Review: Beastwars ‘Tyranny Of Distance’
Beastwars latest album is a wild ride through the annals of New Zealand music, taking a collection of covers from different genres and styles and giving them a stoner rock treatment. Tyranny Of Distance is a great tour of the sounds of bands such as The Gordons, Superette, and Children’s Hour, not so well known outside New Zealand, highlighted and transformed in a display of the accomplished sound of Beastwars.
The record kicks off with Identity (originally by The Gordons), which has a sound that is certainly brimming with character. It’s a piece of grimy noise-rock, propelled by a deep bass sound as well as powerful drums. The guitar is channelling the dirt, with interesting layering and the vocals pierce through with a ton of expression. Beastwars prove they can really groove even in a tight industrial beat, and the way it opens up at the end is glorious.
The next track, Waves (originally by Superette), rolls in without much of a pause, keeping us tumbling off the powerful bass. The vocal range is rich and the timbre shines with personality, toeing a line between hard rock, heavy metal, and a harsher modern sound. Deft guitar riffing is always at hand, as well as subtle production details which are really well accomplished. The vocal work is quite great, and the arrival of high-pitched tones at the end completes this song’s peculiar aesthetic.
Emmanuelle (originally by Snapper) maintains the pace, with the vocals exploring a different territory, in an eminently danceable track. Dark Child (originally by Marlon Williams) slows down to a noisy as hell ballad in which the bass takes centre stage, along with an enchanting vocal tale. The chorus is so catchy, it really grabs you into another solid groove, which these guys nail every time while Looking For The Sun (originally by Children’s Hour) is a blast full-throttle rocking through everything in its path, like a kid on speed.
there is something that is immediately accessible and directly impactful in all these tracks…
The next song gives off the vibe of a distorted folk song. High And Lonely (originally by Nadia Reid), I mean, who hasn’t been there? Honestly, there is something that is immediately accessible and directly impactful in all these tracks and Beastwars’ treatment of them.
We Light Fire (originally by Julia Deans) has a curious upbeat rhythm, nearly tropical, and it juxtaposes a super melancholic interplay of guitar and bass. They are doing something very different here, bringing fuzz to pop, or pop to doom, or something along those lines, but it’s really working.
Spooky (originally by 3Ds) takes a less distorted sound on guitar, and the vocal captivates into an eerie sense of calm, which is immediately subverted by powerful riffing and some of the most intense vocals on the album. The song fluctuates between sombre but quiet and a dark and menacing, full-throated sound.
Tyranny Of Distance is a stoner, grunge and doom reimagining of New Zealand’s rich musical heritage that’s available now over on Bandcamp.
Label: Independent
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Scribed by: Goro Riffs
