8 Wired Brewing Co.: iStout

New Zealand, while it sits in the southern hemisphere, its summer (our winter) yields a mighty hop harvest that allows brewers in the northern hemisphere to make fresh, wet hopped beers year round. (Although the common wet hop beer season is around now) While I definitely think of this country's hop output I rarely think of their beer scene. Thanks to a trip to Oakland's Beer Revolution (and a bit of curiosity) I have in my hands the iStout: A 10% Russian Imperial Stout, brewed by a "nomadic Danish brewer, who has finally found permanent ground in Marlborough, New Zealand," according the the bottle's label.

Upon the first pour, the pitch black beer begins to form a golden bronze head that dissipates shortly after I place my glass on the table. After letting this brew sit for a moment I dip my nose into the glass. (What? Like you don't?) Because the beer is still frosty, and without a foamy head, I'm having a hard time getting big aromas. Dark, roasted malts make their way to my nasal pallet. Additional notes of dark, strong coffee begin to show up to the party. Nothing entirely out of the ordinary, but not bad.

The first sip can only be describe as BIG. This beer is not a toy, it's for the big boys. Big notes of dark chocolate, sweeter malts and something acidic. For those familiar with the style, there are definitely a lot of familiar flavors, but not in the same combination that you'd expect with an American variety. The texture is viscous, and somewhat dry. Each sip leaves a chalky, roasted flavor in the finish.

I'm definitely glad to know that the nomadic Danish brewer was not just someone from Mikkeller. (a A Danish brewery known for occasionally renting facilities around the world) That shit would be 10 times more wild! This is definitely a good effort by the Kiwis. I'm curious to try more of there stuff. This beer definitely stands up to standards. Definitely worth aging to see what changes.

Why a classic era Sepultura reunion shouldn't happen (more thoughts on reunions)

There has been a lot of talk in recent months regarding a possible reunion of Sepultura's classic line up. You know, the one with both Max and Igor Cavalera. Hopes were high when Igor not only quit the band (and being the last very original member) to join forces with his brother in the Cavalera Conspiracy, but quashed any hopes of a reunion. There continues to be talk about the never ending possibility of a reunion (which as been documented ad nauseum on the Internet), with different thoughts from all sides, but nothing close to conclusive.

For whatever reason, the departure of Max began Sepultura's downward spiral towards irrelevance. While their earlier catalogue can still be held with high pantheon-like regards, their music has arguably taken a nosedive while Max's bread and butter, Soulfly, has cruised on along nicely. (Even though a considerable number of Sepultura songs have made it into the band's live set) It would be dangerous to say that the band has shared a similar fall from grace as Metallica, but the later still manages to bask in some kind of glory. It wasn't until I came across THIS ARTICLE that I found a solution to the great Sepultura Reunion questions: Don't do it!

"SOULFLY has had so many different formations," says Sepultura axeman Adreas Kisser, "so you lose kind of a characteristic sound there. Of course, Max and his vocals is what it is. I mean, he's been writing the same stuff over and over again. And in that sense, I don't think he has really evolved too much."

And this is where we say, "Hey! That sounds hypocritical!" As I wrote in my review for Sepultura's latest folly, Kairos, Sepultura hasn't written anything new, exciting or otherwise in quite a long time either. Dare I say that they haven't put out a solid album since Roots? An album which could also arguably serve as the foundation and jump-off point for Soulfly.

Derrick Green, Max's replacement in the band, has not gotten his due justice. Although he's been a member of Brazil's famed metal export longer than Max, he has not helped the band's efforts. While there may be a movement of fans that side with Green and support his efforts, it's very clear that the band relies on pre-Green efforts to keep a float. For the past 14 years the band has not been able to make a musical impact.

Go on Youtube; search through your music collection; listen to post-Max Sepultura, and then go listen to Soulfly. Both bands are lost. They are both riding on the success of what once was, when Sepultura wrote classic, ground breaking jams.

"When working with different musicians all the time, it's kind of hard to have a characteristic sound or try to do something original." Says Kisser. While Soulfly may have a rotating door of musical support it has been made clear from day one that Soulfly is Max's band. And at least there seems to bee some kind of effort in the Soulfly camp to do something different. Kisser's point may be valid, but it seems rather contradictory. Sepultura, with a different frontman and now a different drummer, have failed to do anything with a lasting impact (and for whatever I feel as if I hold my breath with each new release, hoping to exhale in celebration). With the release of each new album, Sepultura sounds more and more tired, playing through a dirge of uninspired riffs. Soulfly (whose music I haven't been a fan of since I was 16, when it at least sounded like a good Sepultura knockoff) sounds like rehashed nümetal and -core riffs. How either have managed to succeed is beyond me. Mr. Kisser, what you have said is true for both bands, and you're in denial.

