Burn our smouldering hearts, on a Summer night …
Two underground reviews for you to peruse this week; quality black/death metal from the UK and and an offering of inspiring, atmospheric black metal from Slovenia. Both are fine accompaniment to this high-sixties Summer we’re having Up North, where hoodies and jeans have taken the place of shorts and thin t-shirts. Maybe that’s a good thing …
Anyway, curious to know what’s been burning on your Summer grills – what grub do you go for when a craft beer and a Craft album come-a-calling?
Jim Clifton Playlist
Belial – Never Again
Belial – Wisdom of Darkness
Arghoslent – 1990-1994 The First Three Demos
Bölzer – Soma
Panopticon – Roads to the North
Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn
Townes Van Zandt – Live at the Old Quarter
Wicked World – A Tribute to Black Sabbath
Mötley Crue – Shout at the Devil
Misfits – Legacy of Brutality
Worm Gear 
Haven’t had many cook outs this summer. The weather has been rather un summer like here as well. I’m a typical cook out kind of guy though. Hamburgers, hotdogs, that sort of thing. Seems like summer to me.
Vukari – EN TO PAN
Sacramentum – Far Away From the Sun
Anathema – Distant Satellites
Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
Abigor – Leytmotif Luzifer
Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
Panopticon – Roads to the North
Panopticon – Kentucky
Krigsgrave – The Carrion Fields
Oak Pantheon – The Void
Drautran – Throne of the Depths
Slugdge – Gastronomicon
First thing is first el’folkies, the only accurate assessment of the new bolzer can be found here:
http://autothrall.blogspot.com/2014/07/bolzer-soma-ep-2014.html
Now, every other review including the one here on Wormgear Zine has got some slag of hype spewed on it. I don’t blame ya, but only to an inch of an extent, as they are indeed an excellent display of power and craft, however a 2 fucking song 14 minute long (minus outro) MLP 12″ is nothing to jerk off too. Its a blueball, sure, but fuck momentum for momntums sake and all that marketing bullshit. One song is really good, and Steepes, well its okay. The higher vocals don’t work as well either. Give me some fucking meat! Oh, and I guess a craft beer would be nice here too. its fucking hot!
Cheers – Monk Stone Weilder.
I noticed something interesting during my activities this past weekend. I planned a multi-day excursion to climb one of the higher mountains in my region. My aim was to not only reach the glaciers, but to actually spend some decent time among and upon them. On day-hikes, and less arduous outings, I often bring along music to compliment the journey. To reach the glaciers as quickly as possible, actually immerse myself in them, and return in good form did not allow for much comfort or luxury. Weight was a major factor, of course, so provisions and other essentials took precedence. As light as they are, I quickly decided against bringing any ‘useless’ objects. The mp3 player was staying behind … without question. Long story short (to spare you from my detailed excursion account) … left to its own devices, what was the music my mind provided/recalled as I traversed the old-growth woodland, mountain peaks, and immense, glacial crowns?
A few things popped up on my internal soundtrack that were a bit expected, but gloriously welcome:
Interestingly enough, a lot of songs showed up that I have not listened to in quite some time. Many were songs that I was not even aware of how deeply they had ingrained themselves into my mind. Some were so strongly present that it was near impossible to ‘turn them off’.
Let me surge
Let me flow through you, dominating flesh and mind
For your chose, invocation
Serving powers older than Time itself
While beholding the sheer immensity and timeless, slow march of the glacier; the vastness of the field itself is enough to leave one awestruck. Walking upon its ridges, tracing the cold lines of centuries past; I was humbled before the wisdom I saw carved into its cruel surface.
To behold the unfathomable depth of the crevasses; like gazing upon icy portals of ancient, blue nightmare.
I cannot impart how grateful I am to have been able to experience such profundity firsthand.
The role it plays in our world is so far-reaching and terribly complex in its simplicity. The sounds it culled from my mind, and the emotions it pulled forth, are something I will never forget.
Making my way to this week’s topic:
I like to keep my grill primitive. Simple, rustic, FRESH:
Venison skewers (back-straps!)
