The last month or so has been good, personally, for beer consumption. Going on vacation to a place that houses the Dogfish Head restaurant surely helps that venture, as just about anything they offer (unless it’s out of season or they just don’t have any left) is at your disposal, so it was a nice time for sampling.

But once we got back, there was more to be had. I’m always interested in trying new beers, mainly if they’re of the craft variety or from a microbrewery, and I was able to try a few new things the last couple weeks that made me happy. Luckily, the revamped (and recently relocated) Carson Street Deli has a great supply of all kinds of beers, and both of what we’ll discuss today were purchased there. If you’re ever in Pittsburgh (or live here) and find yourself near the South Side, definitely check them out if you have a taste for something sudsy. They’re food’s pretty damn good too. (http://www.facebook.com/CarsonStreetDeli)

I love coffee a lot, and because I’m not insane, I love chocolate too. So Southern Tier’s Imperial Mokah seemed to be something I’d really enjoy, as the beer is described as a mix of their Javha and Choklat brews, both of which taste great alone but together form something otherworldly. I’ve heard and read some people complain of the sweetness of both beers, as well as their offspring Mokah, but that never really bothered me at all. This one, which has a delightfully high ABV of 11.2, does have a sweet taste, but I didn’t find it overwhelming at all. It’s a rich drink, and it comes off like you’d expect of a dark beer. The 22 oz. bottle took a little time to get through, but that seems by design. This is a sipping beer, not one you guzzle, smash the bottle, and go for another. You need to spend quality time with it and let it set up shop, and once it does, my guess is you’ll find it pleasing.

Of course, those who don’t like dark or bitter beers probably won’t be too psyched about Mokah, but whatever. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me. And it goes great with cake and cookies. I know that from ample experience. Southern Tier also has, pretty much, a never-ending line of various concoctions, and next on my list to try is their Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. I shall report back.

For more on Southern Tier, go here: http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/index2.html

For a closer look at their many brews, go here: http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/beers.html

Another interesting beer came my way when my friend Sam brought me a couple bottles of Coney Island Craft Lager for my birthday, of course from Carson Street. There were two bottles, one being the Albino White, the other being Human Blockhead, a nice bock I expected to be a little darker than it is, but once I got to drinking it, it was damn pleasing. It tastes like and feels like a darker beer, and at 10 percent ABV, it goes to your head fairly quickly. That also suggests a sipping beer so you don’t all of a sudden have no idea where you are, but its smoothness lends itself to gulping, I would imagine. I went slowly with it, but I could see someone trying to pound the thing because it tastes good and goes down quite well.

The Coney Island collection is a newer line from Schmaltz, a relatively new brewer that’s been making tasty beverages since 1996. You might know their other products – HE’BREW – better, dubbed an “American Jewish Celebration Beer.” Coney Island didn’t kick off until 2008, and it’s a venture that includes non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA. Their arty bottles, that look like old circus posters and kind of have a freak show vibe, really stand out on the shelves and have eye-catching names. I’m very new to their products, and I have yet to drink the bottle of Albino, but from what I got out of Human Blockhead, I’ll be back for more.

For more on Schmaltz Brewing, go here: http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/

For more on Coney Island beers, go here: http://www.shmaltzbrewing.com/CONEY/hb.html

For more on Coney Island USA, go here: http://www.coneyisland.com/

Of course, we’re here for metal, too, and it’s usually playing when I’m in the lab testing these beers. This past weekend I got through the new Opeth album “Heritage,” which we’ll discuss very soon. After a few listens, I’m still formulating my opinion on the thing, and we should have something for you this week. Also, I finally got a stream of the new Mastodon album “The Hunter” from our friends at Warner Bros. That one’s taking some time to reveal itself. Not sure how I feel yet, and don’t take that as a good or bad comment. Along with that, I’ve been playing new ones from The Atlas Moth, Tiger Flowers, Rwake, Brutal Truth (the song “Butcher” will make you want to become one) and Landmine Marathon, whose last record I wasn’t that psyched about, but I feel way differently about the new one. Look for some of these to pop up on Meat Mead Metal soon.

It’s not going to be frosty and cold where I live for many months now, though it’s supposed to be in the mid-50s on Thursday and Friday, which will feel damn close to that since we’re so used to warmer weather this time of year. That might make for suitable weather for the debut full-length  “Bluostar” from Germany’s Fyrnask, a record that feels like an arctic chill on your neck that leaves your skin prickly with goosebumps and your ears and nose numb. That’s at least how I feel about it.

