I did threaten promise you I would be back soon, didn’t I?  Man, we have been putting a lot more of these up and I gotta say…I’m loving it.  Drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings: Wind Rose’s Trollslayer and New Glarus Brewing Company’s Spotted Cow.

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The Tunes: Wind Rose’s Trollslayer

Did you really think we would let a new Wind Rose album pass without 1) commemorating it with words, and 2) raising a beer in celebration?  You’re nuts, bud.  There’s almost no way you need an introduction to Wind Rose at this point.  They absolutely blew up all over TikTok and YouTube, which is a sign of success in the year 2024, with their cover of a goof song from an ancient Yogscast video, of all things (I WAS THERE FOR THE ORIGINAL, because I am that old).  I am, of course, talking about “Diggy Diggy Hole”, the song that launched the dwarven-themed power metal quintet from the underground (pun intended) into the stratosphere.  On Trollslayer, Wind Rose are back with their premium brand of goofy ass dwarf hijinks mostly unchanged, but still highly effective.  Why on earth would you want them to change though?  Would you want Amon Amarth to release an album that wasn’t about Vikings?  I would never want Nile to release an album that wasn’t about ancient Egypt (and they didn’t!), and I would never want Wind Rose to abandon their gimmick. 

Trollslayer is an album that is entirely about dwarves, drinking, partying, dwarves, fighting and dwarves.  But if you think they don’t pull some new and expectedly nerdy references in, you’re mistaken.  The title of the album references an old Warhammer Fantasy novel of the same name, and standout track “Rock and Stone” takes its inspiration from the video game Deep Rock Galactic.  You know these fellas are actually about that life if they are going off the beaten path like that, and what’s more is that the music backs it up.  As far as power metal goes, it sure is power metal, but that’s a good thing.  It’s nice when it does break the mold, I don’t strictly need my power metal to be much more than power metal, and this has all the hallmarks of straight-down-the-middle power metal: soaring lead work, keyboard orchestration, operatic vocals, insanely catchy choruses and borderline dancey riffs keeping the party going all night long.  I could probably do without the maudeline closer “No More Sorrow” bringing the mood down, but hey: that’s the biggest complaint I have.  Trollslayer is a righteous and rip-roaring good time that cements Wind Rose as the preeminent dwarven power metal band out there.

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The Booze: New Glarus Brewing Company’s Spotted Cow

As a person from Chicago, the rush of bringing back a case of Spotted Cow over the border home must be what people who shove balloons full of heroin up their ass feel when they find themselves in a similar position.  Proudly employee owned and proudly brewed and distributed *only* in Wisconsin, New Glarus Brewing Company is located in the titular tourist trap not far over the Illinois border and does a great many things well; chief among them is Spotted Cow, a funky farmhouse ale that we on this side of the border routinely venture northward to smuggle back to our respective fridges.  You wouldn’t think a farmhouse ale would be the thing people clamor for, but it really is the beer most people who know about them associate with them.  Soft and creamy on the palate, there’s plenty of delicious yeasty character, with ever-so-slight sour and floral notes dominating the opening, and a clean, bitter finish that begs for another sip.  It’s definitely the lightest and most evenly balanced farmhouse I have had, and the fact that it’s so accessible should explain why it’s become a Chicago institution despite not being sold anywhere in the state of Illinois.

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Before too long, then.  Rock and stone!  Er, cheers, and be good to each other.

-Ian