With a band named Beastmaker and an album called, “Inside the Skull,” you get an expectation for something heavy and brutal, in the extremes of Death Metal. . . Just goes to show that you should never judge a band by their name, or by their album cover (which is the band name in a blood-dripping font above a caved-in skull, which is inhabited by a snake and a tarantula). Their sound is heavy, and full of Doom, but the tempos, riffs, vocals, and overall tone are bit more retro, more interested in spacing you out than melting your face off (ironically).

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Black Sabbath’s ears must be ringing. I mean, every Metal band - - plus the majority of artists across all genres - - copy the original Sabbath lineup’s sound to some degree, but on “Inside the Skull” Beastmaker take the emulation a step further than others. The Sabbath influence permeates and seeps into everything, like the weed smell in a stoner’s couch. Vocalist/guitarist, Trevor Church, pulls off the impressive feat of simultaneously imitating Ozzy and Tony Iommi; his inflection and single-note riffing sound as close as any Sabbath tribute band.
OK, now that we’ve gotten that out the way, we can talk about the music - - because as much as I hammered home the Sabbath-aping, they don’t feel like a Sabbath rip-off. Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, and Ward should be more honored than insulted. The songs are generally well-written and interesting enough, with a sick (good sick) full fuzz sound, with calls also to The Sword, Cathedral, and the whole of contemporary Doom, to make this a recommendable disc. Enjoy tracks 4, 5, and 9, “Of Gods Creation,” “Give Me A Sign,” “Night Bird.” Obey track 4: “Now Howls The Beast.”