After a well-received demo “Fjorvar ok Benjar” in 2010, this one-man project led by Fyrnd (though some artwork and lyrical portions were contributed by someone named Blutaar) sounds well on its way to establishing itself as one of black metal’s most exciting new acts. What you hear on “Bluostar” isn’t terribly different from any other icy, atmospheric black metal bands, as there’s a nice mix of violent, yet melodic playing and eerie, nature-embracing ambient sections. Many others have done this sort of thing before, such as Negura Bunget, Agalloch, Fauna, Wolves in the Throne Room and Arckanum. But like those bands, Fyrnask manage to carve out a passionate, memorable album that, while using familiar elements, makes a strong statement and etches its way into your mind. It’s a record that, since receiving a download, I’ve sat down with many times. I can only imagine how much better it will sound when the ground is frozen and I have dark, powerful winter ales to enjoy.

The lyrics on “Bluostar” are written in German, so if you aren’t fluent, you might be scrambling to find meaning in all of this – admittedly I know practically zero German, so I can’t quite cull the proper translation, at least lyrically – but it’s impossible not to feel the album’s spirit. Fyrnd dug back into old Northern European tales and rituals and what was intended for passage from the continent’s ancestors to those living today. It sounds like this would be perfect emanating from the deep woods, late at night, while some of those old ghosts still may be wandering, trying to find willing eras to hear their tales. It appears they may have encountered and enraptured Fyrnd one night, and this is what resulted.

The record opens on a gentle conjuring with the ambient cut “At fornu fari,” which sets the stage for the savage and thundering “Evige stier,” proving there’s menace and danger amongst the trees and in the waters. The heavy chanting that opens “Ein eld i djupna” eventually allows the song to unfurl into a dark, creaky blast of metal that might even be appreciated by those who like very early Immortal recordings. It’s one of my favorite songs on the disc. “Bergar” has an oddly digital-style opening that hints at the storm ahead, and that makes its way over land in a calculating manner, making the most of its nearly 10 minutes, eventually opening sky and blasting the earth. It’s both steeped in folklore yet crackling with modern electricity. “Ins Fenn” has moments of a power metal-style gallop and a black-and-roll style, but it has many peaks and valleys over which to cross before your journey ends; and the title cut (translated means offering or sacrifice) begins majestically, and even when it gets heavy, it metes out the crushing in a mid-tempo, but no less heavy manner. It’s an incredibly cathartic song that feels like Fyrnd has torn open his chest and let out everything he stored inside of him.

Aside from the music, the packaging of the record is gorgeous. It’s an attractive digipak created by At the Ends of the Earth Designs (Kampfar, Drautran) that captures the heart of this record perfectly. It’s one of those designs that by looking at the cover, inside and through the booklet, you almost can imagine how this is going to sound before you play it. That’s good news for people who still buy records based on presentation. You won’t be led astray.

As someone who listens to a lot of, and sometime is inundated by, this type of black metal, I found this record incredibly rewarding and, despite the epic running time of many of these songs, nicely timed. The ambient stuff allows moments to take a breath and relax, and Fyrnd keeps the metallic parts interesting, changing on a dime, and always wholly inspired. I’m glad I have my hands on this thing now, because as daylight decreases and the cold air returns, I’ll have a record to complement that time. You can’t have enough of those. At least I can’t.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fyrnask/114847128596890

To buy “Bluostar,” go here: http://templeoftorturous.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=386&XTCsid=53ndjc7vdrhjm0ku2i9it9bcu1

For more on the label, go here: http://www.templeoftorturous.com/

Everyone who knows me well is aware of what kind of year I’m having. It’s been one for the books as far as terrible years are concerned, and it’s only September. But what are you to do? Some things are just out of your control, and you try to live around these matters, no matter how evasive they can be from time to time. We all go there now and again, don’t we?

Many people, when having bad years, weeks, days, whatever, often turn to things for solace or distraction or just to take their minds out of the tank. That could be a book, a walk, cooking up some elaborate dish, talking to a friend, or listening to music. I tend, when going through a particularly tumultuous time, not to lean toward music containing vocals. Let me explain that. See, I want the distraction, but I don’t want words associated with what I’m hearing sometimes because I don’t want that heavy of an emotional connection. I’m thinking enough as it is, and no matter how innocent a line may be, it can drive my mind crazy if it, through no fault of its own, gets associated with something in my head. It’s hard to explain, but a lot of times when I’ve gone through particularly bad moments, songs or albums have taken on a negative connotation because of what I was experiencing at the time. The words got connected to my experiences. Instrumental music, however, seems to flow with me fine, and while the melodies may trigger emotions, for the most part it soothes rather than hurts me.

