It has been far too long since I last offered you beverages from the cup of heresy, but here we are once again and the unholy vessel overfloweth. Today’s offerings: 4: Assets for Psychedelic Warfare from Viscera/// and Fidens Brewing Company’s Jasper with Haas HBA 033.

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The Tunes: Viscera/// – 4: Assets for Psychedelic Warfare

I have a special penchant for metal from Italy, given what they are putting in the water there. Bands such as Nero di Marte and Void of Sleep have explored fascinating avenues, and so have Viscera/// during their 25 years of existence, which has seen them evolve from their early grindcore days into something very different that combines elements of post-metal, sludge, hardcore and drone (on full display on their excellent 2017 release 3 | Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals), with power and voltage provided by a distinctive combination of sophisticated psychedelia and charming pop sensibility that took center stage on the brilliant The City of Violence EP (2018) and their effervescent split EP with Tons (2025) and now continues on their ominously titled new album 4: Assets for Psychedelic Warfare.

To first-timers, the aforementioned pop sensibility becomes immediately evident as soon as their secret weapon, Michael Basso’s lush and soothing clean vocals, enter the picture, cunningly only after the opening punk-infused, stadium crust-adjacent blitzkrieg of “Agents of Kali Yuga,” when the album’s charmingly grooving first single “Radiant” and its earwork chorus kicks in. The dreamy sludge of “The Messiah Complex” gradually transitions to sunnier territories with twangy pop guitars that provide an apt foundation for Basso’s driving vocals. On the other hand, his parched croak fits the stomping momentum of “Autoberserk” like a velvet glove. Naturally, the band is no slouch in the catchy riff department and keeps delivering hooks across the album. While shorter song lengths might have benefited throughout (the album in fact includes a radio play-ready version of “Radiant” that is three minutes shorter than the track proper), their extended duration often reinforces the subtle narcotic haze of the songs and ends up working to their advantage. Overall, an essential addition to the band’s adventurous discography.

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4: Assets for Psychedelic Warfare is available now on Time to Kill Records. For more information on Viscera///, please visit their Facebook page.

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The Booze: Fidens Brewing Company – Jasper with Haas HBA 033

Based in Albany, NY, Fidens Brewing Company keeps releasing delicious variants of Jasper, their masterful hazy double IPA which has also seen many twists made in collaboration with heavy-hitters such as Messorem, Root + Branch, Toppling Goliath and Weldwerks. I am a sucker for experimental hops, so when I learned they were going to release Jasper made with Haas HBA 033, a hop variety I had no idea existed but which Fidens promised would deliver “an extra burst of sweet mango, dark berries and tropical fruit” to deepen of Jasper’s usual citra-based “bright citrus, peach and mango character”, I immediately knew I had to get a 4-pack. And it sure is another home run for Fidens. When properly chilled to an optimal temperature, I was greeted by a tremendous, succulent mouthfeel, with rich but not overpowering malts that provided the most pleasant backbone for the tropical fruit extravaganza that swirls and impresses and is in perfect balance with the 7.8% ABV. Visually, it is a stunner – I mean, just look at that beautiful haze and color! Beers like this approach pure perfection and need to be experienced while listening to top-shelf metal.

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Cheers, and be good to each other.

– Zyklonius