If you really thought there was any other way for us to celebrate the release of a new Korpiklaani album than with an alcoholic beverage, you must be out of your goddamn gourd.  Drink from the cup of heresy, indeed, friends.  This week’s offerings: Korpiklaani’s Rankarumpu and More Brewing Company’s Monogatari.

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The Tunes: Korpiklaani’s Rankarumpu

There is no way you need an introduction to Korpiklaani.  The Finnish rockers have been at the pinnacle of folk metal for just over two decades, and they clearly show no signs of slowing down at all.  Quite the opposite, in fact: Rankarumpu (the band’s 12th studio album) is a return to the band’s older, more overtly metal sound, with faster tempos and more aggressive riffing and soloing and catchy, anthemic choruses.  There really isn’t a break from the pace until you hit the middle of the album, and you know what?  That’s excellent by me.  This is an album to do a full keg stand to.  Fueling the fires is the addition of new member, Turisas’ Olli Vänskä, whose blistering violin work needs no introduction to the folk metal vanguards.  Still, for someone who has been around in the business for as long as he has, he is playing on Rankarumpu like he is an inch away from being fired.  What I mean is, the dude is shredding like his life depends on it, and his intensity and touch is all over the album.  Nowhere is this more evident than on “Saunaan”, a track that he wrote the music for and basically never stops shredding on.  In fact, Rankarumpu has a much more prominent feature of the folk instruments, with dueling violin and accordion solos splattered all over the record.  To say it keeps things interesting is an understatement.  I mean, if you’re gonna do folk metal, do *folk metal*.  Korpiklaani have never been ones for half-assing anything, and they certainly don’t start here.  Every song has the infectious energy of a band half their tenure, but the fact that they take themselves just seriously enough (“Saunaan” is a song about…sitting in a sauna.  And it kicks ass.) helps bring some much needed levity and even some goofy chuckles to the listen.  Rankarumpu is straight up a good time.  There isn’t much more that can be said than that.

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The Booze: More Brewing Company’s Monogatari

I guess we’re going…uh, multicultural on this one.  While I wasn’t able to track down any proper Finnish beer for this column, I always have a stash of More beers hanging around in the old fridge, because More is definitely my new local brewery obsession.  I’ve never had a beer from them that I don’t love, but they are also really great at pushing the envelope and doing things no one else is doing.  Enter Monogatari, a gose brewed with black lime, kabosu (a citrus fruit that’s like a more sour yuzu, if you’re like me and you’ve never heard of kabosu before) and sea salt.  Deeply sour and bracing from the citrus, you are immediately met with a Warhead level sour that I think all good goses need, but that sour develops very quickly into a balanced sweetness from the kabosu and an earthen funk from the black lime.  I haven’t ever tasted anything quite like this before, but citrus is one of my favorite flavors, lime in particular, and I am very very happy with the chance I took on this one.  It is about as far of a cry from something a dwarf or forest creature would drink, but I think the fellas will forgive me on this one.  It’s damn tasty, and kawaii as hell.

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Until next time, dear readers: Cheers, and be good to each other.

-Ian