The Formative Years – Kreator

Formed forty years ago, Kreator was one of the first European thrash metal acts and three of their first four albums, i.e. Pleasure to Kill, Terrible Certainty, and Extreme Aggression, are widely considered metal classics that exerted an immense influence on what was to eventually become a genre of its own.

Each album showed the band musically progressing, especially as far as complex arrangements, slowdowns and variations of tempi are concerned and what started out with a sound heavily inspired by Venom-esque speed metal eventually evolved to thrash metal, accentuated by erratic guitar work and off-tempo beats.

What I have always loved about Kreator is that apart from the usually suspects from the realm of metal, they have not only been influenced by punk bands like The Exploited, GBH, Raw Power and D.R.I. but wearing those inspirations on their sleeves, which infused their overall sound with a vicious edge and a beautiful aura of chaos that most of their compatriots and San Francisco-based counterparts were missing. 

Revisiting Kreator’s first albums today, it shows that they have stood the test of time masterfully with a rawness and a tenacity that makes it hard to believe that those recordings capturing the vitriolic onslaughts of sheer never ending, layered sonic violence were usually hammered out within a couple of days by three teenagers.

Boris
Opera House
Sydney, Australia
05 June 2022

Over the last twenty years I have had the privilege to witness Boris incarnating in a range of diverse live environments across three continents and while it was never not a rewarding experience, each and every time was very different due to the deliberately incoherent and charmingly contradictive oeuvre and approach of the band. 

Defying an overarching narrative, Boris’ asymmetric back catalogue ranges from collaborations with Sunn0))), via bliss imparting longform releases like their shoegazy Feedbacker album to fuzzed out, borderline doom and sludgy emissions, all of which harbouring the common denominator that they meander between self-referential theatrical antics and dramatical seriousness. 

Needless to say, when I learned about Boris descending on Sydney to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the band’s existence as part of the annual Vivid LIVE by playing their fantastic spaced out album Heavy Rocks in its entirety, I was getting excited about getting to experience the straight-up stoner and rock side of the band.

It was fantastic to see Boris teaming up with Japanese veteran guitar wizard extraordinaire Tokie emitting their brand of precise noise rock while still referencing each of their musical styles and sonic power without ever committing to a single facet. 

Drawing from psychedelia, drone rock and noisy punk in equal measure, the evening was a fulminant, immediate, loud and immersive celebration of a band that continues to defy preconceived notions and a quintessential testament to Boris being at their best when they abandon longform, heady territory and instead focus on rocking out with their idiosyncratic brand of fuzz-drenched, acid-dripping and noisy-ass heavy guitar-based music, which allows to show their fun side with the delivery being at times reminiscent of a counterintuitively, schizophrenic proggy homage to bands like Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr. and Hawkwind.

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photos courtesy of @k.a.vv

Water of Life – Overeem Cask Strength expressions

Founded fifteen years ago by Casey Overeem as a hobby business and what effectively constituted the fourth distillery in Tasmania, Overeem Distillery has established itself as a veritable heavyweight not merely on the firmament of distilleries on terra australis but also on international terrain based on their commitment to not cutting corners and putting quality first and foremost.

Using only Tasmanian grown barley, which is then fermented extensively before matured in a specifically created environment for casks, Overeem’s process is based on a slow and meticulously thought through approach.

With a core range comprised of two Port Cask matured expressions and two Sherry Cask matured expressions, I have grown to love Overeem’s cask strength expressions, the lion’s share of which have been matured for up to six years in 100 litre French oak casks, with recently American Oak and Bourbon Casks having been introduced to the fold.

Overeem’s Sherry Cask deep golden coloured Matured Cask Strength expression tickles the nostrils upon approach with its melange of caramel, raisins and cinnamon with top notes of chocolate, middle notes of coconut and notes of vanilla.

On the top of the mouth the ABV of 60% materializes with a bit of a burn, before cidery, mixed cinnamon spicy nuances blend in with pineapple and green strawberry notes. The reverberating finish is characterised by sweet and bitter flavours reminiscent of charred almonds and cocoa.

A special variant of Overeem’s Sherry Cask expression if the Cask OD-474, which was selected at random to end up being accolade decorated at the World Whisky Awards 2022. Not unlike the regular Sherry Cask expression, the nose is dominated by dark chocolatey and sweet spicy, raisin aromas and what the scents promised, continues seamlessly on the palate, where dried fruits merge with elegant hits of spice and cinnamon before leaving me smacking my lips due to the nutty, candied caramel flavours.

The aromas of the Port Cask Matured Cask Strength win me over instantaneously with its smoky, tobacco, herbaceous black tea aromas blending in with a bit of an ocean smell.

On the palate, this little number unfolds its big oily character via umami and balanced, slightly salty savoury flavours, culminating in distinct notes of burnt toffee and butterscotch.

The long sweet finish lands firmly in chocolatey and slightly spicy territory, with the faintest hint of smokiness which makes me lust for another dram. 

