Beastwars, a sludge metal and stoner doom group from Wellington, New Zealand, was formed in 2007 by Nathan Hicke and Clayton Anderson. The duo aimed to blend the musical styles of Kyuss and The Cult, inviting James Woods on bass to create an instrumental band. Matt Hyde joined as the vocalist after performing impromptu vocals during a live show. Beastwars released their self-titled debut album in 2011, which reached number 15 on the New Zealand albums chart and won the award for Best Album Artwork or Packaging at the New Zealand Music Awards. The group's subsequent albums included Blood Becomes Fire (2013) and The Death of All Things (2016), both of which received positive reviews and charted in New Zealand. In 2017, Beastwars announced that Matt Hyde was diagnosed with lymphoma, leading to fundraising efforts including a small festival called Cancer Sucks. Following Hyde's recovery, the group released IV in 2019.
