Beastmaker, ‘Inside the Skull’ – Exclusive Album Stream + Interview

So, you like Black Sabbath right? How about Pentagram and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats? Assuming you do, this also means you're going to dig this new Beastmaker album, Inside the Skull, which is streaming in full two days ahead of its release, exclusively here at Loudwire. Check out the album below along with our interview with guitarist / vocalist Trevor William Church.

Some of you may remember when we premiered Beastmaker's "Burnt Offering" off last year's Lusus Naturae and we've done one better this time with all 10 red-eyed, riff-soaked tracks off their new effort. Inside the Skull is an inviting listen, opening with a bombastic guitar lick, showing off a fuzzy, old school production.

Slippery, horror-inspired leads clash with earth-heaving riffs as Church's aching, nasal-toned voice envelops it all in a doomy haze. Songs like "Give Me a Sign," which appears right in the middle of the record, offer a perfect change of pace with gloomy, clean-toned guitars that beg for the icy cold touch of the hand of death.

Inside the Skull will be out May 19 through Rise Above and pre-orders can be placed at Amazon or digitally through iTunes. To keep up with everything Beastmaker are up to, follow the band on Facebook.

Beastmaker are currently on the road supporting Zakk Sabbath, the Black Sabbath cover band spearheaded by legendary axeman Zakk Wylde. For a list of stops, head to this location.

Beastmaker, Inside the Skull - Full Album Stream

Interview With Beastmaker's Trevor William Church

Albums in back to back years rarely happen anymore. What has allowed Beastmaker to release Inside the Skull so soon?

We have built our own home recording studio. This lets us work at our own creative pace and also the room is kind of an inspiration room as well. We have it decorated in our favorite horror lobbies, toys, vintage collectables. We had also written the material for Inside the Skull while we were recording our debut Lusus naturae. We rehearsed the songs on tour and the time to record just fell nicely in line.

Let’s talk about creating a retro sound in a world full of polished, slick productions. Are there any pains you go through to get the old school sound or to dirty things up?

I think a lot of that just comes from the songwriting and how we play together. We use a universal audio 4 710-d in the studio so everything is getting some nice tube warmth to the sound. We mic everything up — a lot people just use digital presets now days. We definitely use plug-ins when it comes to mixing and mastering our music. Andy, our drummer, is the guy that does that part. I do the recording engineering part. The only pains that come from recording is the time it takes us. We have to do mixing between work days and what not.

What was the most important thing in distinguishing Inside the Skull from Lusus Naturae?

We wanted Inside the Skull to have a different tone. So we changed up the equipment we used. In my opinion we created a [thicker], heavy mastering job on this one. Lusus Naturae has more of an old school mastering style.

What’s your favorite Black Sabbath album? If you’re like the rest of us and can’t decide, how about a top two?

I can only speak for myself here. I have to have Master of Reality and Vol. 4, but I love 'em all.

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