Album: Black Widow Artist: In This Moment Genre: Metalcore Origin: Los Angeles, CaliforniaListen to Sick Like Me This album pairs well with Miller High Life Light.

There is a time and a place for everything.  Sometimes you have to let go of your pretentiousness and admit that it’s OK to like things that are marketed to the masses.  Every beer you love doesn’t have to be brewed by Belgian monks, and every album you like doesn’t have to be produced by a guy with three umlauts in his name who describes his genre as “Extreme Majestic Technical Epic Melodic Metal.”

 

Album: Yav Artist: Arkona Genre: Folk Metal Origin: RussiaListen to Gorod Snov This album pairs well with Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale.

When you listen to this album you need a beer that you can fill your drinking horn with.  Little Sumpin’ is perfect for dancing around the bonfire and sharing with random strangers who join you in your folk metal revelry.

 

Album: Titan Artist: Septicflesh Genre: Symphonic Metal Origin: GreeceListen to Order of Dracul This album pairs well with Chimay Blue.

When I first heard this album I thought, “How come I’m not drinking out of a chalice right now?”  Instantly, I had a craving for Chimay.  The world needs more symphonic metal.

 

Album: Mobile of Angels Artist: Witch Mountain Genre: Blues Metal Origin: Portland, OregonListen to Psycho Animundi This album pairs well with Rahr Whiskey Warmer.

I am surprised that this album made the list.  I mean, on first glance you might not even recognize it as metal.  But those of you who know your history will immediately see this album for what it is.  Mobile of Angels is a metal time machine that perfectly captures the metal spirit that has remained constant throughout the ages, even as the musical genres that housed it have evolved and changed.  The bourbon aroma of Whiskey Warmer harkens back to a distant time in American history when the blues where revolutionizing the music world and paving the way for the glorious metal future that we live in now.

 

Album: Of Terror and the Supernatural Artist: Temple of Void Genre: Doom Metal Origin: The Depths of Detroit Listen to Invocation of Demise This album pairs well with St. Bernardus Abt 12.

St. Bernardus claims to come from a “poetry village, called Watou, where time is apparently passing by slower than in the rest of the country.  Life over there is different, quieter; where people live in accordance with nature, where tradition and values are honoured.” At first, it might seem like Watou and Detroit are nothing alike, however both of these magical places share one thing in common; it is impossible to live there without believing in the supernatural.  Watou is a land of heavenly light and Detroit is centered on a hellmouth.  This album and beer pairing will fill you with forbidden knowledge of the supernatural and cause you to grow in power.

 

Album: Origins Artist: Eluveitie Genre: Folk Metal Origin: SwitzerlandListen to Vianna  This album pairs well with Four Corners Local Buzz.

The only bad thing you can say about Eluveitie is that they are formulaic.  But, when you have a good formula, why change it?  Pop the top off your Local Buzz, pull out your hurdy gurdy, and enjoy life.  It’s impossible to listen to this without getting a smile on your face.

 

Album: Primitive and Deadly Artist: Earth Genre: Stoner Metal Origin: Olympia, WashingtonListen to There is a Serpent Coming This album pairs well with Revolver Blood and Honey.

Primitive and Deadly has an almost Southern Rock vibe to it at moments, and at other times it is downright bluesy.  If you ever find yourself in an old, run down saloon, ask the bartender for a Blood and Honey and then put this album on the jukebox.

 

Album: Past 21 Beyond the Arctic Cell Artist: Megaton Leviathan Genre: Psychedelic Metal Origin: Portland, OregonListen to Past 21  This album pairs well with Rodenbach Grand Cru.

Sit down next to the fire, pour yourself a Grand Cru, and think about the cold of winter.  This album is 100% ambiance and atmosphere. It will make you feel the sort of contentment that comes with curling up in your house and hiding from the elements.

 

Album: Blood Mantra Artist: Decapitated Genre: Technical Death Metal Origin: PolandListen to Nest This album pairs well with Peticolas Velvet Hammer.

As your attorney, I advise you to drink 6 velvet hammers, play this album as loud as you can, and then punch a water heater.

 

Album: The Divination of Antiquity Artist: Winterfylleth Genre: Black Metal Origin: EnglandListen to A Careworn Heart This album pairs well with Oscar Blues Old Chub.

This goes down way to easy.  It’s not hard to slam through the whole thing without taking the time to appreciate it.  But, I beseech you to calm down, sit back, and experience it.

 

Album: Virus of the Mind Artist: Starkill Genre: Melodic Death Metal Origin: Some Highschool in North ChicagoListen to Into Destiny This album pairs well with Community Mosaic IPA.

Community Brewery and Starkill have been around for about the same time.  Relatively new to the scene, they are not doing anything unheard of or completely different.  However, what they are doing is excelling in their field and showing the more established competition how it is done.

