Turns out, we love I, Voidhanger records so much we’re celebrating a double feature of releases from them today!  And what better way to celebrate than with alcohol?  Let’s drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings: Neptunian Maximalism’s Nāgabhūtaṃ and is/was Brewing’s Mooncusser.

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The Tunes: Neptunian Maximalism’s Nāgabhūtaṃ

How do you even get started describing Neptunian Maximalism to the uninitiated?  I feel like these guys represent the ethos of what I, Voidhanger is to the music world: unabashedly weird, totally unique and uncompromising.  No two releases from this band are quite the same, but Nāgabhūtaṃ represents something special indeed: a live recording of NNMM’s April 9th, 2025 show in Brussels, where a resurrection of the original lineup of the band (referred to as the Eons Quartet) performed a 42 minute, completely improvised piece of music titled “Devānām madhye nāgabhūtaṃ dṛṣṭvā te bibhyati” (roughly translated as “Among the gods, at the sight of the one who has become a serpent, they are afraid.”).  Nāgabhūtaṃ features mainstay Guillaume Cazalet on guitar, vocals and otamatone (yes, that goofy little instrument that people love to play “My Heart Will Go On” on), as well as Jean Jacques Duerinckx on both baritone and sopranino saxophone, and the dual drum assault of Sebastien Schmit and Dirk Wachtelaer.  If that all sounds weird and wholly unconventional to you, well…one, yes it is and two, I don’t know what you were expecting.  It’s black metal meets free jazz meets Swans meets I-don’t-even-know-what.  And it’s very very good.  So much so that I find myself envious of those who got to appreciate it live in front of their faces.

I can’t think of a place where the particular schtick of NNMM would shine brighter than on stage, in their home territory and in a format that breaks down any and all musical boundaries, Kool Aid Man style.  Nāgabhūtaṃ really is something special in that respect.  To know that you have four musicians on stage, in an unusual configuration, all improvising together and working to create a cohesive whole is a huge undertaking in and of itself, but Nāgabhūtaṃ goes above and beyond with how locked in everyone is to each other.  My ears are particularly drawn to the way Schmit and Wachtelaer play off each other, both in tandem and in compliment.  Two drummers is a lot of noise on stage, but the way they snake their way in and around each other and around the guitars and saxophones is something that takes a lot of skill and musical knowhow.  And in truth, nobody steps on anyone’s toes the whole night.  Every player knows when to dial it back and let someone else take a turn in the spotlight, and everyone knows when to step up when it’s their moment to shine.  Obviously, Nāgabhūtaṃ gets very zen, and there’s a way to listen to this album that is to take in the whole at once and ride the vibes through to the very end.  You can also choose to look for little moments, like a pop of otamatone or a particularly zesty gong hit or the operatic vocals of Cazalet in the midsection, or a spicy, fleet-fingered saxophone run, and savor them for the wow factors they are.  I’m consistently in awe of people with the skill and creativity to make something like this up on the spot, and the fact that it works so well as a cohesive whole is the mark of both great black metal and great jazz.

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Nāgabhūtaṃ is available now on I, Voidhanger Records.  For more information on Neptunian Maximalism, visit their Instagram page.

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The Booze: is/was Brewing’s Mooncusser

So what to pair with something that is so…out there, but also cohesive and satisfying?  Well, how about a saison brewed with oyster shells and sea salt?  I know they’ll put just about anything in beer these days, but Mooncusser has one of the stranger ingredient lists I’ve seen recently, and I’ve seen some pretty strange pairings.  This though?  This *works*, in a way that I would never have imagined.  Kind of like otamatone in black metal.  Mooncusser is far and away the saltiest beer I’ve ever had, saltier even than a gose, but it just skirts the perimeter of too much, and it works really well with that classic farmhouse tang.  The oyster shells also contribute some of that briny flavor I’m getting, and while Mooncusser is decidedly not fishy, there’s a subtle extra bit of funk that I can tell comes from the signature addition.  It’s like if they made ocean water alcoholic, which means it’s actually quite refreshing and bracing, without being overwhelming or making you go insane if you drink it.  Well, maybe a little bit insane, if you don’t pace yourself.

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Well, there you have it!  Until the next time I, Voidhanger releases new music (or before then), cheers and be good to each other.

— Ian