The highlight when it comes to Overeem channelling its alchemy in the realm of cask strength expressions, however, is the 12 Year Old Bourbon Cask Matured variant.

Matured in ex-Heaven Hill 200 litre casks, this drop is a rich tour de force when it comes to layered complexity: It starts with a slightly sweet, coffee bean nose, backed by orange peel and brown sugar molasses. 

On the palate things get interesting as molasses meet American Oak to then take a detour into mildly nutty and mildly spicy liquorice territory with bright acidic highlights, which finish on high notes of coconuts and tropical fruits. 

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image from company website

Audio = Ground Zero

JBL Reflect Flow Pro  and Charge 5.1
 
Due to recent extensive international travel , the range of environments one finds oneself in and a penchant to get a daily run in, over the last couple of years I have grown to appreciate the advancements that have been made in the realm of earbuds, not merely in terms of ergonomic design but fit, playtime, adaptive noise cancelling  and voice clarity when it comes to taking calls and attending meetings. 

JBL as a company has proved to be a reliable provider of quality gear in the mid-price segment and with its iterations of product improvements, never ceases to improve the status quo, with the recently JBL Reflect Flow Pro not being an exception.

Geared at serving the needs of an active lifestyle with its lightweight built, the Reflect Flow Pro earbuds offer not only IP68 protection against sweat, rain or dust but a decent battery life and most importantly the ability to convey a lively, detailed sound, including the option to switch to ambient mode to not completely block out noises so you keep aware of your surroundings as you zip through traffic.

While compared to earlier incarnations of the Reflect Flow series, they are not exactly on the small side,  I specifically like the fit of Reflect Flow Pros as they come with stabilising ear tip fins and an app to test the most suitable sound settings, accommodating different shapes with the focus being firmly set on function over form, which also goes for the oval carry case where the focus is on sturdy- instead of fanciness.

The aforementioned app also serves the purpose of providing different pre-sets and customised EQ adjustments, with a focus not only on bass but also other subtle frequencies, as well as enabling an easy switch between different modes while on the go.

Things are rounded out with a tracking function, which works in tandem with your mobile device and hands-free enabled control through voice assistance.

Battery life is on the generous side of ten hours plus in addition to the case offering an additional twenty hours  of charging if needed.
 
Summa summarum, the JBL’s Bluetooth backed Reflect Flow Pros  with their customizable all-access touch control are one of the more robust, dynamic yet comfortable companions for life on the go with six microphones ensuring that your voice is not dropping out and an overall nuanced sound.

On the mobile speaker front, JBL has recently launched its fifth generation of the portable Charge 5.1 and upon the first test drive, the verdict is that the sound emitting qualities have been vastly improved compared to previous incarnations, while not sacrificing any of the sturdy and durable qualities the series has become known for.

With updated dustproofing features and the claim that it can be submerged in water up until a depth of 150 centimetres, which I have yet to test, the 5.1 still has the same silhouette yet comes with improved rubber lines for traction and easily accessible USB ports and a new Party Boost button to significantly beef up the sound when needed, which can also be activated via the proven JBL Connect app.

Sound-wise, things seem to be crisper than with its predecessor yet with a bit more of oomph as far as impact is concerned with clearer treble frequencies, and with its design it proves to be one of the top portable speakers in the mid-price segment.

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images from company website

Water of Life

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel

Due to their idiosyncrasy, I find single barrel expressions to be intriguing given that each expression is innately harbouring a degree of chance, especially in the realm of Bourbon where flavour profiles traditionally do not range as drastically across the flavour spectrum as whiskies do. 

Curated by Eddie and Jimmy Russell, Wild Turkey’s Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel program was first incepted in 1994 and has since established itself as a reliable series with consistently good and at times great expressions that in my humble opinion embody the DNA of everything that I love about Wild Turkey, including but not limited to the nearly perfect ABV of 50,5% .

Upon approach, the nostrils are tickled by a complex melange of well-calibrated spicy cinnamon and rye notes set against citrussy, honeyed sweet, butter toffee aromas that rest on a foundation of caramel, orange peel and only the faintest hints of tobacco, wonderful charred oak and leather.

What the nose promises, seamlessly translates on the top of the mouth, especially as far as the intense rye-spice is concerned, which is soon overtaken by a transition that meanders between leathery highlights, pecan, brown sugar and baked apple nuances before culminating in a honey infused oaky peak, which resonates beautifully by intertwining woody caramel with peppery oak.

The elongated finish of the amber coloured drop is still carried by the trademarked Wild Turkey vanilla spicy highlights, with underlying sweetness, bitterness, and astringency meeting oak woody, earthy savoury flavours, which dance against a backdrop of cloves and sassafras.

Summa summarum, the Wild Turkey’s Single Barrel expressions I have had the pleasure of experience so far make for a lip-smacking, accessible pour that with its expertly balanced savoury versus sweet ration lends itself perfectly as a nuanced dessert dram and with the aforementioned, embodies everything I am looking for in a single-barrel bourbon at 101 proof.