Mentallo & The Fixer - "Music From The Eather" 2xCD

Having listened to these Texan brothers since receiving one of their cassette demos way back in the late 80s, it's good to see them still around and further honing their heavy sequencer electronic body sounds. "Music From The Eather", the Dassing brothers' first release in 5 years, consists of two extended discs. 

"Good News And Warnings" (CD1) is 13 tracks (and over 70 minutes) of hypnotic and moody instrumental electro-industrial soundtracks. Tracks like "Untapped Regions" are darkened slices of electronic textures that harken equally to the percolating sequences of Tangerine Dream and the noisy horror-scapes of Skinny Puppy. "Shadow Of My Former Self" is a thick, layered assault of sequences, samples, and rhythms -- complex but still based more on rhythm than melody. "Wandering Off In The Dark" is a reflective 12-minute journey, complete with Biblical verses, hallucinogenic sound gurglings, and wicked rhythm programming. 

The second disc, "Altered Everything Forever", is another 18 tracks and 70+ minutes -- with more new cuts and remixes. It's all in a similar vein, with deftly-programmed electronic rhythms and intensely detailed sequencers and samples. A solid (if somewhat indulgent) genre release, and squarely-aimed at Mentallo's rabid 90s-era fanbase, "Music From The Eather" is a winner.

(Alfa Matrix)

Mentallospace

Beer: Schofferhofer - Grapefruit Hefeweizen

I've never been much a fan of Summer shandies or radlers. Some of the more mainstream beer/fruit juice mixes seem far too artificial and sweet for my more "mature" (read: hop-centric) taste buds! Hah! But this German import mixes 50% real hefeweizen with 50% "natural grapefruit flavors". And it doesn't suck. 

Schofferhofer Grapefruit-Hefeweizen Mix is easy to drink, and at a meager 2.5% ABV, you could easily down a sixer without even getting tipsy. Maybe. Anyway, I'm not sure how easy this beer is to find, or what states it's distributed in, but it does retail for $8.99-$9.99. Ask your local retailer if their distributors can get it. So, how about that review? 

Pours a weird orange (like a Fanta or Crush), but it's an impenetrably cloudy and opaque -- like a proper hefeweizen! No lace here. Nose is subtle grapefruit, with some sharp wheat character. Actually not bad. Taste is sweet grapefruit and a hint of wheat sharpness. Actually, this isn't too far from a citrus soft drink, with an infusion of beer. Call it a radler or a shandy or whatever, but this drinks very easily. And at a lowly 2.5% ABV, this is perfect for Summer yardwork. Enjoyable!

Official Schofferhofer.de site

"Cannibal Possession: Heart Of Ice" DVD (director: Christian Tizya)

This Canadian docu-drama is marketed as some kind of extreme zombie/cannibal film, but in reality, it's a vaguely serious documentary examining the wendigo psychosis. According to Algonquian legend, a wendigo is a person compelled to cannibalize those around them, often with a supernatural or demonic spiritual compulsion.

Some find this to be a culture-based phenomenon, but the producers of "Cannibal Possession" want you to see it as a psychological condition. There are interviews with various personalities, most of whom have tenuous "credentials". The main interviewee is Nathan Carlson, an Edmontonian "ethno-historian" who has researched the wendigo spirit exhaustively. Carlson discusses the famous Swift Runner (a Plains Cree trapper who in 1878 murdered and consumed his own wife and five children in Alberta). As well, he recaps the true story of Vince Li, who is 2008 randomly attacked, beheaded, and managed to eat some of fellow Greyhound bus passenger Tim McLean in Manitoba, and presents it as a possible "wendigo" case. With some basis in a real North American "myth", "Cannibal Possession" does have something to offer, but you have to wade through a facade of silly sensationalism to find it. A curiosity, at best.

(Eyes Wide Open Films)

"Mudhoney - I'm Now: The Story Of Mudhoney" DVD (directors: Ryan Short and Adam Pease)

As the great 90's rock scene of the Pacific Northwest (aka the "Seattle/Sub Pop Scene") dissolved due to drugs, death, and self-destruction, one prominent and influential band persevered and survived. Mudhoney may have been cut from similar cloth as Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and others, and perhaps they never had a huge radio hit, but the band did well enough, traveling the globe, playing for rabid fans, and inspiring countless others in their wake.

From their classic debut single, "Touch Me I'm Sick" (which still stands as a scuzz-rock landmark), Mudhoney crafted a series of solid albums that joined heavy "superfuzz" rock with sixties-inspired pop (aka "songs"). They survived Sub Pop's lean period, a major label signing, a member leaving, and the inevitable drug and alcohol abuse. And they're still around.

