It’s been a while since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? This is what I would call being back with a vengeance though. Today we have two exceptional offerings from the Bay Area (and beyond) in the form of Sutekh Hexen and Funerary Call’s massive collaboration album P:R:I:S:M and Dokkaebier’s Kimchi Sour Ale.

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The Tunes: Sutekh Hexen & Funerary Call’s P:R:I:S:M

One of the reasons I like noise is that it feels connected to the idea of divination. From crystal balls to scrying in fire, humanity has always had a fascination with pulling meaning from the abstract and intangible, and noise is that for me in audio form. It is music to be lost in and to find something in, because of and not in spite of its nebulous nature. P:R:I:S:M is a prime example of this. A massive, near-hour-long collaboration between Oakland-based blackened noise provocateurs Sutekh Hexen and Vancouver, BC based soundscape artist Funerary Call, P:R:I:S:M works its way into the psyche through the use of hazy black metal guitar riffing, eerie electronics, and ominous whispered vocals. At once both overwhelming and meditative, the eight tracks here offer the truest vision of The Void staring back at you, bending and refracting thoughts like rays of light through its titular crystalline structure until you’re not sure whether this album is speaking to you or speaking for you. There is awe, terror, and understanding to be found here either way.

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The Booze: Dokkaebier’s Kimchi Sour Ale

Since getting into sour beer, I’ve had about as many sour ales as I can find, but I guarantee you, I have never had one like this. Dokkaebier’s Kimchi Sour Ale is literally one of the most unique beers I’ve ever come across, a kettle sour brewed with Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) and ginger, and inoculated with the head brewer’s own personal kimchi starter. The taste of this beer is extraordinary; as expected, you get a fair amount of spiciness here, but it’s layered and complex, with a fruity smokiness from the gochutgaru met by the zippy back-of-the-throat burn of the ginger. The sourness of it is absolutely on point, puckering but not overwhelming. It’s a crushable beer, and you’ll want to crush it just to see what new direction each subsequent sip will take you. I may not be Korean myself, but I know enough to know that kimchi making is an act of love and community effort, and that ethos is abundantly clear in Dokkaebier’s offerings. 10/10, run don’t walk, etc. and so forth. I could not possibly give this any higher praise.

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Cheers, and be good to each other,

— Vincent