Medium-rare elk steaks (nothing but a touch of salt)
Bacon-wrapped whole turkey leg
Wood-fire-smoked (alder wood) steelhead and salmon
It might not be the grill, but I also like making:
Ground beef jerky. Lean grass-fed beef, minced onions, a touch of minced garlic, sea salt, black pepper, a little red wine. Form into shape. Quickly sear each side in a pan. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for a few/several hours or until the desired texture is achieved. Not as leathery as traditional jerky, stores great in a pack, and breaks apart easily for quick consumption.
Completely badass.
Craft brews (a super quick glance):
Heater Allen lagers
Founders and/or Bells stouts (KBS on a cool evening with some icy bm spinning is killer)
Hill Farmstead pales and ipas
Fantome saisons
3 Fonteinen geueze
Finnish sahti if a rare/fresh bottle ever shows up
Lichtenhainer and Gose
etc etc etc …
CRAFT! Damn, I remember really digging Total Soul Rape in 2000. Terror Propaganda killed, too. Thanks for reminding me of these guys. I now dedicate at least one day next week to digging out the old discs, preparing the fire-pit/grill, pouring a great pils, with plans to ‘F**k the Universe’. \m/ Hail all Worms!
Thanks for sharing that experience, Unaerth! Reading through and listening to your first link (by the great Summoning), I felt I was there with you taking in the vistas/abysses. Looking forward to making my way through the rest of the music you posted, with that imagery in mind.
Also: Bacon-wrapped whole turkey leg? Sounds godly! That will be going on a Summer dinner wish list.
How would you describe the consistency of Elk? It is available up here, but I’ve never tried it …
Besides offerings from two of my faves you mentioned, Bells and Founders, I have been developing a taste for a good saison lately; The Filling Station here in Traverse City, MI had a good one; will look into the Fantome!
Indeed, Summoning was clear in my mind, ‘cliché’ or not, for much of the journey. The Schammasch material, and that track/lyric in particular, really came on strongly as I was hiking my way through the old-growth forest and its wild underbrush. Before the elevation began to dramatically increase, amongst the earthen floor, immense trees, insanely tangled rootfalls, roiling river’s edge; the undeniably ‘connected’ and visceral aura of Schammasch carved its way throughout the experience. Enmerkar exploded into my mind almost immediately upon viewing the glacier. Once I descended from the ridge down onto the icy flow itself, the silence surrounding me only amplified the sonic tempest in my ears/mind. The distant, rumbling crack of shifting ice-plates accented the music, lending the unfamiliar scenery an almost ‘off-earth’ atmosphere. I felt like I was standing ‘elsewhere’, listening to the echoes of far-off, wind-wracked stars. I just cannot describe it.
Give elk a try. It is best fresh, not having been frozen; but if prepared properly, is always enjoyable to me. It tends to be extremely lean in nature. In that sense, I would compare it to venison when it comes to consistency. The most important thing to remember, in my opinion, is to not overcook the meat. Keep the steak cut a bit thinner than you would for beef, around 3/4” max. Use high heat, and cook for no longer than a few minutes on either side. It should never get ‘brown’ in the middle. If it does, it turns into boot leather. Ha! I usually only cook mine ‘rare, to medium-rare’ and let it rest a few minutes on the plate before I dig in. If done correctly, the stuff can practically be cut with a fork. SO DAMN GOOD.
Tougher cuts can also turn out great if tossed in a slow-cooker or crock-pot with plenty of broth.
Dany, the brewer at Fantome, over in Belgium, is a madman … in a good way. His brews are always spontaneous and seasonal. Wild yeast fermentation and whatever fresh ingredients catch his fancy … his stuff is always interesting and complex. Many folks knock him for inconsistency; but I personally feel that he more than makes up for it in terms of sheer ‘sorcery’.
A couple of my favs:
You probably have already tried it, but I have always thought highly of the saisons put out by Boulevard (MO). They have pretty good distribution, so are not a pain to track down. Their standard Tank 7 Saison is quite solid, and their Smokestack Series “Saison Brett” is killer. The Brettanomyces adds a lot of great farmhouse character.
Before I go get some exercise and make some grub …
Recent tunes:
I’ve been starting to go back through my collection, and I have come to the ‘melodic death’ section. In between Eucharist – Mirrorworlds, In Flames – Lunar Strain, Night In Gales – Towards the Twilight, and other usual suspects … I came across these guys from Canada, who I have not thought about in over a decade.