division.

Nightfly A fairly new band from California, Beastmaker impressed former Cathedral singer Lee Dorrian enough with their self-released EP, You Must Sin, to sign them up to his Rise Above Records. Anyone familiar with this labels stable of artists will hardly be surprised as it’s the kind of doom infused retro metal that Rise Above excel in. More akin to the likes of Black Sabbath and Pentagram than the weed soaked fuzzy groove of Electric Wizard, hell, it even has the cheek to open with church bells like Sabbath’s debut; there’s confidence for you.

Whilst this trio don’t exactly bring anything new to the table it doesn’t really matter when the 12 compositions are this good as one compelling riff follows another. Clean vocals, like a slightly lower register Ozzy are welcome and preferable in this type of doom than the growls employed by some bands in the genre. There’s some tastefully restrained atmospheric guitar arpeggios interspaced between the heavy riffing adding dynamics and interest too. Whilst no track in particular stands out, it’s a measure of the quality on offer here rather than any weakness.

Overall, a great debut album and anyone with a taste for the likes of Sabbath, Witchcraft, the Sword and Pentagram should check them out pronto.