As my friends who write for various review sites say: "list season is upon us." It’s the time of year when all the metal blogs and review sites start putting together their top 10, 20, 50, etc. lists. A brief summary of the year in music. Usually I'm scrambling around this time to read all the lists by reviewers I respect and catch up on any releases that may have slipped my radar, but it also gets me thinking about my own year in music and which albums impacted me the most over the past 12 months of life.
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Another thing that has had a large influence over my life this year is wine. 2017 was the year I decided to take my love of wine in a more serious direction, I spent a good portion of the year studying wine and sat for the WSET level 3 test in October. Now personally, I've always found wine and metal to be a natural pairing. Both can be found in nearly every country and continent on earth (even Antarctica grows wine grapes), and they both embrace many styles and variations while staying true to what they are at their core.
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So with that I give you my year in wine and metal. This is not a best of list, this is not ranked, this is just some albums I've enjoyed this year and some wines to go with them. I hope you'll enjoy them too.
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ENSLAVED: E
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It’s no secret that Enslaved is one of my favorite bands. So any new music by them is going to get heavy rotation in my playlists. That being said, this is easily my favorite release of theirs in recent years. While "In Times" was a solid record, it didn't really speak to me as much as some of the bands earlier work. "E" however, is up there with the bands finest. It has just the right amount of weirdness and experimentation while still staying true to the sound that has made Enslaved so great over the years. The most pleasant and unusual surprise for me on this record is the bonus cover of Royksopp's "what else is there?" its haunting melody will linger with you long after the album ends.
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Suggested wine pairing: while I tend to gravitate towards more old traditional style wines, I feel that Enslaved is a band that loves to innovate and experiment, which are decidedly new world characteristics when talking about wine. So I'm going to look to the new world and pick a Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley. They tend to be more elegant and refined in my opinion than a lot of California Pinots due to the cooler climate, but there is still plenty of New World experimentation to be found.
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KROLOK: FLYING ABOVE ANCIENT RUINS
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"Flying above ancient ruins" is a second wave black metal album that should not be missed. I was introduced to this album late in the year...in fact, I heard it for the first time about a week ago. But I've been hooked ever since that first listen and have been playing the album over and over ever since. It's just so damn addictive! The album reaches its high point at the track "Count Von-Krolok" with its most infectious riffs. Check them out on bandcamp here
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Suggested wine pairing: for me this is a cold weather album, so it should be paired with a spicy, deep wine that warms you from the inside on a cold night. Something with the rich baking spice notes of long oak aging like a Rioja Reserva from Spain.
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ULVER: THE ASSASSINATION OF JULIUS CAESAR
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Ok, so this isn't a metal album. In-fact, it’s pretty much a pop album. What gives? For those of you reading this blog who are familiar with Ulver's work throughout the years, this albums inclusion probably makes perfect sense. For the rest of you, allow me to explain. It all started back in 1995 with the first Ulver album "Bergtatt", arguably one of the best black metal albums of all time. Every album the band has released since has been completely different from the one before it. Throughout their career they have spanned many genres, from folk to experimental electronic. And although they haven't been a metal band since the 90s, many of us metalheads have stuck with them to see what weird creation Garm will come out with next. This album is by far the most accessible album the band has done to date, but what puts it above so much of the crap modern pop music out today are the lyrical themes (much deeper than your average pop song), incredible songwriting, and Garm's voice (easily one of my favorite male vocalists). Making it an album easily enjoyed by both metalheads and other music lovers.
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Suggested wine pairing: a nice Provence rosé, because when rosé is done right it’s the perfect balance between light and dark, black grapes used to make light wine. Something both red and white drinkers can enjoy, while still keeping a light body to pair with the light nature of this album.
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EMPTINESS: NOT FOR MUSIC
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Back in April I attended the Roadburn music festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Emptiness was one of my favorite discoveries from the festival. I missed most of their set (I don't remember why now...it could have been because we lost track of time digging through vinyl in the merch area, or it could have been because we were drinking shots of genever and underburg with Grutle from Enslaved...it’s hard to stay on a schedule at Roadburn!). But the few songs I did manage to catch lingered with me. I bought the album and it’s been in heavy rotation since. This is a dark, rich, and rather spooky album. I'd have a hard time pinning genre label on it, but it grabs your attention and keeps you coming back for more.
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Suggested wine pairing: something dark and moody. I love a local Mavroudi from the island of Kea because of its rich smoky undertones, but if that isn't available a nice Syrah from the Northern Rhône should do the trick.
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SQUALUS: THE GREAT FISH
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This album isn't available on youtube, so you're just going to have to hop on over to Bandcamp to check it out. This is a weird album, as is to be expected from former members of Giant Squid. They kept the aquatic life theme, this time pulling inspiration and samples entirely from the movie JAWS. Full disclosure, I've never actually seen JAWS, but I did thouroughly enjoy the bizarre journey this album took me on. The musical styles range from sludgy doomy riffs to full on sea shanties with plenty of Giant Squid-esque cello thrown in the mix. If you find yourself drawn to the stranger side of things, this album is for you.
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Suggested wine pairing: I feel it makes sense to look to the volcanic island of Santorini for this one and enjoy it with a glass of mineral rich Assyrtiko.
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I hope you enjoy these albums as much as I did. What were your favorite albums of 2017? If you had to pair them with a drink what would you pick (doesn't have to be wine...I'm open to all beverage pairings!)? Let me know in the comments!
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For more music related posts check out the tag #bazilsmetalpicks. For more wine and cocktail related content follow #bazilmixesitup
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