Receiving the Evcharist is our weekly feature where we pair choice albums with our favorite libations. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offering: Mitochondrion’s Antinumerology and Lagunitas Brewing Company’s 12th of Never Ale.
The Metal: Mitochondrion’s Antinumerology
Mitochondrion are a name that might be familiar to some of you. The Vancouver, BC band shares members with Auroch, and while both styles are rooted in death metal, Mitochondrion take their songs in a blackened and wholly more hallucinatory direction. While I can take or leave their first full length, Archaeon, everything from Parasignosis onward (and especially including that album) is some of my favorite death metal on the planet. Antinumerology is no exception, either; initially released as a 7″ by Dark Descent Records in 2013, the album takes the atmosphere and intensity of Parasignosis and condenses it down to 12 minutes of gut-churning occult death metal. I bought the 7″ and greatly enjoyed it, but put the release down for some time, until recently when I heard that the album was getting a CD re-issue by Krucyator Productions almost 4 years down the line from its initial release. Picking it back up, I’m kicking myself for not jamming this every single day of my life. If you like your death metal strongly on the filthy side, do yourself a favor and grab the CD.
The Booze: Lagunitas Brewing Company’s 12th of Never Ale
Lagunitas seem to be on a roll. The NorCal-based brewery recently opened its first satellite location in Chicago, IL and now they are introducing 12th of Never their first canned beer ever produced. Touting themselves as possibly the last small brewer in the US to produce a canned beer, 12th of Never is simultaneously a new step for the brewery and a distillation of everything already in their wheelhouse; hoppy and slightly citrusy, but with a rounded malt backbone and relatively low ABV, 12th of Never is an easy-drinking, crowd pleasing ale, and it certainly pleased me. I’ve been a fan of Lagunitas’ choices for some time now, and I’m glad that the decision to start canning produced something that carries on that tradition of quality.
This week we’ve sort of went for the ‘something old, something new’ trope. No one need get married in order to fully enjoy the experience, however. It’s been a very busy week for me, but I’m glad I made time to revisit an old favorite of mine that I had not in a while, in addition to giving a new contender a shot to wow me. In the end, this pairing made for the kind of good, relaxing evening I needed. Experiment with your own picks and see.
Cheers, and be good to each other,
– Vincent
Nine Circles 