With that said, what good would a reunion do for anyone? Between Soulfly and the Cavalera Conspiracy Max has gone in a direction far from anything resembling Sepultura past or present. What good would reuniting to play some old jams and recreating something that hasn't existed for quite some time? And judging by the caliber of songwriting of either band, would anyone really want a reunited Sepultura to make new music?

Putting aside the gossip, hearsay and ill will; a reunion of the classic lineup of Sepultura would hardly provide salvation for anyone. Dwelling on the same things for 14 years, or merely having to live with the fact that fans will never be happy, is an uphill battle of Sisyphus-like proportions. Even if there was a reunion, they'd probably just play songs off Roots and Chaos A.D. anyway.

New Belgian Brewing Co.: CLUTCH (Lips of Faith)

I've always thought it a bit odd for a brewery and a band to collaborate. Lagunitas named a series of beers after Frank Zappa albums, but that was done in celebration of the 40th anniversary of each album. And while I have heard of breweries naming beers after the spirit of certain genre's (and of course Decibel Magazine's inaugural edition of Brewtal Truth, in which styles of beer were compared to sub-genre's of metal), this seems new to me.

The maker's of the some of the most medicore beer in the USA has continued to surprise me with their Lips of Faith Series. How can the makers of Fat Tire simultaneous produce fine, well crafted Belgian styled beers is beyond me. Whatever it is, it's working.

While on a recent excursion to Portland, Oregon I picked up the gem at the famed Belmont Station. Lips of Faith has collaborated Maryland's Clutch on a new beer, a dark sour ale to be exact. They had me at the logo. You may be asking how does such a collaboration occur? It's not uncommon for a band to be fueled by beer, and maybe fans with a good ear for booze can detect the elixir's influence on the band. So perhaps the inverse can happen to the beer.

This beer pours a viscous black with some tan head scatters shortly after its arrival. Big notes of coffee, toffe, some caramel malts and dare I throw in chocolate, for the hell of it. There is also just a hint of wild yeast.

I haven't had many sour dark beers, not this dark, but the good ones are top notch. Allow me to add Clutch (the beer) to this exclusive group. This drinks like a stout and a sour. Dry start, nice smooth sour finish. Some subtle wood notes in the middle. Towards the end the sour notes begin to wash over what little stout flavors survive. I suppose I could describe the this beer as a battle between bass and treble, in which J.P. (the band's drummer) on the skins comes out the victor. There's some sweet notes that linger, but the wood and the sour seem to really dominate this palate. No complaints, though. The bitterness of the hops and chocolate notes seem to really help carry the sour flavors, which are dominant, but not overpowering. After letting this beer sit a bit the roasted malts make themselves known, but still cannot compete.

I don't know how they do it, but the guys at New Belgian Brewing know how to make a good sour. And not just a good sour, an accessible sour. Trying to match a beer to a band's personality is definitely challenging, if not interesting task, but most of all a fun one. I'd be interesting in seeing how the Minutemen get translated into beer.

Daly City: The Movie

Part inside joke, part awesome, part shout out. Be sold on this.

Dark Castle: Surrender to All Life

Ever since Yob resurfaced doom has gotten a mighty second wind. That's not to say that quality, sludgy, grimy awesomeness hasn't come out, but there's been several bumps in the road (coughs NEURISIS!). Dark Castle is, I think, the shining beacon in new doom. Somehow they rub me the right way, and they just get it. I'm not dissing the efforts of the Neurisis movement. In fact, I think it was a great pause for heavy bands to regroup and create something newer, better.

