beastwars is a stoner/doom metal band from new zealand and i stumbled upon them earlier this year because of their most recent album "the death of all things". it was actually released in 2016 already on destroy records. when i checked the kozmik artifactz store i came across the nice cover art and took a quick listen. i did like what i heard but i still didn't come around to order a copy. i forgot about the band in the coming months.
beastwars were brought back into my focus with an ebay auction for their debut full length from 2011. because i checked discogs for second hand prices and availability of their first two records, i knew that it would be tough to get them. that was why i couldn't let this opportunity slip through my fingers. it was one of those ten-days auctions, so i was pretty tensed when the day of the auction's end finally came.
thankfully i got the record for under fifteen bucks, which is quite a good deal in my book. when this beauty arrived and i dropped the needle on it for the first time, i was all satisfied. this self-titled album is the perfect mix of high on fire's stoner metal and crowbar's mighty sludge metal. together with vocalist matt hydes' whisky formed voice, the record makes for a very variable and unique listen. check it out here.
the presentation adds to the overall good impression. the unbelievably detailed artwork by nick keller, who also graced records of the black dahlia murder or horn of the rhino, is perfectly presented on a gatefold cover, which has some even nicer art on the inside. the vinyl comes on a lovely white with black marble colour pattern. it was part of the second press out of 200 copies. destroy records. 2011.
