UNDERGROUND ROCK: Clayton Anderson, left, and Matt Hyde in action.
UP-AND-COMING Wellington rock band Beastwars are preparing to release their self titled debut album.
The Wellington foursome comprises guitarist Clayton Anderson, bass player James Woods, drummer Natoforce and Matt Hyde on vocals.
They co-produced the album in Dunedin with engineer Dale Cotton, who has worked with high profile bands such as Dimmer, Sola Rosa and H,D,U.
The sessions recorded at Cotton’s home studio rendered 12 tracks and the band members say they came away feeling pleased with the whole recording experience.
“Dale and James used to run a studio together in Dunedin, it was like best buddies hooking up to make an album,” says Anderson, whose also works as a journalist on Campbell Live.
The band, best described as underground rock, has attracted some good reviews for their energetic live performances which has helped inspire them.
“We played to 9 people but we got a kick-arse review and it just grew from there” says Hyde, who has mellowed somewhat from his hard partying days as frontman for Auckland band The Larry Normans.
Beastwars will be released next year on vinyl as well as on compact disc.
Matt says pressing it onto vinyl will create “something more precious” and a larger canvas to display the album artwork, which has been created by Weta Workshop artist and designer Nick Keller, a big fan of the band.
Anderson says the band saw the artwork before recording the album and were taken by what he describes as an epic piece.
“Giants returning from the horned planet, a huge giant being, made out of electricity and clouds tearing apart pyramids with it’s tentacles, pretty inspiring shit,” says Anderson.
The band have a couple of local shows planned this year while the album is being mixed, first at Watusi bar on October 30 and then at Mighty Mighty bar on November 18.