So I’ve been listening a lot to the new album from Barn Owl, an instrumental duo we’ve discussed before who just offered up their new record “Lost in the Glare” for Thrill Jockey, which follows this year’s mini-release “Shadowland” and 2010’s “Ancestral Star,” which was their first for the label. There’s something reassuring and serene about the songs Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras created for this album, a sort of pathway for concentration and healing that’s created by what these guys do on guitar and keyboard. Typically, when listening to “Lost in the Glare,” I can breathe and sort out what’s in my mind. The chaos seems less disruptive, reality unravels itself a little more succinctly, and while the problems don’t go away, the record allows me that space to work through the fog. I’ve often felt the same way about their other recordings, but this one is on another level, another plane, and for the multi-pronged badness of this year, it’s been one of my go-to escape routes. It’s great for reading, by the way. I know that might sound like I’m calling it background music, but it’s anything but that. Because it stimulates my mind and generally sets me at ease, I find I can absorb what I’m reading better in its presence.

There’s another thing I really love about “Lost in the Glare,” and it strikes about halfway through the album. “Pale Star,” “Turiya” and “Devotion I” all have that beauty, calmness and psychedelic exploration I appreciate so much, without sounding hokey, but once “The Darkness Night Since 1863” strikes, the shit just hits the fan. It’s a smoky, droning, doom-laden cut that hulks and bubbles up like Sunn 0))) or Khanate (minus the manic shrieks), and, for me, it’s been that part of the journey that lets my anger and frustration erupt. It’s OK, when going through a rough stretch, to be furious. You can’t control everything, and why not? That’s amazingly frustrating. It makes me want to pound my hands against granite, but all that’ll cause are broken knuckles and more issues. So this burner is a release and is the most metal composition they’ve ever conjured. And once it’s over, things settle down again. It’s like a cooling-off period, but a richly rewarding one. “Temple of the Winds” has a touch of ’70s acoustic folk, cosmic blips and Western strumming, while “Light Echoes” sits in hypnotic noise drone and eerie melody and closer “Devotion II” opens at ease before turning up the volume and emotion for one hell of an outpouring. It’s the perfect curtain closer for this incredible piece, which is Barn Owl’s best yet.

The guys also used some special techniques to create the rich, organic, spacious sounds of this record, but as I’ve long said, I tend to concentrate less on that stuff and go more for how the music makes me feel. I did include a link below if you’re interested and reading more about their recording approach, as that piece will explain it far better than I ever could. For me, this has allowed me to lapse into daydream, figure out ways to get through the issues of the day with humility and calm, or simply open up my mind so I can see things for what they are. “Lost in the Glare” is a record that, funny enough, is helping me find my way through the darkness, if only a little bit at a time. If you’re having a better year than I and just want to dissolve into a great piece of instrumental art, you’ll find this the perfect setting for such a venture.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.electrictotem.com/

For more on how Barn Owl achieved the sound on this album, go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=12625

To buy “Lost in the Glare,” go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/index.html?id=105353

For more on the label, go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/

Boston’s Revocation seemed to be on the path to becoming one of modern metal’s most interesting and intricate bands going, and their powerful sophomore album “Existence Is Futile” seemed to be evidence to support that assumption.

That record had really strong guitar work, courtesy of David Davidson and Dan Gargiulo, which could even please prog metal fans, and vocally, it was aggressive enough to grab those in the melodic death and thrash camps. Plus, the band’s profile rose, and magazines that typically don’t do much on metal, such as Spin, even paid honor to the young, up-and-coming bands. Now that their third record “Chaos of Forms” has arrived, it would seem time to build on that reputation and prove they plan to grab extreme metal’s reins with utmost force.

But, at least as far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t happen. The record is one of the biggest disappointments of this year, and while I don’t generally listen to the type of music Revocation makes, I liked their last one enough to be excited to hear this one. There are exceptions with every genre, even ones you typically don’t visit, and I found Revocation to be one of those bands before. Instead of progressing positively, they followed the path of another young metal band that, at one time, seemed to have the potential to become a world beater and instead became a mundane, character-free metalcore group that isn’t challenging anyone. Revocation seem to be doing the same thing, and the fact they sound like that unnamed (at least here) band now makes me worry that instead of these guys being top challengers, they’ll be satisfied with just moving some records and that’s all. And I’m assuming that, so I could be wrong, but I’m not excited about this album, and I worry they’re going down a path on which they never should have tread.

My review is live now at Lambgoat, a link to which you can find below. There you can find, in greater detail, why I feel the way I do about Chaos of Forms,” and you can find out the afore-not-mentioned metalcore band with which I’m grouping Revocation. Also, I should point out this record has gotten a lot of favorable reviews elsewhere,  so go try to find some of those, too, before you make up your mind. This is just one view, after all.

