Marilyn Manson - "The Lowdown" DVD+CD

There's quite a story behind Brian Warner (aka Marilyn Manson)'s rise from Florida notoriety to international stardom as the Satanic boogeyman of conservative America. This circa-2007 set of English-made unauthorized documentary discs does an amicable job illustrating the early days of Manson's career, as well as his later period and metamorphosis into glam and extreme metal. 

The DVD is the usual Chrome Dreams collection of photos, film clips, and interviews (with past band members, friends, and critics). It's a well-done look at the band's fledgling days and his later success under the wings of Trent Reznor. 

The CD is simply a collection of radio and TV interviews, of varying degrees of quality, but still a worthwhile addition to any Manson fan's collection. Enjoyable, even with its dubious origin. (Chrome Dreams)

Marilyn Manson official site

Craft Beer Tastings For Halloween 2012, Take Two...

Like it or not, craft beer is here to stay. Here are more reviews for your amusement and reference. Scores are from 1 (awful) to 5 (amazing). Drink and be merry!

ANDERSON VALLEY - BOONVILLE HOP OTTIN' IPA - 3.0

Picked up this single after several recommendations on the web. Unavailable in my zip code, so found one in Louisville, Kentucky, at the amazing Liquor Barn.

Pours a dense and cloudy amber, with a thick and sudsy head. Nice. Lace is there, but unremarkable. Nose is appealingly citrus-floral. Not outstanding, but definitely appealing. Taste is sharp up front, but with a heavy malt foundation to smooth it all out. This is an easy-to-drink IPA that shouldn't offend non-IPA fans too much, but doesn't quite cut it in my book. Sessionable? I'd say yes, though, so score some points there, but I wouldn't recommend this one otherwise.

MINHAS CRAFT BREWERY / TRADER JOE'S - BOATSWAIN TWIN SCREW STEAMER - 1.0

This delightfully-priced ($2.49 a bomber at Trader Joe's Louisville) imperial IPA is an impressively boozy 8.4% ABV, but fails on all other levels.

It pours a hazy, cloudy amber, with a decent two-finger head of off-white suds and a fair fence-post lacing. Not awful there. Nose is mild somehow, though. I don't get a lot of hoppiness. Maybe a hint, but almost more of an adjunct corniness. Huh? Taste is way off balance. This one is heavily malted and boozy. Really disappointing! I can hear an old lady buzzing "Where's the hops?" here. Maybe my bottle was old, but maybe not. A grossly imbalanced IPA and only a good deal if you want to get drunky-drunk. 

HENRY WEINHARD'S PRIVATE RESERVE- 2.0

This cheapie just appeared on local shelves at groceries, so I suspected a major corporation bought out the name. Spot-on, as this once-proud Pacific Northwest name is now owned and brewed by MillerCoors.

Semi-transparent golden in appearance, with decent carbonation. Lace is pretty spotty but present, nonetheless. Nose is grainy and malty. Seems adjunct and corny to me. Taste is mild and watery. No sense of hops at all, despite the bottle's claim. Not sure if this was a better beer before the big boys bought the name, but this one's really pretty uninteresting. Avoid.

FORT COLLINS - ROCKY MOUNTAIN IPA - 3.5

I've been quite a fan of Colorado's rich craft beer scene, but there are so many good breweries and beers, only a handful are distributed into my region. Had a chance to pick this up on a recent trip to Louisville, so here goes...

Cloudy amber, with an average head of carbonation. Lace is light and unimpressive. Nose is sticky hops. I get citrus and pine notes. Not bad. Taste is bitter grapefruit, but with a fairly substantial malt backbone. It's a crisp and refreshing IPA, and probably pretty sessionable. Still, this one doesn't seem to have a lot of character, so I won't have much interest in re-tasting unless it's fresh and on-draft.

Beer Tastings, Halloween 2012, Take One...

There are so many beers to review, and I am not nearly caught up, so here's a start. Keep in mind, ratings range from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 5 (world-class). Any beer rated a 3.0 or better is worthy, so taste them yourself. There are many bottle shops who sell singles for a dollar or three, so there's no excuse to not have a favorite craft beer. As always, support the independent and local breweries, not the multinational corporate leviathans! Down with corporate beer!

