FatherAlabaster

Selbst - Vortex Of Anguish And Death

Hell yeah man, thank you for the support.

Vestígio - Vestígios ...thanks to SurgicalBrute for the rec. Cool interplay between the guitars, melodic approach reminds me a bit of Selbst.

Cool writeup at NCS for another couple of promo tracks. "Instrumental" isn't entirely right, but the vocals on these are for texture and melody. This is from near the end of the album. https://www.nocleansinging.com/2024/04/12/an-ncs-premiere-construct-of-lethe-excerpts-from-a-kindness-dealt-in-venom/

How does it feel to be part of the basic-bitch casual crowd that can't handle the throat-eradicating, tongue-petrifying bitterness real men crave? I think part of the reason they're everywhere is that they're easy to do an ok job on quickly, and the hop flavor and bitterness can cover up a lot of little flaws and inconsistencies that would ruin a more nuanced beer. But that doesn't make for a great experience. They are not all like that. If you're ever up this way, like for Messe Des Morts, lemme know. Too much good beer up here for you not to try some.

Bittering depends on the beer. "Hoppy" doesn't necessarily mean "bitter". The hazy New England pale ales keep the later flavor and aroma hop additions much more forward. That's what I loved about them when I couldn't smell things properly, there was enough there for me to latch onto. I don't love hop bitterness for its own sake (don't mind it but don't seek it out) and I really don't like that back-of-the-throat chalky quality that comes with using overly hard water. Talking about trends, there was a trend in overbearing bitterness for a while before the new school hazy style caught on, and I'm glad that one died back. I'm looking for balance and fresh hop flavor/aroma when I drink IPAs. It's slim pickings for the West Coast style up here and harder to find it fresh. We get Stone and Sierra Nevada, that's about it. I used to enjoy them but they can't compete with the local stuff for my dollar. They're just not as good. I also think Sierra has fallen off in general, I don't know if it's just their east coast brewery or my tastes changed or what, but they used to be my favorite all around brewery and now they're just kind of meh. I do look forward to their Celebration Ale in the winter, that's about as close as I get to a west coast IPA anymore.

Both of these are swill in my book. They're better than Bud but that's not saying much. I can understand not liking IPAs, especially if you've never had a really good one as fresh as possible, or maybe if you're someone (like my wife) who finds hop bitterness disgusting. Even under good conditions the flavors can take a while to click. But unless you've tried the real deal, you don't know what you're missing. I was burned out on the hazy ones until I lost my sense of smell to Covid the first time around. Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me. Lucky me, northern VT is the land of plenty.

I live in the home of hazy IPAs. There is an absolute glut of them represented at the supermarket, and slim pickings of everything else aside from multinational conglomerate pisswater (funny enough, the gas station has a better and more varied selection). Most of them are alright but tiresome, and the sheer quantity of them means that it's difficult to find them fresh, because the store is incentivized to keep its overstock on the shelves long after the beer is past its prime. Too many bandwagon-jumpers. On the other hand, when they're done right they're amazing. Fiddlehead, The Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, and Schilling (Resilience) make great examples. I would hate to see those beers go away. Hill Farmstead and Schilling also make excellent lagers in an assortment of regional European styles. Both are real destination breweries. The only comparable place in MA was Tree House, another brewery somewhat unfairly defined by its flagship hazy IPA, that also makes an array of different styles and nails every one. We do get some good Canadian beers down here as well as stuff from Maine and NY state that fills in the gaps. The things I don't see around too much are English and Belgian styles, and big-alcohol barrel-aged beers. But it's basically Beervana. No complaints. Y'all should visit.

I dunno, maybe she's just doing it to be... nice? Maybe? Outgoing shipping costs have sucked for years. I used to mail CDs and shirts and so forth for my bands, but I stopped shipping overseas because I couldn't charge a fair price unless I took a bath on it. I haven't noticed declining quantities of foreign beer, but the market here is (rightly) focused on local products, so I wouldn't have.

Welcome to the forum.

There's preserving culture, and then there's whatever this is. It looks like misguided essentialist nationalism to me. "Western influences" are "polluting" their artistic traditions. If you want logic, I think you'll be disappointed, but here are relevant quotes from one of the articles I read: "Musical, vocal and choreographic" works will be limited to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute (BPM) to "conform to the Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm," said Dadayev, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS. "Borrowing musical culture from other peoples is inadmissible," Dadayev said, per a translation by The Guardian. "We must bring to the people and to the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people. This includes the entire spectrum of moral and ethical standards of life for Chechens."

Nice, "Sorrow" is my favorite of theirs, great album for winter mornings.

If you can find a way to listen to it on good speakers in a decent room, it's worth it. A good 320 mp3 should be fine unless you've got golden ears. I don't think it'll change your life or anything but it's engaging and I can't think of anything else that's quite like it. Local storage and physical copies are where it's at. No way I can rely on constant Internet connectivity and the enduring commitment of music and book publishers to artistic freedom, not to mention the ability of libraries and schools to keep carrying "objectionable" materials. Did you see that Chechnya just banned music outside the range of 80-116 BPM? NP: At The Gates - With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness ...maybe their best music, inarguably their worst mix.

Occam? Doesn't sound like he's from around here. And you tell me they let him through with a razor?

Just proof you aren't one of the chosen, like that bridge in Baltimore.

Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik - Hugsjá

Yelp Reviews Read By Real Farmers

Totality was fucking amazing. I'm sorry I looked away from it even to get a shot on my phone, which can't do it justice, but there ya go:

If you're in a position to really appreciate all the detail and spatial definition in the mix, it hits hard. The riffs aren't telling the story, it's all about interlocking rhythms and textures. Certainly my favorite of theirs, not something I need to listen to a lot, but it's an experience when I do put it on. Most stuff I listen to for detail I prefer on headphones, but this one is speakers all the way.

It ended and was reborn as Rahu was defeated and forced to vomit forth the sun, get your facts straight!

Altar Of Plagues - Teethed Glory And Injury ...I feel like @markm would appreciate the artsy synth/industrial post-BM vibe of this album. Great on the big speakers.

Hey man, welcome, glad you're enjoying it here.

Rush - Hemispheres

Tigran Hamasyan + Yerevan State Chamber Choir - Luys i Luso

His Hero Is Gone - Monument To Thieves