I don’t know about you, but I need a DRINK. And some punky black metal thrashy hardcore nonsense. Fortunately, this week we bring you both in spades. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offerings: Haunter and Cape of Bats’ Black Magick Metal Punk and Illuminated Brew Works’ The Keep.
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The Tunes
Black Magick Metal Punk is a split LP from California’s Haunter and Pennsylvania’s Cape of Bats, two bands on Fiadh Productions who specialize in blending — surprise! — black metal and punk. Now, combining these two genres isn’t anything earthshattering; they go together like peanut butter and chocolate. And just like with peanut butter and chocolate, whenever I’m enjoying one, I find myself wishing I had a bit of the other, too. Why choose, when Black Magick Metal Punk exists?
Haunter’s opening three tracks constitute some of the most batshit crazy black metal I’ve heard in a long time. “Vampires Coven” features a wickedly off-kilter lead line that never quite repeats itself, backed by frantic and furious drums and howled vocals. The track goes by in a flash with the pace they keep, but they manage to cram so much into a tight frame. Similarly, “Exorcism of the Holy Spirit” features frenetic riffing and a breakneck pace, but the hooks are definitely there, too — thanks in a large part to the unique guitar tone Haunter employs here. It’s warbly and phaser-rich, and I enjoy it quite a bit. The spirit is alive and well with these boys. It’s also worth noting: this isn’t hardcore, nor d-beat, nor any of the harder subsets of punk: this is old school, street punk. Actually, it’s Misfits on steroids, right down to the spookily-ookily atmosphere.
And that atmosphere is held together quite expertly on Cape of Bats’ second half. Their three tracks slow down the pace ever so slightly, but put a larger emphasis on dynamics, with tracks like “Frisson Nouveau” and “Under the Carpathian Yoke” employing dungeon-y synths as lead work. The latter, especially, opens with a delightfully OSHM riff that quickly catapults into circle pit territory, but never loses its grounding and focus. The two halves of Black Magick Metal Punk are different enough from each other that each band retains its own identity, but they complement each other in a way that makes this whole thing a delight to keep on repeat.
Black Magick Metal Punk is available now via Fiadh Productions.
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The Booze
We love Illuminated Brew Works in this house, but due to circumstances beyond our control it’s been a while since we’ve been able to do a proper visit with the Chicago lodge. Needless to say, when I finally got the chance to get out there and restock the beer fridge, I may have gone a little overboard. But, I challenge anyone to look at The Keep’s label and tell me they’d be able to walk out without buying a four-pack of it!
Going in, I had no idea what a “biere de garde” was, but it was brewed to be the complement to their spring saison, Cloud Buster — a beer I already knew I loved. As such, it was a no brainer to walk out with a helping, and boy am I glad I did.
Apparently, a biere de garde is brewed in much the same way as a saison, but with the addition of some gently-roasted malts. This lets it carry a lot more of the mellow, round, and toasty flavors of a darker beer, while still being light and peppery. It kind of has the best of everything going for it: a smooth body, warm spice, bright citrus and hops and just a little kiss of funk to close things out. It really was unlike any other beer I’ve tasted, and there’s really nothing more that I could ask of it. I’m really glad to see our local hole in the wall is still trying — and successfully pulling off — more “out-there” choices than just seven different kinds of lagers.
We’re nearing the doldrums of summer, when the heat seems unbeatable, but hang in there. Savor the cold ones, because who knows how long you’ve got them for?
-Ian
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