SIERRA NEVADA and THE ABBEY OF NEW CLAIRVAUX - Ovila Saison (Chico, CA) - 3.5

Sierra Nevada is a craft beer giant, and has a peerless reputation for quality brews at affordable prices. This is a special release in collaboration with a monastery in California, and seeks to unlock ancient Belgian traditions in brewing, but to limited success (at least on this particular brew). 

This large bomber pours a murky gold, with a thick head of white carbonation. Little trace of lace, though. Nose is fruity and spicy -- displaying a distinctly Belgian-style character. Nice. Flavor is spiced fruitiness (berry, orange), followed by a peppery zing. Alcohol (7%) is well-masked, and this is faithful Belgian-style, but not as interesting as I'd hoped.

Additional notes: The fruitiness (and a dry booziness) comes out more prominently as this one warms.

NEW BELGIUM - Somersault (Fort Collins, CO) - 4.5

Ah, this has turned into a Summertime tradition at Goatsden HQ.

Clean gold, with a nice head of fine white bubbles. Big frilly lace. Beautiful. Aroma is grainy, lager yeast, and a little bready. There's a hint of fruit in there, and a little hint of hoppiness. Refreshing. Taste is smooth and rich, with some hint of spice, hops, and a soft tint of fruit underneath it all. Quite complex, especially for a 5.4% summer ale. Excellent, and a brew I always stock up on.

NEW BELGIUM - Red Hoptober (Fort Collins, CO) - 3.5

This new seasonal offering debuted in 2012 for the Fall, and I wasn't a huge fan. 

Rich ruby in appearance, with a huge head of sudsy off-white carbonation. Thick, delicate lace. Aroma is assertively strong and spicy hops, with a sharp earthiness. Taste is a melding of roasty malt tones with bitter hops smack at the finish. An unusual collision of styles, and not a bad beer by any means, but Red Hoptober is not my favorite of New Belgium's seasonals. I'll hold out for Snow Day and Somersault.

PEOPLES BREWING - Mr. Brown (Lafayette, IN) - 3.0

I've now tried several of this Indiana breweries' bottled beers, and haven't been a fan of any thus far, I'm sorry to say. 

Hmm, this "imperial brown ale", pours a very dark, almost black. Head is limited, and I get no lace whatsoever. Nose comes across as boozy at first (it is a sturdy 7%, after all), followed by some dark chocolate and fruit notes. Nice. Flavor is chocolate, with some roasted nuttiness in the finish, as well as a slight alcohol heat.  This heavy-bodied brown ale isn't bad, but left me unimpressed in the end. Not one I'd pursue again.

The Punk Vault and MXV Photography

Long-time friend and ally of Goatsden, MXV (and curator of the famous Punk Vault), now is offering his professional concert photography for fans and collectors.

The site already has superb live photos for sale of artists like Skinny Puppy, Ohgr, Down, Public Image Limited, Jello Biafra, Social Distortion, Descendents, Adicts, Fishbone, Doro, Weedeater, Public Enemy, Weezer, Damned, Tesco Vee, Thrill Kill Kult, Ministry, Naked Raygun, Korn, The Prodigy, Cradle Of Filth, Anthrax, Ted Nugent, Billy Idol, Slash, System Of A Down, Disturbed, Gwar, TSOL, X, KMFDM, Dead Milkmen, Jerry Lee Lewis, and tons more. Check his page at:

MXV Photography

And while you're out and about, check his review site/blog at:

Punk Vinyl

"Extreme Metal Retardation" DVD (director: Bill Zebub)

Zebub is a metal journalist and prolific indie filmmaker who keeps his ties to the music world close. I've not been much a fan of his ultra-trashy Z-grade horror films (though some are fun in a silly high school stoner style), but this one held my interest pretty well.

The premise? Zebub, while doing serious interviews with internationally-recognized extreme metal acts, asks them, point blank, stupid questions, and films their responses. So we get a feature film of metal bands responding to Zebub and company's oftentimes offensive questions. Contents include interviews with members of Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir, King Diamond (also featured with a 30-minute serious interview as a bonus feature), Enthroned, Arch Enemy, Voivod, Kreator, and many more. Interspersed with the interview bits are music videos, mostly of the female-fronted gothic metal variety. Merely an afterthought, though, as the interviews are the meat and potatoes here.