Short and Pease's superb documentary includes the participation of all Mudhoney members, and the interviews and footage here are as world class as it gets. Sub Pop's owners (Pavitt and Poneman), affiliated bands (Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Tad), label personnel, and friends are all interviewed, and there's plenty of old live and promo footage as well. As far as rock docs go, "I'm Now" is as comprehensive as I've seen. Kudos to everyone involved for a well-done history (and celebration) of this band's life and times, from the underground to the "grunge" explosion to now. Excellence.

King Of Hearts Productions

Mudhoney Movie site

"Heroin King Of Baltimore - The Rise And Fall Of Melvin Williams" DVD

This skimpy, amateurish documentary is centered around a single interview with Melvin Williams, who gathered considerable wealth as a gambler and drug dealer from the sixties to the eighties. He also reportedly was instrumental in stopping the violent riots that went down in Baltimore after the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. So Williams' street cred is impeccable. His insight into underworld dealings is expert and experienced, so it's good to see him here lecturing inner-city kids on the futility of drug trafficking and gang activity.

To flesh and illustrate out this hour-long doc, the director wisely uses dramatic recreations. There are also other interviews with associates and those around Melvin in his heyday. The quality of the recording seems pretty sketchy (like it was recorded from TV), and the main point of this seems to be a cash-in to appeal to the whole urban thug mentality, from someone who did it way back before it was "cool". I lost interest pretty fast, though I give total respect to Williams, who is quite the survivor.

Eyes Wide Open Films

Beer: Fat Head's Brewing

The acclaimed Fat Head's Brewing was started in 1992 in Pittsburgh, but now seems to be based in North Olmsted, Ohio. They've won awards for their top-tier craft beers, and only recently inked a distribution deal to export to Southern Indiana. Good thing, as the three samples I tasted were superb! Here are the reviews of the initial three offerings here in podunk Indiana.

Remember that my ratings range from a 1 (awful) to 5 (awesome). Meaning that a 3 is perfectly acceptable and enjoyable, and a 4 is recommended. Enjoy responsibly and support indie beer!

FAT HEAD'S BUMBLE BERRY HONEY BLUEBERRY ALE - 4.0

I know that many craft beer nerds turn up their noses at "fruit beers", but sometimes, there's nothing better than a quality example, which is all-too-rare. But Fat Head's got it right with this blueberry-honey ale.

Pours a clean yellow-amber, with a massive head of fine off-white bubbles. I got no lace here! Nose is an appealing, refreshing rush of sweet berries and a little toastiness. Not bad. Taste is sweet and tart, but not overbearingly so. I also get more biscuity malts in the mix. Finishes with more tart blueberry goodness and a trace of hops. Very enjoyable and I will try this one again.

FAT HEAD'S - HEAD HUNTER IPA - 4.5

One of Fat Head's prime-time contenders, this is a stylish and deliciously serious IPA, and has Goatsden's full recommendations.

Clean and beautiful amber in appearance, this West Coast-style IPA pours with a huge head of off-white foam and an exquisite amount of detailed lace. Aroma is stunning and intoxicatingly hop-forward. All the floral, citrus, and pine loveliness you can imagine. Taste is pure West Coast, as in big heavy hops resins with plenty of acidic bite and notes of sour grapefruit and pine. 

Exquisite and a sure winner for serious hop-heads.

FAT HEAD'S OOMPA LOOMPA CHOCOLATE CREAM STOUT - 4.0

How could I resist a delightfully decadent chocolate cream stout? This one goes straight for the gut with a sweet dessert flavor combination.

Pours a deep black with ruby highlights. Thick (fat?) head of tan foam. Gorgeous lace. Nose is roasty chocolate and some vanilla bean in the background. Very appealing. Flavor is rich and chocolatey, with large amounts of bittersweet dark chocolate and a slight burnt finish. A fine stout, and one I'll gladly revisit.

Fat Head's website

"Bath Salt Zombies" (director: Dustin Wayde Mills)

Capitalizing on the freaky 2012 news story about the bizarre bath-salt-induced face-eating in Miami (which brought on paranoia about a so-called zombie apocalypse, as well as many ill-humoured jokes), this micro-indie horror farce was produced firmly tongue-in-cheek, and proves to be a solid trash film in the spirit of Troma, with plenty of sleaze and gore.

The premise is simple -- a mutant strain of "bath salts" comes to market, and it causes users to crave human flesh. So, we get zombie junkies who mercilessly dismember and feed upon their friends and girlfriends. Sure, it's cheesy and packed with plenty of silly and graphic effects, but it's fun. And, the scene of Erin R. Ryan (particularly her amazing breasts) in the shower (before she is sadly murdered) is quite memorable. Yow! But I digress.

"Bath Salt Zombies" is a fine B-horror/trash film, with even the soundtrack (featuring trash-punk from the Dwarves, Meatmen, and others) keeping the feel independent and underground. Good work!

(MVD Visual)