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Beastwars

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Music we hold — on our catalogue

The majority of our Wellington CD collection is available from our Te Awe Branch in Brandon St, or able to be reserved for free from our Distribution Centre in Johnsonville.

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Wellington sludge metal four-piece Beastwars abide by one steadfast maxim: Obey the Riff. Described as “a mongrel mix of Kyuss, Neurosis, and the mighty Godflesh…” (NZ Herald) and playing “heavy tunes for heavy times” (ALARM), the Wellington-based sonic soothsayers utilize the chaos that engulfs our world as ammunition for their defiant howls into the abyss.

When drummer Nathan Hickey met guitarist Clayton Anderson they dreamed of forming a band that melded their two biggest musical influences, Kyuss and The Cult. Soon after Hickey and Anderson formed a three-piece instrumental band with bassist James Woods. At their first show singer Matt Hyde was there, evidently singing along in the crowd. Soon he was in the band…After 5 years of gigging & building a solid fan base their dreams finally came to fruition with the release of their 2011 self-titled album, which went on to receive glowing reviews, and invited musical comparisons to Soundgarden, Mastodon, and Unsane, amongst others.

Meet Beastwars – Stuff, May 13, 2011

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The album also gained recognition for Nick Keller’s cover design, winning the 2011 New Zealand Music Award for Best Album Artwork or Packaging. The band received a nomination for best New Zealand Rock Album at the same ceremony, but ultimately lost out to Ignite. The album was also shortlisted for the 2012 Taite Music Prize.

The album ‘Blood Becomes Fire’ followed in 2013, to plenty of rapturous reviews, both locally & overseas.

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Matt Hyde and Nathan Hickey tell us why we should ‘obey the riff’, on their new album Blood Becomes Fire.

Anatomy Of A Song: Beastwars ‘The Sleeper’

Trevor Reekie reviewing Beast Wars second album Blood Becomes Fire for The Sampler on RNZ National, May 2013.

Live at Auckland’s Kings Arms, Auckland on 22 November 2013…

Third album The Death of All Things arrived in 2016, along with the announcement that the band was going on an indefinite hiatus.

Beastwars on hiatus after NZ tour – NZ Herald online Apr. 26, 2016

Music 101’s Zac Arnold caught up with Nathan ‘Nato’ Hickey and Matthew Hyde to find out how much truth is in a name…

Beastwars/Ceasefire? – NZ Musician Magazine, April/May, 2016

Verse Chorus Verse: Beastwars
Beastwars drummer Nathan Hickey on the title track from the band’s triumphant new album – The Wireless

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