Aaaaaaaaaaand we’re back!  With a proper end to the week and some more dizzying metal for ya.  All is right with the world.  Drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings: Architect of Seth’s Solitude Solaire and Jester King Brewery’s Black Metal.

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The Tunes: Architect of Seth’s Solitude Solaire

You might be forgiven for never having heard of Architect of Seth before, but they haven’t exactly had what one could call a “prolific” output.  Formed in 2006 but not releasing a debut until 2013 and then almost immediately going on a prolonged hiatus due to lineup instability and personal struggles in the life of sole member Pyromancer, Architect of Seth never really had much momentum to go on, and while Pyromancer has made a name for himself as a session drummer for hire, it’s always been a shame to Mr. Mancer that his main project hasn’t gotten further off the ground.  Solitude Solaire is the long-awaited chance to rectify that, described by the man himself as “[dealing] mainly with the rises and falls of a fifteen-year chapter of my life…Unhealed wounds, abandonments and hypocrisy, betrayals that have marked my journey, sepia-toned memories of the departed ones…It is the true account of an existence haunted by inner demons, despite an instinctive refusal to sink into darkness.  Each track is a punch received or a punch given, [because] so was my life.”  Musically, Solitude Solaire is a blend of technical thrash, not entirely dissimilar from a Psycroptic or the like, with a smattering of progressive leanings, dark doom and a slightly blackened edge that rounds everything out pretty nicely.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Solitude Solaire is that Pyromancer wrote and performed the whole thing entirely by himself, from the guitars and bass to the keyboards and vocals to the drums (obviously).  The sheer amount of skill on display is pretty damn phenomenal; these are not easy songs to play, and Pyromancer holds nothing back on viscous and razor-sharp cuts like “Fortress of Injuries” and “Karma Trance” that live and die by the exact kind of wrist-splitting riffs and pummeling drums you would hope for.  The guitar solos are also an excellent vehicle to show off Pyromancer’s technical skill.  Take a listen to the shred fest that is “Nature Morte” and see what I mean.  The guy has talent coming out of his ears, and more importantly, he knows how to put it all together in a killer package.  From the thrashy opening to the hyper-melodic “Paradis Sans Vie” to the doomy “Mes Mains qui se Perdent”, Solitude Solaire oozes with groove and charm.  It is a pretty perfect celebration of 20 years of Architect of Seth, and here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait long for more.

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Solitude Solaire is available now on I, Voidhanger.  For more information on Architect of Seth, visit their Facebook page.

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The Booze: Jester King Brewery’s Black Metal

Come on.  If there’s a beer out there called Black Metal, you know we’re gonna find it eventually and we’re gonna sample it.  This was thankfully on tap at my local watering hole on a night where nothing else seemed to be calling out my name, and then, as if a skeletal hand reached up from the bowels of hell, I was hit with the delightful sight of this behemoth brew.  Black Metal is a Russian Imperial Stout, so you know it has one hell of a body to it, as well as an ass-kicking ABV.  Pitch black and thick as molasses, this beer is roasty, malty and with the aged character befitting its noble status, but with plenty of mild sweetness up front and bracing bitterness on the finish to keep me coming back for more, branding aside.  If you’re lucky enough to be in the Austin area, this looks like a place you won’t want to miss out on.

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Doesn’t seem like it’ll be long before we do this again, but all the same, cheers and be good to each other.

-Ian