To read my review, go here: http://www.lambgoat.com/albums/view.aspx?id=2940&band=Revocation&review=Chaos%20of%20Forms

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/Revocation

To buy “Chaos of Forms,” go here: http://www.relapse.com/label/artist/revocation.html

For more on the label, go here: http://www.relapse.com/

I can’t remember an album recently that I met with equal parts excitement and fear like I did Anthrax’s 10^th album “Worship Music.” To put it mildly, getting to this point was something of a circus, and at times over the past few years, it seemed as if the record was going to be an embarrassment or never would surface at all. There were many times I wished for the latter.

In high school, Anthrax was one of my favorite bands. I was supposed to see them open for Iron Maiden in early 1991 at the horrible A.J. Palumbo Center, and I had second-row seats for the show. I broke my ankle a week before the show, therefore could not attend because I couldn’t walk. That sucked. I had a number of Anthrax shirts, had all of their albums, and when I came down with a vicious case of strep throat in the summer of 1990, I pretty much listened to “Persistence of Time” on a constant loop while I recovered (it came out that same week). “Among the Living” was one of the soundtracks to my summer vacations when I was in middle school. Even today, when my wife and I have had a few beverages and we’re playing “Rock Band,” I’ll try to sing “Indians” and still cannot keep up with the bridge.

I kind of fell away from the band after 1993’s “Sound of White Noise,” an album that saw John Bush (Armored Saint) replace longtime frontman Joey Belladonna, and their sound started to change. They went through the same creative lull that plagued many of the other thrash bands of their era, most notably the three with whom they share the Big 4 festival stage – Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica (who never fully recovered). Then came the era that followed 2003’s “We’ve Come for You All,” the band’s last studio record. There was a reunion with Belladonna (and guitarist Dan Spitz) for two years of touring. Then Belladonna was gone. Then they hired some guy Dan Nelson, who was to handle vocals on in-the-works “Worship Music,” but live, he sounded wildly generic. Bush came back for a spell, then he was out. So it finally came back to Belladonna to take the mic, and one easily could understand if he was a little apprehensive to rejoin a machine – that also includes iconic guitarist Scott Ian, guitarist Rob Caggiano, bassist Frank Bello (one of the nicest people I ever interviewed, by the way) and drummer Charlie Benante — that didn’t seem remotely stable. I remember wondering if Belladonna would even make it to the studio or if another change would prevent that.

Luckily, it seems all the turmoil was worth it. Yes, people poked fun, and yeah, I imagine a lot of those folks won’t give “Worship Music” a chance or will dismiss it outright without hearing it. Their loss, because this album rips. It’s definitely their best record since “White Noise,” and if we pass over the Bush era, I might even go a step further and say it’s the best since “Among the Living.” These guys sound like they’re having fun again. While a good album, and one with nostalgic quality for me, “Persistence” was really dark and bleak, and while massively heavy, didn’t feel right for some reason (cover of Joe Jackson’s “Got the Time” aside). “Worship Music” takes me back to the feel of their earlier stuff with Belladonna (beginning with “Spreading the Disease”) and the material feels open and alive and, I’ll say it again, fun. I had fun listening to it, and the songs are catchy and should go down great live.

The music isn’t quite as thrashy and heavy as their earlier stuff, and there’s more of a classic metal vibe to a lot of the album, but it fits. Belladonna just takes control of these songs. His voice is a bit huskier than it was in his younger years, but it’s just as powerful and melodic as ever before, and I can’t imagine any other singer handling these songs. It’s almost like he never left. After a brief intro cut, “Earth on Hell” mangles the senses, with Benante’s drumming sounding vicious and earthquaking, with Belladonna taking full command of a band that always should be his to lead. Same goes for “The Devil You Know,” a song that might as well be about the band itself, as well as anthemic first single “Fight ’Em Til You Can’t,” a song with a fist-pumping chorus that promises revenge against an army of zombie. These three cuts are surprisingly strong and get the record off to a fantastic start.

“I’m Alive” is more of just a regular metal song, not particularly heavy or mashing, but Belladonna takes what otherwise would be a decent piece and breathes life into the thing. Ronnie James Dio/Dimebag Darrell tribute “In the End” and “Judas Priest” (guess who that’s about) are in the same vein, and live they should help give the audience a breather physically but still command undivided attention. “The Giant” has a verse structure that reminds me of early Anthrax, but the chorus loses a little bit of steam. “Crawl” is more of a mid-tempo rocker, with Belladonna dialing down the pitch of his voice, and it’s only OK, and same goes for “The Constant,” that doesn’t get interesting until the chorus hits. Not bad songs, just not the best cuts on here. Luckily sludgy thrasher “Revolution Screams” ends the set on a pulverizing note, proving they still have the venom and power to ramp up the tempo, though the chorus is still taking some getting used to before I fully embrace it.