Another added bonus here is Zebub's feature film, "Metalheads", which is a re-edit of the 2008 film. It's a pretty well go-nowhere tale of some metalhead stoners who don't have jobs or money, and their relationships with their girlfriends and assorted sketchy characters. Some boobage here, and plenty of obscure metal sounds on the soundtrack, but overall "Metalheads" is fairly unremarkable.

So, final opinion? A fun oddity for serious metal fans. But you won't watch the "Metalheads" feature more than once, so beware. (Bill Zebub Productions)

Bill Zebub site

Huinca -"Sic Semper Tyrannis" CD

Huinca is a Chilean metal band that embraces their ancient Latin American heritage, and "Sic Semper Tyrannis" is their debut. Opening with the anthemic "Revuelta" (with words in their native Spanish), the band moves to English with the tight and crunchy "Trepador". "Rapa Nui" is a fierce and rolling thrash assault with a hint of tribalism that reminds of classic Sepultura, somehow. "Guerrero" is another standout, with a complex arrangement that bounces from groove-heavy thrashiness to odd textures and playful interspersed interludes. "Tirano" steamrolls, as does the closer, "Who Is Next", which somehow recalls the heavier moments of Voivod. This is a fine album that shows some extraordinary vision and maturity, and I see Huinca as a great metal hope for 2013. (Digmetalworld)

Huinca site

Huincaspace

SWANS - Live At The Firebird, St. Louis, MO, 10.23.12

Having seen SWANS in their post-reformation twice before (Chicago in 2010 and Nashville just last year), I thought I knew what to expect at this show, as the band supported their massive 2-hour double-CD, "The Seer". I was quite surprised at the transformation, and although it was a sweaty, grueling evening, I was quite glad to have been a part of it.

Opening the show was New Mexico-based A Hawk And A Hacksaw, led by a former member of Neutral Milk Hotel. I hadn't been familiar with them, but was pleasantly surprised at their odd Eastern folk gypsy style. With an accordian, zither, and violin as chief instruments, the duo of Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost crafted a wild mix of lively and wordly folk music. Trost provided some vocals in an Eastern style on occasion, but overall this was a lovely and somehow unlikely opener for the juggernaut that was to be SWANS. 

When SWANS took the stage at last (it was, by this time, already well after 10pm), the audience went wild, with proclamations of "We love you, Mike", directed at leader Michael Gira, who did little more than smile slyly. The impending aural assault was nothing short of apocalyptic, and it shook the building, sending shock waves surging through the crowd's collective bodies. Even with earplugs firmly in place, this was as loud a band as I've ever experienced in my 24 years of concert-viewing. It was absolutely consuming. Truly.

The songs were more like extended pieces, with a few new album tracks (sometimes expanded and re-vamped entirely) alongside some new improvised pieces (always in transition until recorded), as well as a punishing classic, "Coward", from the band's brutal 1986 album, "Holy Money". Gira conducted his band like a classical maestro, giving them cues to launch into dynamic formation, and waving his hands as if conducting an orchestra. At a few spots, he visibly scolded band members when they failed to meet his expectations. As well, he gave them visible positive reinforcement (a devilish grin) when they did well. This was serious business for Gira, and I'd say his band is well versed in crafting the precise sounds he expects of them. 

If the other recent SWANS shows I've seen in recent years were almost transcendent experiences, with extended drones melding with moments of early SWANS-styled force, this one took a more evolved turn into bowel-churning ferocity that resembled a sort of exalted religious experience. Apparently, the band requested the air conditioning be turned off, and the fervent heat and physical force of the music itself was psychedelic. There's no other word for the effect of having one's guts (and ears) eviscerated in such a startlingly beautiful and explosive fashion.

As for the sound itself, imagine a mix of classic Krautrock (Can and Neu! come to mind), early space-freakout Pink Floyd (with wandering moods and atmospheres that evolve and devolve into "songs"), and the band's own trademarked single-minded sonic punishments. 

This was a wild and positively cleansing, cathartic experience. My hearing may have been adversely affected, but this tour shows SWANS firing on all cylinders. It may've been over 2 hours of gigantic riffs, noise, drones, and amazing drumming (Phil Puleo is a powerhouse, as evidenced by his closing drum solo), but I was sorry I had to leave. 

Young God Records

SWANS original site