Vol. #133: Beast Killer -“Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me”
Rustbelt Rock Review
By: Z.M. Delgado
Rustbeltrockreview.com
Volume #133: Beast Killer -“Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me”
Release date: April 5th, 2024
Good afternoon my friend and welcome back to the Rustbelt Rock Review in all its glory. This week we have an album that I have been desperate to lay hands on for many months! Actually it is more like years at this point, two years to be more precise. You see, ever since I heard on the first Beast Killer album, I have been undeniably hungry for more. Time passed and I begrudgingly had to come to grips with the fact that there simply wasn’t any more. I learned to get by on the Beast Killer that I had and I survived. With despair in my heart I began to fear that perhaps there would never be new Beast Killer. I felt like a fan set adrift. Well all that changed last Friday. With the force of an atom bomb, Beast Killer dropped their new album “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” and it landed in my lap with a catastrophic bang. Naturally I had preordered the album, so it was waiting for me when I woke up Friday morning. I went about my daily tasks and more or less had the album on a constant loop ever since. With a couple dozen listens in around 36 hours, I think I am ready to talk about what I’ve heard. So awaaaaay we go…
This album opens with “FTW.” A piano starts things off playing a creepy ass melody that sets a most ominous tone. The opening vocal is really cool. It reminds me of a man addressing a crowd while ranting through a bullhorn. This builds into an intense peak; finishing with a scream. There is a chorus of voices raised in song together, followed by an explosion of shouts from the vocalist. This pattern repeats to huge effect, the changes keeping the listener engaged. The song peaks with repeated calls to “Fuck the World.” Without a doubt this is a strong opener. With tempo changes and more complex vocal patterns it immediately shows strength of songwriting and growth from the last album. Without a doubt “FTW” absolutely slams.
Up next is a piece of pure moshpit bait entitled “Pixels.” This song pummels the skull like a baseball bat in the hands of a gorilla. The rhythm is pure driving energy; hard, fast and relentless. From it’s hard hitting intro, to it’s Journey breakdown; from it’s ripping fast verses to the stomping break down at the end, “Pixels” is a killer. Here we hit my personal favorite song on the album, “Comet.” Grooving and melodic, the music to the this song presents a serious feel good vibe. The vocals are kind of sing songy and the chorus is nothing short of catchy. The lyrics on the other hand are a thing of existential horror. The narrator finding life to be so futile that they are wishing for a comet to come and smite the Earth. It is a thing of hopelessness, isolation and dread and I absolutely love it. “Comet” is without a doubt one of the albums strongest tracks.
“Bitter” has a very danceable and Rockin’ rhythm. The sort of sound that you can just as easily bang your head to as you could shake your ass. It starts out good, but doesn’t hit its full stride until about two thirds of the way through when the tempo picks up. The vocals rage “You’re so… Bitter!” over and over set above machine gun percussion and it absolutely Rocks. Next up, “Fairy Tale” is another stand out track in my opinion. It is a magnificently well written and deeply disturbing song. It seems to tell the dark story of the aftermath of a violent crime, perhaps a sexual assault. The narrator is the victim, and they seem to be confronting their attacker. The song is packed with regret, vulnerability and anger. When the lyrics scream “This is what you did! Hope you choke!” there is real and legitimate rage present… you can feel it. This song is like pure emotion tapped and channeled into your stereo.
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“Temple Gods” seems to level it’s sights on religious organizations and let off a few well deserved shots. The opening line “I saw the way they built the temple up, No matter what it’s never high enough” lets the listener know more or less just how Beast Killer feels on the issue. “The Curse” is another fast, hard ripper that I suppose you could call a classic sounding Beast Killer track. It definitely has the feel of something off of the self titled album: hard charging Punk infested Rock N’ Roll. Obviously the tried and true sound that established them is still readily at their disposal. Beast Killer proves here that they are fully capable of returning to the roots and delivering exactly what we fell in love with. “Some Days” has a bitchin little riff and very catchy chorus. With an upbeat, fun vibe and more of those serious lyrics Beast Killer once again has used lighthearted sounds to shine onto dark tones.
“Synapse” comes out swinging and doesn’t let up for the duration. Kris’ drum pattern on this song absolutely mangles. The vocals have a challenging tone, like they’re calling the listener out. When Chris wails “we’re not the same kids anymore!” it really hit me as an old rocker inevitably pining for my younger years. This song is fantastic and I can’t stress that enough, without a doubt this is a stand out track in this collection. “Tethered” has an incredibly smooth vibe through the verses. Followed by a banger of a chorus that will no doubt have you singing along in no time. “Planet 9” is a ripper. Like a rocket powered chainsaw burning down the highway this song takes a sweet ride right up your spine then cruises off into the coming dawn. Read that sentence twice and you’ll begin to understand what I feel when I hear to “Planet 9.” The song absolutely crushes and tears and stomps it’s way into Rock N’ Roll greatness and that’s no bullshit. The final track in the collection is “Transmission,” which is a sort of instrumental score. It’s Sci-Fi melody serves as an outro to the record and drifts us away nicely.
So ultimately what do I have to say about “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me?” Well I undeniably love it, that much I believe I have made painfully obvious. Like I said earlier, I have been waiting for this album for a long time. What I can tell you now is that it has been well worth the wait. Full disclosure, I love this bands self titled album alot. I truly do. I cannot stress that enough. So when I say this record is a worthy successor, then please understand what that means to me. What Beast Killer has succeeded in doing is create music that can stand up to songs that I undeniably adore. That’s not to say that they’ve made a rerun of the first record. In fact quite the contrary. “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” is a very different album than “Beast Killer.” I believe it has more depth, more diversity and a new maturity to the song writing. With the self titled album Beast Killer arrived on the scene in force. I believe that with the release of “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” they have made it abundantly clear that they are here to stay. I highly recommend this album, and I am typing that as hard as I possibly can. So in closing: Beast Killer rules. “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” is fire. End of article.
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,
-Z.M. Delgado
Rustbelt Rock Review
Rustbeltrockreview.com
4/6/2024
(Beast Killer - “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” An amazing collection of songs that hits hard in the heart. With passion and power Beast Killer will take you on a sonic journey unlike anything else. Playing Rock N’ Roll with a touch of Punk and a dose of Metal, “Dystopian Now, Dystopian Me” will blow your mind. Highly Recommend.
Links:
Beast Killer
Voice of the Underground