So for all the barbs they endured and all of the pitfalls, some self-made, “Worship Music” finally is unleashed, and it’s a beast. Not a perfect album by any means, but it’s a hell of a lot better than I thought it might be. Belladonna sounds incredible, and the rest of the guys still have the chops. They may have matured, and in some areas slowed down, but when Anthrax needs to hammer you, then do. Anthrax has made the best later-career album of any of thrash’s primary ’80s titans, and they should be proud of this record. I hope this form of Anthrax is what remains, because it has drummed up a ton of goodwill with this great new record and sound like they have many good years ahead of them. Let’s hope “Worship Music” is merely step one.

For more on the band, go here: http://anthrax.com/NFWS/

To buy “Worship Music,” go here: http://www.megaforcerecords.com/store/product.php?productid=16516&cat=253&page=1

For more Anthrax merch, go here: http://shop.anthrax.com/shop.cfm/pk/category/ac/list/cid/400025

For more on the label, go here: http://megaforcerecords.com/

This isn’t exactly the kick-off to the week for which we were hoping, but, as has been reported elsewhere and was confirmed this morning by Prophecy Productions, Lifelover guitarist/lyricist/all-around brain trust B (real name Jonas Bergqvist) has been found dead. Below is the text from the release Prophecy sent to media outlets:

On the night of the 9th September, Jonas Bergqvist, a.k.a. ‘B,” founding member, main composer, and guitarist of Lifelover, died unexpectedly. The cause of his death is still unclear and has yet to be established.
The message of Jonas’s passing came as a surprise to the Prophecy team. Hence, we lack the appropriate words for this tragic event. To us, Jonas wasn’t just a very creative artist, but also a pleasant and enthusiastic person. It is for certain that we won’t be the only ones missing his character, his passion, and his unique musical language.
In the face of this tragic loss, we would very much like to extend our heartfelt condolence towards Jonas’s family, his friends, and the remaining musicians of Lifelover.

The band’s darkly melodic black metal rock was infectious and seemingly dripping with suicidal tendencies. In fact, their most recent album “Sjukdom” was sold in a box set form that included a syringe, razor blade and strip of barbed wire (see inset photo). So, you kind of get the aura they were going for with their music. That’s not to suggest B had anything to do with his demise, because I never knew him and have no business putting that idea out there. It’s just tragically odd how they packaged their last record with what happened a few days ago. It could all be a giant coincidence, but really, who cares? A gifted, talented musician is no longer with us, and no matter how it came to pass, it’s profoundly sad. So let’s not make any guesses until we know the facts.

Lifelover really seemed to be picking up steam with their new record, which followed the re-release of the band’s 2008 album “Konkurs,” their third effort overall. “Sjukdom” only compounded the group’s popularity, and they seemed ripe to break out to a larger audience, who would revel in their morose, yet often disturbingly humorous, music. Sadly, the band seems to be at its end, and with the loss of such an important player, it only makes sense Lifelover follow B into the night. All of our thoughts, prayers, well wishes, whatever’s appropriate to B, his band, and his family and friends.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.lifelover.se/

To buy their albums, go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/Search/lifelover

For more on the label, go here: http://www.prophecy.cd/

This has been an insane week, and certainly not in a good way. At all. Sometimes that anxiety and frustration you feel can be tempered some by music that sounds even more unbalanced than you are at the time.

There are different styles of music and various approaches that can make the madness and chaos in your head seem to make some sense. Or at least manageable. So I’m quite thankful this week for two new offerings from Flenser Records, who we’ve spoken to you about many times in the past and will do so well into the future. They have two new albums ready for you that, if you’re like me and just need to know someone is more fucked up than you at a particular time, should help you rest a little easier. Or maybe it’ll stop you from destroying a piece of furniture or valuable vase. I own no vases.

It is with that introduction that we start with the second full-length offering from San Francisco’s ultra-bizarre, completely-out-there, no-way-to-describe black metal unit Bosse-de-Nage. But, Brian, you just described them as black metal. OK, yes, that’s a description. But it’s like describing Cookie Crisp as cereal. What does that really tell you? And actually, they prefer the title grey metal. I have almost no information about the band to share with you other than they’re a four-piece who go by letters instead of names and produce some of the most psychotic, yet exciting black metal today. Their music truly is an emotional gut-check, and you can’t just put this on because you want background noise. You better be ready to pay attention and be as disturbed as you’ll be listening to any metal band of any sub-genre. In a day and age when devils and skulls and upside-down crosses come across as amusing and static, I require something that conveys true anguish and mental scarring, because it’s what feels real to me. “ii,” the new one from Bosse-de-Nage gets me there every time. I don’t know, if I had a chance, if I’d even want to meet these people. I like the mystery behind the band, and I don’t want the curtain raised. I relish in the cloaks and masks (figuratively, of course).