Their full length, Spirited Migration, was a great launching pad for the band because it combined so many good things in metal and brought it over to the doom world. Their latest work, Surrend to All Life is a journey through the abyss. Think Times of Grace 2.0. Now this is no way equal in worth as my favorite Neurosis album, but it hits you just has hard. The Floridian duo has managed to take the Isis out Neurisis and bring something quite pummeling to the table. Their secret seems to be that they waste no time noodling through aimless sections. The album is only 34 minutes; and while it ends a bit too soon in one sense you never feel as if the songs are dragged out. Sometimes slow 'n' heavy can be achieved in shorter spans. Stevie Floyd's guitar work is uncanny, blending uptempo doom with some grinding black metal touches. This album at its best seems to represent the crossroads of several sub-genres. Imagine if Yob played faster, kinda. The song writing takes you through eb and flows: crushing blackened doom dirges to cacophonous landscapes of treacherous proportions. You feel as if you're carrying the weight of the album's heaviness, and it's crushing you. Every sound, especially the vocals make sure you cannot escape. This album even during its calmer moments (Spanish guitar styled 'Create and Impulse' still has an intensity to it) does not let you take a breather. You can only think of one word: Apocalyptic.

Sepultura: Kairos

Often, I am faced with the question, "If a newer band wrote this album, would it be considered good, better, or just as bad?" This question I ask of myself when listening to the new Sepultura album, Kairos. To be honest, I've given the now lengthy 'Post-Max' Sepultura enough of my time. For the most part, it's not good. There's certainly enough good songs sprinkled through the lengthy stint, but not enough to keep my interested. According to Wikipedia, the title the band chose for this album is the greek word for the right, supreme, or opportune moment. Perhaps this title was chose for a reason, but maybe not the one the band was looking for.

The whole reason I even gave this album the time of day was I saw live footage of their cover of Ministry's 'Just One Fix'. That alone should be the flag to raise caution. As you'd expect the band's cover of the Ministry classic comes off as predictable as you'd expect. Tribal drums after the first chorus to shake things up. Sure, it's a nice twist to the song, but I wouldn't really call it a change. The band makes the attempt to put their touch on a track that makes it more distracting than original.

As I first mentioned, above, I ask myself how good would I consider this album if someone else wrote it. This is what you'd expect from the band. It's their mid-tempo groove thrash. You've heard it before, and you don't have to hear it again. Perhaps 'Mask' provides a little change. There are blast beats and the riffs keep you interested, even through the solo, but it ultimately sounds like everything else you've heard from somewhere else.

Okay. I get it. You're not going to try anything new, but c'mon. Give it a rest already. This band hasn't put out anything unpredictable in a while. If you're expecting something new and exciting, look elsewhere. Sepultura provides the predictable, but is it good enough these days? It's not that this album is horrible, it's not interesting. As the album title suggests, this might be a opportune time to stop. They are stuck in time. A band with a tenure such as yours shouldn't be writing these riffs anymore.

Decapitated: Carnival is Forever

Seeing as how this is Decapitated 2.0, I don't feel bad for not having heard Organic Hallucinosis. With that said I'm very excited to have acquired a new batch of Decapitated songs. Carnival is Forever is the band's post Vitek offering, as it might as well be post-'anything resembling the original lineup'. Much like Vader, it has become sole original member Vogg's one man show with all brand new faces (hopefully not the first of a rotating door of hired guns). Fortunately, like Vader, Vogg has maintained a consistency in the bands sound. So while tere are a bunch of new faces, it still sounds like Decapitated.

The album's opener, 'The Knife', has an angular, Meshuggah circa Chaosphere feel. Think the more thrashy parts from The Negotiation, just more jagged. It shows Vogg's desire to try something new but stay within some kind of familiar boundary. Nonetheless it's a welcome opener.

Any doubt fans would have about new drummer, Krimh, should rest easy. While the new guy brings a slightly more straight ahead style, Vogg's song writing prowess keeps him in check. Much like Les Claypool, you can't play around Vogg. He forces you to react to his axe shredding without cutting corners. You have to keep up with him, you have no choice.

'Homo Sum' comes as the first real standout track as the band dives into more melodic waters while trying to somewhat recreated a rhythm pattern similar to 'Spheres of Madness'. 'View From a Hole' showcases the bands more blatant attempts with spacey/prog parts, but promptly pulls you back into the pummeling death.

The album's closer, 'Silence', serves as a calm from the ensuing madness. An homage to Vogg's fallen bandmate. Very touching, a bit out of place, but a good song for closure.

Vocalist Rafal Piotrowski seems to stand out the most as he does not possess a traditional growl but a more Piotr Wiwczarek/Vader rasp that, when played over the music, almost changes to outcome of the music. While not horrible, the vocals are a slight deterrent to the music's higher caliber.

Overall Decapitated's return is a relative success. While Vogg and crew seem to play it safe with the new ideas, it could suggest new sounds to come.