 

Album: The Old Believer Artist: The Atlas Moth Genre: Post Metal Origin: Chicago, IllinoisListen to The Sea Beyond  This album pairs well with Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

This album has an amazing complexity.  On one hand it is total chill out music, but then when you least expect it, a verse or guitar riff will jump out and completely grab you.  The Old Believer is just like 90 minute because there are times where I will go weeks without enjoying it, and then when I do pick it up, I wonder why I had been abstaining for so long.

 

Album: Melana Chasmata Artist: Triptykon Genre: Gothic Metal Origin: SwitzerlandListen to Boleskine House This album pairs well with Santa Fe Imperial Java Stout.

Java Stout gives you a wonderful excuse to get a healthy buzz before noon, and this album will make you realize that there is nothing weird about smoking cloves in a graveyard.  Who cares what other people think.  The dark tone of this album will make you gaze out upon the world with detached realism.  Those who have never had a Java Stout or heard this album just don’t get it, and there is no use in trying to explain it to them.

 

Album: Nux Vomica Artist: Nux Vomica Genre: Crust Metal Origin: Portland, OregonListen to Reeling   This album pairs well with Stone IPA.

Nux Vomica is the Latin name for the tree that produces strychnine, so it is appropriate that parts of this album that lean heavily on punk influences can leave a bitter taste in your mouth.  But, this is an album that is more than the sum of its parts.  The first track has the most punk elements, the second track is melodic death metal, and the third track is a masterful blend of the two.  The third track on this album is one of my favorite songs, but all meaning is lost if you don’t listen to it after experiencing the first 2/3rds of the album.

 

Album: Shadows of the Dying Sun Artist: Insomnium Genre: Melodic Death Metal Origin: FinlandListen to While We Sleep  This album pairs well with Lakewood’s The Temptress.

The smooth and velvety melody makes for easy listening, and like the 9.1% ABV of The Temptress, this album will make you make feel all warm and comfy.

 

Album: The Serpent and the Sphere Artist: Agalloch Genre: Neofolk Metal Origin: Portland, OregonListen to Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation This album pairs well with Orval.    The slight tart and wild notes of this beer are reminiscent of an ancient time.  The Serpent and the Sphere is a new creation mythos, and imagery of hooded figures passing down the story of the origin of the universe can’t be missed.  This looming sense of hidden knowledge and mysticism goes hand in hand with the Trappist tradition, and Orval is the greatest among the Trappist beers.

A Brew Most Foul

It was the first weekend in October and a cold front had just rolled in – time to brew. What he was doing on this crisp autumn day was certainly brewing, but it was not what Jimmy Carter had in mind in 1979 when he signed a bill into law legalizing home brewing. The work of this brewer has persisted over a thousand years, in spite of laws, principalities, and powers. The brewers spice rack contains salts and minerals not found in most kitchens. On the shelf sits a stone mortar and pestle that has seen enough obscure seeds, roots, and flowers from around the world that it could give a naturalist a run for his money on Jeopardy when the category “Botany” comes up. As he lit the fire under the cauldron he thought of the constant begging and pleading from his friends. They all knew he often worked long hours on his potent concoctions, but he never shared the fruits of his labor with any of them.

The shadows in his workroom lazily retreated as the mild rays of the October sun crept through the open door. The progress of the light appeared to pause for a second before it revealed the large orange orb sitting in the middle of the floor. This was the key ingredient in today’s brew. The pumpkin cast shadows that seemed to shift in the morning light, as if there were a dark tale unfolding behind the monolithic sphere. The brewer stood over the pumpkin with a large knife in hand. A chill came over him as he contemplated the pumpkin and it’s origin that was more dark and maniacal then even he was used to dealing with. There was no reason to delay. Without thought or fanfare the brewer plunged the knife into the gourd. The scream made time stand still. It was a scream that could only be heard in the way that the stares of a hidden stalker can be felt. The sound of the inaudible cry was more visceral then any sound that could be produced by nature or heard with the ear. The first droplet of a cold sweat appeared on the brow of the brewer. Wishing to finish this work as quickly as possible, he began slicing and sawing through the flesh of the pumpkin. He had an irregular hole cut into the top in short order. The brewers hand reached into the opening; it felt warm. He cringed as he pulled out a handful of the organic matter. At first he was meticulous, one small handful at a time, he extracted the pumpkins innards. Gradually he began to move quicker. In no time he was slinging the orange entrails across the room in the quick but sporadic motions of a man possessed.

Then he froze – drenched in sweat and the lifeblood of the large melon, he became aware of what he had to do. The pumpkin was not meant to be an ingredient in his brew, it would be the vessel! As if the the entire universe were suddenly in tune, the cauldron bubbled and sputtered in agreement. The brewers eyes were wild as he poured the wort into the the pumpkin. After pitching the last ingredient, he placed the top, that he had hacked out earlier, into the gaping wound and sealed the concoction in the flame colored carcass.

For hours the brewer stood and stared at the pumpkin, unwilling to accept what he saw. At first it started out as a single crimson drop, and then another, and then then the entire path of his mad knife was outlined in red. The brewer stared at the bloody result of his unholy surgery. The transplant was a success, and the brewer for the first time in his life was sure of one thing. He would share this brew with his friends.