The one slight revelation we get from the band this time is a lyric sheet. And good luck with that. The lyrics sound like a mad man’s diary. These are straight-up stories that serve as what’s howled manically over these songs, and the words are chilling, seemingly nonsensical in spots, but weirdly aware. In fact, these songs sound quite observational. I’m not even sure on what level. Sometimes it sounds like seductive slave master such as “Marie in a Cage,” and it’s nice to have our Marie back after her turns in “Marie” and “Marie Pisses Upon the Count” from the band’s first record. I’m also going out on a limb that this is even the same Marie. Sometimes it’s as actual servant, which seems apparent on closer “Why Am I So Lovely? Because My Master Washes Me.” I mean, just take in that song title.

Musically, what’s on “ii” is more digestible than the band’s debut. Now, hold on. That doesn’t mean you can come into this record having no knowledge of this band’s nightmarish transmissions and expect to get this right away just because you’ve heard some black metal. You can’t. It won’t work. It’s only more approachable to those who spent hours with their debut, as I have. If you never heard their debut, by all means, do so before jumping into this just so you can appreciate the new ambiance. The songs, while dark and damaged, burst with melody, and the vocals, harsh and shrieky, fit with the music perfectly. There’s even some singing here, as thorny as it may be, even if it doesn’t like crooning. Opener “Volume II Chapter I” is riveting and punishing, leaving you a mangled mess, but “The Lampless Hours” actually begins with a calming post-metal opening that would make Slint or ISIS smile before letting loose into emotionally gushing black metal. It’s a song that makes your heart surge, even if the narrator seems to be struggling with his outward expression. Haven’t we all been there? “The Death Posture” is a bit more calculated, at times, in its tempo, and there’s even more post-metal influence on the track, giving it a nice variety that keeps it fresh over its lengthy running time. And, of course, “Why Am I So Lovely?” sends us off screaming into the night, likely naked with fear, about what we’ve experience and what’s ahead. It’s an amazing trip and an incredible second opus from a band that deserves a lot more attention from our magazine friends than they’ve gotten. This is, to me, what true black metal is these days, and I can think of only a few bands who do it as interestingly and a bloodily as Bosse-de-Nage.

For more on the band (and don’t expect much), go here: http://bdn.greymetal.com/

Now, the other record Flenser has ready for you is from Circle of Eyes, a band name that freaked my wife out so badly she asked I never repeat it. If you think about it, it is kind of an uncomfortable image. But maybe you’re supposed to feel that way when listening to their self-titled debut album that’s out now on cassette (in really limited quantity) and on vinyl by way of Anti-Matter (link below). Basically, if you like your doom drone metal forest-fire-smoke thick and suffocating, then this effort’s going to be for you.

I hear a lot of Sunn 0))) and Bloody Panda in what these guys do. And these guys, by the way, are Thrull from Necrite (a band not to shy about its affection for Anderson/O’Malley) and Kevin Gan Yuen of Sutekh Hexen on guitars, with Swamp Witch’s J acting as the guy who sounds like he’s being bludgeoned to death in the background. His vocals sound like they hurt to put to tape, and they’re painful to hear played back, but in a good way. The music, obviously, is fed to you quite slowly, but with incredible blasts of volume and thick rivers of sludge pouring down your throat mercilessly.  Just take on a little bit of Side A cut “Penumbra (Awoken)” for all the evidence you’ll need.

“Woe Betide the Worms (Dirge for Eternity),” your Side B opener, reminds me a bit of Khanate vocally, where J sounds like a man possessed with no else to have discussions than with his demons, while the music slinks along and actually sounds dissonantly pretty at times. Or is that dissonantly abused? Not sure. Maybe both work. Closer “To Wander (Sacred Time)” has a seemingly gentle way about it, as the moody guitars and feedback hum together, as the vocals still teeter on madness, as they should. It’s a punishing, anguished song that sounds like the end of one man’s sanity, and if that’s the case, perhaps the end of his existence. It’s not something you want to hear if you are on the brink. And if you are, please call somebody. Not Circle of Eyes, though.

So there, two spectacular records that come to you by way of Flesner. Each approach your fragile psyche from different directions, with separate ways to attack or soothe you. It really depends on what style of music you like when figuring out which to buy (if you’re torn), but remember you need an open mind to fully embrace these pieces of art. For the right consumer, these are bands you’ll treasure, even when your friends give you strange looks and call you weird. Of course, you’re weird. You should embrace that. You also just might be more enlightened than the rest, and I think Bosse-de-Nage and Circle of Eyes are more substantive than most other metal bands I hear every day.

