Fen - "Dustwalker" CD

Progressive black metal with psychedelic and post-rock touches

I'm sure that "tried & true" traditional black metal still has it's audience, but increasingly, bands are looking to move beyond this now-stereotyped, even over-done style. British act Fen are one of those groups who transcend the genre, while remaining rooted in it.

"Dustwalker" begins with the darkly atmospheric black metal of "Consequence". The second track, however, "Hands Of Dust", enters an entirely different arena, with moody, droning guitars alongside the feral black metal vocals. It seems Fen are straddling and blurring the lines dividing traditional black metal and what's been termed "post-rock". "Spectre" is even more tuneful, sounding like an old English folk song ala Syd Barrett. The track branches out into a spacious, post-Pink Floyd cosmic trip, even. "Wolf Sun" brings it back into a more heavy rock-based realm, returning with the blackened vocals and a straightforward guitar-and-drums orientation. The 13-minute closer, "Walking The Crowpath", meanders from Nephilim-style darkness to progressive melodic rock, and tends to get bogged down in it's own miasma. 

Nonetheless,"Dustwalker" is a strong album and definitely a fresh direction. 

Code666

Fenbook

Nachtvorst - "Silence" CD

Forward-thinking post-doom-black metal with swirl and drone...

Nachtvorst are a Rotterdam, Holland-based duo, and their second album, "Silence", shows a remarkable ear for texture and mood, especially for a black doom metal-oriented act. Opening with the epic 11-minute "The Serpent's Tongue", Nachtvorst combine the bewitching ferocity of black metal with classical, drone, post-rock, and electronic textures. "After..." is a lovely piano and string-laden instrumental interlude that shows these guys have skills and interests well beyond the usual, and the album opens up deeper from there.

"Nightwinds" is a moody, atmospheric 9-minute drone/post-metal that strikes hard, while the depressive "Gentle Notice Of A Final Breath" could be a distant cousin of Mono, building to a crushing crescendo before....the track simply cuts off. Not cool. A terrible shame, especially considering this may have been the album's high point. "A Way Of Silence" closes it out with 14 minutes of mid-tempo atmospheres, from speedy thrash to mopey, melodic darkwave. It's a strong track, to be sure, taking us on a journey across a landscape of sorrow and loss. A brilliant ending to a strong, but flawed album.

Code666 / Aural Music

Nachtvorst site

Nachtvorstspace

Beer: O'Fallon Brewery - Sticke It To The Man

Solid and unique altbier with balls!

Among the 1200+ beers I've tasted, I've never had a "sticke alt", but thanx to some quick research on the world's best beer site (beeradvocate), I discovered it's a hyped-up, heavier altbier, so I'm glad to have sampled this one. 

O'Fallon Brewing, based just outside St. Louis, has been experimenting with some unusual styles, and I've never had a bad beer from them, so was anxious to dig in to this one. Had 2 bottles, 2 separate days, to get a firm grasp on the flavor profile and overall characteristics.

Pours a clean ruby-amber, with substantial off-white head. Exquisite, detailed lace. Beautiful! Nose is caramel malts all the way. Hops here are dialed way back. Malt fans, rejoice! Taste is also a more toasty caramel malts, with subtle hints of an almost fruity note submerged beneath. Sticke Alt is a rich tasting experience, with nary a hint of the high 7.5% ABV. 

Many thanx to Paul Byrne at Byrne PR for graciously "hooking me up" with this brew!

O'Fallon Brewery

Anti Tank Nun - "Fire Follow Me" CD

Regressive butt-rock from Poland

This Polish band with an absolutely embarrassingly bad name features frontman Tomek "Titus" Pukacki (also of Acid Drinkers) and 15-year old guitarist Igor "Iggy" Gwadera. "Fire Follow Me" is their second album of classic-style hard rock/metal, but the overall effect here is a wanky, generic take on 70s stadium rock. 

Titus' vocals are as hammy as Gene Simmons, and his lyrics, like the ridiculously sophomoric "Sake Crazy", play into the whole party rock mindset. Ugh. "Hurricane Kazz" has elements of Iron Maiden, but it lacks that band's unique sound and strong vocal presence. To his credit, guitarist Iggy is more than capable with his strong metal leads, but it isn't enough to salvage this album of regressive rock. Perhaps they'd be much more effective and convincing on stage, but this is pretty unbearable.

Metal Mind

Anti Tank Nun site

Sake: g fifty Jumnai Ginjo Genshu Sake

Delicious and complex sake -- made in America!

Clocking in at a hearty 18% ABV, this premium sake, brewed in Oregon (rather than the traditional Japan), stands as a superlative and complex brew that invites further sips to nail down those subtle flavors and nuances.

The aroma hints at a slight fruitiness, with notes of mint, black pepper, dried dark berries, and rice, with a sharp but smooth flavor profile.  With a dry and warming finish, g fifty is a seriously top-shelf sake. The attractive black bottle feels more like pottery than glass, and further enhances the overall experience. 

Overall, I rate g fifty a superb sake, and one I'd gladly return to.

A special thanx to Skye Morgan at Charles Communications for graciously providing the sample for this tasting!

SakeOne site - a prime source for more Sake info

Accion Mutante - "Worse Than A Virus" CD

Brutish grind-punk from German thugs

Accion Mutante is a veteran grind metal/punk act from Germany who's been around since the late 90s, but they haven't released a proper album since 2002. Well, they make up for that with this 17-song gutter-grind-punk barn-burner.

Opening with the spoken word intro, "Narcissism of Mankind", the band launches into the primitive punk/metal of "Stop FGM". The remainder of the tracks are equally as barbaric -- steamrolls of classic  grindcore chug and vomit-style vocals. With bands like Accion Mutante, the tracks nor their subjects matter. After all, this could be political, or it could be about the pain of an ingrown toenail. The gutteral grunts are competent, but hardly unique, and the bare-bones music is, well, really quite forgettable. 

Power It Up Records Germany / Give Praise Records USA

Accion Mutante site

Accion Mutantespace

"Satan's Sex Party 1970s Collection" DVD

Old-time proto-porn with dark inclinations...

This "Grindhouse Triple Feature" combines three 1970 adult films onto one disc, but those expecting some hardcore action will likely be disappointed. Filmed quickly in the pre-hardcore porn era, these are all sexploitation, pure and simple, but lacking much besides (what seems like) simulated sex and nudity. For fans of the "au naturel" look (if you get my drift, man), unkept body hair, and crazy swingers' outfits and hairstyles, this is a set for you.

The first film, "Madame Satan", is a shallow "supernatural"-themed quickie. Plot be damned, though. It all begins with a promise of a seance. Then we quickly dispense with that, and head straight into sunny jazz music and bedtime scenes. A hammy, lamb-chopped brute engages in a number of orgy-like frolics, and the men never actually achieve erections. Huh? 

Second film up is "Sex And The Single Vampire", which features John Holmes himself as a solitary (and awkward) vampire whose home is invaded by a group of horny swingers. Holmes himself doesn't really get involved, but he likes to observe, anyway, as all of his once-vacent bedrooms are made much, much warmer.

Finally, the last film here is the short (36-minutes) "Devil's Handmaiden", which is a weird and almost psychedelic vignette featuring a creepy facepainted loon who stalks free-love kids, while arranging sexual liaisons for them, in exchange for their souls. Yes, it's odd and certainly beyond freaky.

A couple of these films suffer a bit from some scratchy prints, but that's not unusual for these long-lost gems of early adult cinema. And though these may not be essential, fans of obscure adult filmmaking will find these fascinating, if not titillating.

Independent Entertainment