21 Seeds in my Teeth? Sounds like what happens when I eat uh…too much granola? Hello? Is this thing still on? Just kidding, I won’t subject anyone else to my open mic night routine, but I will subject you to more of my taste in music and mixology. As mentioned earlier, today’s Receiving the Evcharist pairing is Teeth‘s The Will of Hate and 21 Seeds‘ grapefruit and hibiscus infused tequila.

—

The Tunes: Teeth’s The Will of Hate

Teeth are one of the heroes of the local So Cal metal scene, in this humble writer’s opinion. One of the most interesting death metal bands in the area, they have long since stood out among a sea of old-school death metal worship (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) by virtue of their frantic energy and dissonant, almost atonal riffs. The Will of Hate, the band’s third full-length and first release in three years, sees the quartet trade some of that energy for a more focused sound, bringing back a lot of the sludgy musical elements that were present in earlier releases. The trifecta of songs “Writhe,” “Seethe,” and “Churn” give you a good idea of what you’re in for upon pushing play; the songs here sound more restrained than earlier Teeth releases, but that restraint is more akin to a clenched fist, held tightly in reign so the parts where all hell breaks loose feel that much more impactful. Bitter, blackened, and bursting at the seems with top-notch musicianship, The Will of Hate is a death metal album not to be missed.

—

The Booze: 21 Seeds Grapefuit & Hibiscus Tequila

Tequila and I have a…complicated relationship, let’s call it. I swore off the stuff for years after a night of supreme overindulgence and I thought I was good for the rest of time without it, but on a whim, I decided to try, try again with 21 Seeds’ Grapefruit and Hibiscus infused tequila blanco. Hibiscus and grapefruit are two of my favorite flavors ever, and when they’re paired together the siren song is nigh impossible to resist, and here the two flavors dance around each other bringing out the floral, fruity, high notes necessary to make a spirit that absolutely sings. This tequila has been the surprise hit of my summer; it goes down easy as a shot chased with a nice fruity wheat beer to compliment, it makes a great mixer for margaritas and spritzes (and even just with juice as we’ve tested), but my absolute favorite way to enjoy it has been mixing with tonic water. For a two-ingredient drink I tried as an experiment, it has no reason to be as good as it is; the bitterness of the tonic water and the bitterness from the grapefruit notes of the tequila actually work to balance each other out instead of amplifying each other, and if you use a good quality tonic water like Fever Tree (which you are doing, right?) the citrus notes you get play beautifully with the other flavors. I would highly recommend seeking this, and the brand’s other flavors, out if you can.

—

Cheers, and be good to each other,

— Vincent