For more on Circle of Eyes, go here: http://www.myspace.com/circleofeyes

To buy these albums, go here: http://store.theflenser.com/

To buy Circle of Eyes on vinyl, go here: http://www.anti-matterrecords.com/2011/07/amr-001-circle-of-eyes-self-titled_20.html

For more on the label, go here: http://theflenser.com/

You know what I always found odd? I don’t like oranges, but I like orange-flavored things. Orange soda, orange drink, orange candy, orange cake, orange gum. All good stuff. The actual orange? Not so much.

I’m not sure I’m going to get the Vitamin C I’m missing by listening to the new, self-titled full-length from Portland doom rockers White Orange, but I’m sure willing to find out. Actually, my guess would be if anything of substance were to affect my body because a White Orange album was playing, it probably wouldn’t be all that good for me, if you catch what I mean. You do.

Anyhow, I’ve had my hands on their debut, that is just getting ready for release, for a few months now, and it’s been a bit of a strange trip for me. First few times with it I was OK with the music, but it didn’t quite resonate. I returned a few weeks later, and something about it caught fire with me, and now I’m spending a lot of time with the record. Part of this could be I now have a better pair of headphones, and all of the psychedelic color is coming at me full force. It’s a record that’s all over the map, as you can hear strains of Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Dinosaur Jr., the glammed-out David Bowie era, really early Soundgarden and Mudhoney, and so much more. It’s kind of doomy at its base, but it swings. It has a lot of pre-grunge-explosion-era Seattle in the guitar work and melodies, and the vocals are clean and smooth, but with a snarl and attitude. It’s a really cool approach that, while it draws on many camps for the formula, sounds pretty unique compared to many of today’s bands of the same ilk. I could see these guys winding up on Tee Pee Records at some point.

The songs rock pretty hard, but calling them straight-up metal is a bit of a stretch. Still, I think for those who like, say, The Sword, High on Fire and even a band like Baroness could find plenty to enjoy on this disc. The nine-track effort opens on a gnarly, stoner-friendly note with “Where,” the song most likely to get you into a full-on brawl at one of their shows. Not that we condone that kind of thing. “Color Me Black” has a bit of an ominous feel initially, with a dark, almost Danzig-like lead-in, before it melts into a sludgy groove, with Dustin Hill settling into a Josh Homme-like croon; “Dinosaur Bones” has that early ’90s indie rock slide, like it could have been something on the “Singles” soundtrack, and is one of the catchiest songs on here; “Kill the Kids” is dark, abrasive and almost hardcore-minded; and dreamy ballad “Sigourney Weaver” closes the disc on a trippy, honey-dripped note that keeps ringing out in your head after it’s over.

White Orange are like a fresh-squeezed glass of doom rock, with chewy pulp and a kick. It’s a great rock record, front to back, in an era when those things are growing increasingly rare. The songs are a blast and might even get you digging back into your dusty cassette collection from an era when the term “alternative rock” existed and when stoner metal was a drop of water on the floor and not an ocean of a genre.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/whiteorangeband

To buy the album, go here: http://whiteorange.bandcamp.com/releases

For more on the label, go here: http://madeinchinarecords.com/

There’s an old episode of the “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” cartoon that introduced the heel character Evil Seed, who is hellbent on making Eternia a home for his plant life to survive and who will suffocate all living things. Of course, his methods were of the purely selfish variety, and after the obligatory struggle in order to fill out a 22-minute episode, He-Man prevailed. The good guys won.

The world of The Botanist is much like that of Evil Seed’s, just without the self-serving rhetoric. He sees humankind as having a hand in the destruction of the green parts of our world, and many people would be hard-pressed to disagree with that assertion. The ones who do disagree are called Republicans, at least for the most part. The Botanist, who is both the name of the musician responsible for this project and the name of the main character in the story, isn’t afraid to bandy about a term such as eco-terrorism, and while that action has negative connotations to it, his protagonist sees it as the only way to battle against the very people who are trampling the green life he holds dear. In his eyes, this is self-defense.

While the philosophies of the Botanist’s music are very real and ever so timely (especially with the next presidential election potentially having a giant impact on environmental protection going forward), there are some fantastical elements as well. Our main character hails in exile in a place called the Verdant Realm (the musician hails from San Francisco), and while on his throne of Veltheimia, he awaits the day that plant life rises up and chokes out those human forces that seek to destroy it who, along the way, do irreparable harm to their own fellow man and woman. You have two Armageddons playing out at once, and in the end the Botanist hopes to be the one who survives, along with his beloved greenery. It’s bizarre, thought-provoking, and even a little psychotic, and just flipping through the booklet that accompanies this effort helps the listener see the leaves and vines rise up and prepare to rule their kingdom. They’re intertwined with the Botanist’s words, that speak for the foliage. It’s fascinating stuff. On the Botanist’s web site (the link is below), you also can find all of the elements that make up this entire realm, which will help flesh out the concepts and philosophies even more. Some of the plants have voices, too, and they help the Botanist create his vision of destruction.

