FatherAlabaster

Banned for continuing to post as a newt, rather than accepting his fate and getting used to the fishtank.

Now they're a brewery I have never seen in the city. I'll have to ask whether we can get it. Thanks for the recommendations, guys.

I've had a few black IPAs - actually even made one - and I see a lot of potential in the style, but it's a tough line to walk, and IMO most of them wind up tasting like slightly over-hopped porters. I've seen the Dubhe locally, I'll make sure to give it a shot. I'm friends with the owners of a beer shop nearby, so maybe I can put in a request for some of the other ones - definitely haven't seen them around! I look forward to trying them.

Edit - since we have a boobs thread, nothing wrong with having these up too, I suppose....

I've had Uinta - but only the Hop Notch. It was good, but not my favorite, and there are SO MANY IPAs to try... What other Uinta brews would you recommend?

Wow, listening to Demilich now. This reminds me of old Immolation. Weird, down-tuned, and kind of groove-oriented in the same way. Vocal burps are hilarious. I like it. Edit - now I like it even more. There are some really good riffs here. Awesome.

Can I bump this? I'd like to share some of my stuff. An oil painting from a couple years after college: and a desktop I drew for my Note II, on the phone itself, which came out nicely:

Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

Actually I only know half of those! Awesome. I'll look that stuff up. When I was growing up in Raleigh, we were pretty much at the mercy of the record stores or what we could tape(!!!) off the radio(!!!). As far as ATG, I'm a big fan of "Red In The Sky" and "Terminal Spirit Disease". I also liked "Gardens Of Grief" and the old Grotesque stuff. "With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness" was boring to me and its title is too long. I remember liking some old Tiamat, but feeling like it dragged a bit. I liked older Dismember, but I haven't heard it in a very long time, and also of course Entombed's "Left Hand Path". I became aware of Xysma when everyone was jumping on the "psychedelic rock death metal" bandwagon, by which time I'd already moved on, first to more melodic stuff like Dark Tranquillity (I still listen to "The Gallery" though everything from "Projector" onwards was just fucking awful), then Opeth and black metal. The only "psychedelic rock" albums that held any appeal for me were "Elegy" and "Tuonela" from Amorphis - I can't get into their later material - and of course some of Enslaved's work. Although they can't be brought into the death'n'roll discussion, they have a strong "rock" influence that sets them apart from a lot of other bands from the region IMO. I'm psyched to find some of that other stuff, thank you for the recommendations.

Obvious abuse of moderator's power. Banned.

Jerry Cantrell - Boggy Depot

I hear you. Good luck with your search. You can also sometimes find good deals on used stuff, NOT online unless you can go play it first - although used Gibsons tend to be way overpriced. Don't buy anything used unless you or a knowledgeable friend can make sure it's in good shape - neck not twisted, headstock not cracked, all parts working, etc. In the cheaper new range, Schecter also makes some decent stuff, though they all come set up really poorly from the factory. You do have options. If it was me - Explorer FTW.

Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue I didn't really appreciate this album until the new one came out, but I've been getting into it more and more lately. Showing my age... nah. They're building a new body of work. I'm stoked.

That's awesome. One of my good friends from NC just randomly texted me with a picture of the Westmalle he's drinking right now. I recall really digging the oak aged Yeti as well. I enjoy Great Divide quite a bit, but only find them occasionally. I've never had the unoaked Guardian, but I'd love to try it. Has anyone had Stone's "Farking Wheaton w00t Stout"? Just killed a keg of that at my favorite bar. 13% and malty without being sweet.

Alright, so tonight: Stone Oak Aged Old Guardian, Great Divide Yeti (original), a decent Ommegang (they're a NY state Belgian-style brewery that got bought by Duvel), home for some Brooklyn EIPA and a bit of Willett bourbon. That makes it a good night. You guys in CA are lucky to have some of the country's best breweries, seriously. Oh, just found out that Bell's won't officially distribute in NY at all. No problem finding them when I go visit down south... Funny how that works.

Portishead, self-titled.

It's like riding a bike, it comes back really quickly. I was back up to speed within a month after I started playing again, though the pain didn't stop for a while. Most important thing to do is heal up properly first. Good luck, dude.

Bergraven - Dodsvisioner

I can turn on Massive Killing Capacity in the background, like I said... but I'm really not too into anything of that particular bent, I'm only suggesting it for someone who really digs the death'n'roll sound. My love for the early Swedish sound is given to "You''ll Never See" and "Karelian Isthmus" (Karelian Isthmus is still one of my all time favorite albums) - the rock influence in later stuff turned me off for years. I'll look for Craft, I know some of my friends listen to them but I've never gotten around to it.

Yes, it all depends on your budget. If you can spend $1400 on an Explorer or LP Studio, do it. The bridge, pickups and tuners on Epiphones aren't usually as of high quality as you'd find on a "real" Gibson. But good setup is 80% of the battle. You can set up a $600 Epi to play really well. Trad Pro, that's a really nice guitar! No contest there. My favorite guitar for about 12 years was my 1998 Gibson Gothic Explorer. I still play it sometimes. My other Explorer and my Epi LP were my live backups, and they're project guitars right now. I've been swapping pickups and bridges, and I don't have the money to give them any TLC. In the past couple of years, my Steinberger baritone has become my main guitar - its clarity, sustain, and intonation in any tuning beat even my beloved Gibson hands down.

This one didn't do anything for me. I like Carl McCoy's voice a lot better on FON albums, and this song just doesn't go anywhere. 5.5/10 With apologies to Jeff Hanneman: 5eR2MC3e8ss

That's entirely up to you. But, the construction quality on all of them should be decent enough, so it's all about body shape and what kind of bridge and pickups you want. And of course your budget. I like the Tune-O-Matic bridges better than anything with a tremolo - easier to set up and play as long as you don't need a whammy bar. I really hate the sound of EMG pickups compared to good magnetic ones, but I haven't played through most of what comes stock on Epiphones these days. And I was always an Explorer guy, although I have an Epiphone Les Paul that's good fun to play. As a bigger guy, I've always felt like the SG body shape was too small for me. Just go play a bunch of them and pick the one that speaks to you. Usually, if you start writing riffs in the store and lose track of where you are, you know you've found a guitar you can get along with.

Katatonia: Dead End Kings

Banned for being far too sympathetic and reasonable.