It has been a typical midwestern winter here in Chicago with cold days in the negative degrees, blizzards, ice, and suddenly some dense fog, rain, and a heatwave of double digit temperatures. This is about that time of year that I am very much over winter and ready for the gloom to pass along with my seasonal depression. For now, I will dream of sunshine while sipping on a bright and fruity seltzer and listening to some metal, so let us drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offerings: SLOWER‘s Slower and Illuminated Brew Works’ Slushy Thing #7 (The Watergate Salad Affair).
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The Tunes: SLOWER — Slower
Have you ever wondered what a classic Slayer song would sound like if it was recreated as a doom metal track? Wonder no more and listen to SLOWER’s debut—you will not be disappointed. SLOWER is an exciting project from members of Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Kyuss, Monolord, Lowrider, and Year of the Cobra. These sludge, stoner, and doom metal musicians have joined forces to create a cover album of Slayer songs but slowed down (get it?) and with their own doomy spin. The idea was sparked by Bob Balch (Fu Manchu) while teaching a guitar student how to play “South Of Heaven” by Slayer. He explains, “…she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought ‘someone in the doom community should do this and name it Slower.’” The album consists of five tracks, three of which are covers of songs on Slayer’s Seasons in the Abyss. Something I particularly love about this band is that there are no male vocalists, only two badass female vocalists—Amy Barrysmith (Year of the Cobra) and Laura Pleasants (Kylesa). This reimagining is unique and so well done. These artists are experts in their craft and what they have created has a lot of technical skill behind it with doomed out riffs while also rocking classic Kerry King thrash guitar solos but somehow also making it doom. I hope this is not a one time only project and SLOWER continues on this path because this is something I cannot get enough of and there are plenty of amazing Slayer songs to explore and doomify.
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The Beverage: Illuminated Brew Works — Slushy Thing #7 (The Watergate Salad Affair)
I cannot speak highly enough of this amazing brewery. If you are in the Chicago area and a fan of fun, unique beers and seltzers, Illuminated Brew Works is a must visit. Their tap room is a delightfully weird and welcoming spot to hang, decked out in spooky, conspiracy theory-centered decor with a colorful mural, string lights, and they always have a low-budget horror movie on by the bar. One visit here we were completely entranced by a movie called “Shark of the Corn” (think rubber shark puppets traipsing through corn fields and a lot of fake blood). 10/10 recommend. Anyway, the vibes are perfect and so are the drinks. If you are unsure of what you want to try from their vast menu, the bartender can roll a D20 to pick something for you. The also have plenty of take-home options which is how I picked up Slushy Thing #7 aka The Watergate Salad Affair. This is a hard seltzer made with pineapple, coconut, cherry, pistachios, and lactose and it is delicious! It tastes tropical and also comforting, reminding me of fruit cocktails that used to be packed in our elementary school lunches. The hint of pistachio blends in a bit with the cherry but it is a nice addition. It smells creamy and the taste of pineapple and coconut hits immediately with the start of each sip and finishes with cherry and pistachio. This is one to savor and dream of sunshine.
Cheers and blessed be,
— Angela
Nine Circles 