This doesn’t even begin to dig into the music. Last week, I told you we’d visit an album that may be the weirdest metal record you’ll hear all year long, and this is the one. It’s black metal. But think about what you come to expect, sonically, from black metal. The only one you get here are the monstrous, creaky faucet growls and warbles the Botanist uses to tell his tale and explain his future, but other than that, it’s nothing you’ve heard before. The primary instruments are rattling drums and hammer dulcimer, an instrument that hardly has an expectant seat at the genre’s table. But the Botanist makes it work like the most sinister of guitar lines, the most guttural of all riffs, and it becomes a creepy, terrifying weapon. Typically the strange-looking instrument, that often sounds like one is strumming piano chords, typically is used for folk music, but not much here sounds that like form of music. It does, however, suit the deep forestal heart of this project and sounds more fitted for this music than any electric guitar ever could.

If you need a crash course on the instrument, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammered_dulcimer

The Botanist not only is ambitious in his message and goals, but also in his music. The double album “I. The Suicide Tree/II. A Rose From the Dead” is comprised of 40 tracks and are spread over two CDs. That may sound like a lot of material to absorb at once, but it really isn’t. It’s more like two separate movements of music, where the tracks seamless are attached, so you’re more inclined to want to take this thing on as a whole in order to fully understand it. Most of the songs are pretty short, with the longest coming at the tail end of the entire production, with “Abrus Precatorius” and “A Rose From the Dead,” so usually, if you’re not paying attention to the track listing, you’ll be deep into this thing before you even know it. The songs are buzzsaw raw and typically throbbing, but there’s also a rich, hearty melody in these cuts, too. They’re catchy and theatrical. There’s a sense of showmanship. It sort of reminds me if The Dresden Dolls tried to do a black metal album. They’re stripped-down songs that drip with life but conversely include the premonition of death. The album opens with a warning – “The beast rises” – on “Dracocephalum” as it sets the stage for what follows. “Helleborus Niger” has a classical feel and is oddly playful in spots; “Dionaea Muscipula” is dissonant and sorrowful; “Bromeliad” sounds Shakespearian yet also quite ominous; “Convolvulus Althaeoides” actually has some savagery built in, with the dulcimer struck as violently as ever; and “In the Hall of Chamaerops” even has a gothic pop melody line to it, making it damn-near approachable. I could go on and on, but there’s a lot of ground to cover, so hopefully you have some kind of idea of what is in store for you if you enter the realm of the Botanist. Yet how could the picture be complete with hearing these strange passages?

Admittedly, it took me a few listens to get with the Botanist, but I never was turned off from what’s on the double effort. It just took a little adjustment from what I’m used to hearing, but that was a refreshing transformation for me. It was getting out of my comfort zone and accepting something dressed in a way I don’t expect. But, as odd as this record sounds, make no mistake it’s metal through and through. It’s threatening, dangerous and passionate, sort of like the Nordic musicians of the early ’90s, only more mature, and scary enough, based more in reality. As crazy and abstract at this story is, everyone can understand the Botanist’s plight, and even if you don’t agree with his methods or are shaken by his psychosis, you should heed his word. Despite what some may insist is a myth (because of special interests, natch) we are in a dangerous time, surrounded by deniers and naysayers who are armed with nothing more than a political affiliation. Maybe we need more people like the Botanist to wake us up before he ends up our ruler. Evil Seed would end up seeming like the wacky cartoon character he is in comparison.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.botanist.nu/reviews_I_II

To buy “I. The Suicide Tree/II. A Rose From the Dead,” go here: http://aquariusrecords.org/bin/search.cgi

For more on the label, go here: http://www.tumult.net/

I don’t have anything to say, really. It’s Saturday. College football is on. No one is on the Internet. Except you. And thank you for visiting. Might I suggest you do what I am doing and annoy your neighbors with some Burning Witch? You’ll feel so much better when it’s all done.

Hey, next week we have some fun stuff. We’ll have a really great Outer Edges piece about two non-metal releases that have very, very metal connections. One of those records is, in my opinion, the best non-metal album of the year so far. And it is both weird and seductive. Think Burzum. That’s a really easy hint, actually. We’ll also have a look at two new records from one of my favorite up-and-coming labels. Both albums are not for the weak of heart or the bland of taste. And one you better get on right away because it’s only out in limited release! We’ll also have a look at, hands down, one of the most bizarre metal albums of this year. Or any year, for that matter. Let’s put it this way, the instruments you’ve come to expect from a black metal band, only one of those come into play on this thing.

OK, so, all of our U.S. readers, have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend. Please use your brains this weekend, because we don’t want you to end up in jail or dead. Everyone else, have a splendid regular weekend. We love you all the same.