Beastmaker : "Inside the Skull"

On their first album it didn't feel like there was a much Sabbath worship as what goes down here. The slight Dax Riggs inflection in the vocals is now more of a Ozzy like whine. Not in the same tenor register as Ozzy, but the phrasing is similar . This time around there is more weight in the Sabbath like punch they are packing.Seems like the guitar solos have been dialed up on this album as the band gets more adventurous. I like the melodic middle section that reminds me of "Snow blind" There is a more ominous doom tone to "Of Gods Creation".All metal bands claim their next album is going to be heavier and darker this time the claims were true. It might sound like it came off "Vol 4", but what they are doing works and it's no more of a bowing down to Iommi, than most other traditional doom bands.

Its when we get to the darker and more melodic "Give Me a Sign" that things escalate to the next level of songwriting. It's more of a "Sabotage" era of Sabbath, but it's bad ass. "Nature of the Damned took another listen to grab my attention and even them it's more of a run of the mill proto-Sabbath riff. The pace picks up into a more barreling lumber for "Psychic Visions" the vocals are still very Ozzy as the melodies cruises under the guitar. The guitar solo happens, doesn't really add to the song, but as far as those go it's not too obnoxious either.The title track more of a bunch and the vocals sit on top of things with more authority without being forceful. The chorus is more like a refrain to turn the verse around. While it seems the vocals have more of singular focus on this album, they do smooth out the riff to "Night Bird". This is a song that I can't imagine not playing loud as hell, even as it's blaring into the one ear bud as I type this.

They close the album with  "Sick Sick Demon" that starts at a creep and launches into a similar mid paced Sabbath worship that most of the album tread in with it's heavy boots of lead.I'll round this one up to a 8.5 and see how it grows on me. I think it's heavier and well done but doesn't play to the band's own personality that I preferred on the previous album. But good doom even of this variety seems hard to come by so you take what you can get.