Ardbeg Uigeadail

Ardbeg Uigeadail, OB, 54.2 %, 700ml, 硬盒版

另一支較容易入手的阿伯，由年輕的酒和陳年於雪莉桶的老酒調製而成，一樣未經 Chill Filtering，濃度更是接近原桶威力，有和Laphroaig 10yo CS、Lagavulin 12yo CS嗆聲的態勢。

Package: 和10yo類似，但土色的Ardbeg標誌被方大且更醒目，驕傲地強調它是「終極威士忌」的標語大大減少。

Color: 淺琥珀色，雪莉桶的影響十分顯眼。

Nose: 前段滿溢著海鹽、優格般的乳甜、香草以及泥煤。進行到中段則令人感受到厚重的雪莉、更多泥煤以及些微的碘；最後由青草、雪莉以及一股奇異的羊騷味收尾。

Body: 酒體呈輕→中等厚度，非常緊實。

Palate: 整體而言擁有Cask Strength豐富的味道。一入口舌尖便被藥水甜、雪莉、泥煤以及一股宛若機油般的奇異味道衝擊。之後，濃濃的海鹹味隨高酒精度散開，如燎原野火般不急不徐地蔓延，意外輕柔地裹住舌頭，同時藉由雪莉甜中和辣味。煙燻味似乎和麥甜合而為一，較感覺不到，但泥煤卻不斷地在鼻梢挑逗著。

Finish: 鼻腔殘留著泥煤與雪莉甜，舌頭上則是Ardbeg特有，爽脆的海風/鹽味。

Bang for Buck Meter: BBB

Comment: 特殊的Nose在品飲當時筆者不甚喜歡，但人在福中不知福，在SMW款項較少的美國，那股味道極度令人嚮往。有機會必將再次品飲！

p.s. 圖片裡的產品是舊的軟盒版，據說雪莉味道更明顯。

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

From the words of the guys on BeerAdvocate.com and the great Michael Jackson, an "American Microbrew Classic".

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing CO, Chico CA

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV, 12 oz

Color: Robust, pear-ish gold with a hue of copper.

Tasting Notes: Splendidly fragrant citrus, hop and grains arise, the diverse flavors are well integrated. Palate starts rather slow, beginning a smooth and foamy sizzle that gives way to crisp flavors of grains (bread-y) and layered hop bitterness. The presentation is quite raw, primordial and powerful. The finish is almost tea-like, with the hops still at the sides and rear of the tongue, laced with some saltiness.

Comment: A pioneering beer at the time of its inception, this is a classic anyone interested in seriously exploring the choices of beer besides Budweiser, Miller, etc. (all that mass-produced, thinner-than-water lager) should try. It literally made me cry. Well, the Pale Ale’s taste can’t take all the credit, since it was a situational sensation that caught me back there – I had left Taiwan for nearly 1 1/2 months, sipping a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale after dinner – I suddenly thought of my father, that stumpy, fat, inflexible and often strict Mr. Nice Guy Scholar that often disagreed with me on my academic/political issues. The loss of having those discussions, and projecting his image onto the father figure in 朱自清’s essay 背影 seriously jerked my tears: I quietly sobbed a few tears, as if allowing that moment of weakness tore through the façade of my armor. You may ask, why not my mother? The answer is apparent – we Skype every two days and she’s darn pesky. Case closed. Anyways, perhaps due to this incident, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale will occupy a special position in my beer pantheon, as something that triggered a true incident of nostalgia. Surely I will pick up a six pack again, when I’ve done a good share of exploring other fascinating beers.

9/27/09

Sea Fever - John Masefield

既然提到了，就貼一下原詩來分享吧！

Sea Fever - John Masefield (1878-1976)

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the brown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength

First, a little myth-busting: when certain whiskies reach their maturity and are prepared for bottling, the distilleries usually dilute it with water and blend it with spirit from other casks, brining the ABV down to the market standard of 40%. Never assume the bottled strength as the whiskies’ original concentration, even at higher proofs (such as the standard Wild Turkey 101). This is where Cask Strength whiskies enter. A Cask Strength is a product that aims to emulate a whisky’s condition fresh out the barrel. They are most likely still blended with spirit from other casks (and perhaps some water to maintain uniformity), but on average a CS product will be a more intense, gratifying, ecstatic experience compared to the standard bottling. Cask Strength whiskies are not for the faint of heart either: this is hardcore love, through and through.

Package: 外盒主色為深綠/紅條紋，感覺比10yo沉穩一些。

Color: 搶眼的深金色，乍見之下容易誤以為有雪莉桶的影響，但仔細端詳後便能察覺裡頭沒有任何「紅色系」的蹤跡。

Tasting Notes: 就nosing而言，一般Laphroaig 10yo 那股明顯、活潑的碘味被壓到較後方，前頭充滿香甜的橡木、香草及鹹鹹的海潮香。這裡的海味香當強，幾乎可說是「海腥味」或「海騷味」了。給它大約5分鐘，海藻及碘的香氣逐漸從香草底下浮出，野性十足。入口後立刻能注意到的是舌尖上明顯的甜/鹹味，一種宛如被海水親吻的感覺，伴隨濃濃的麥甜。緊接著是油滑酒體帶來的溫泥煤─用「巨浪」形容似乎不大恰當，那感覺十分廣闊、厚重但溫柔─給人的印象是略亮的陰天下(威士忌不像cocktail，和大晴天的海灘印象不太合)Islay的綿長海岸邊，有著幾戶零星住家，其煙囪冒著燒泥煤的煙，一幅抑鬱與溫暖並重的畫面。被這波泥煤擁抱後，碘、機油等粗獷的味道紛紛登場，好不精彩。最後以塞滿鼻腔的smoke和在喉間久久不去的dryness收場，好。10yo CS你好樣的。

Bang for Buck Meter: BBB

Comment: 這是筆者去年五月退出Nakama樂團時，團員贈送的好物。曾經於International Whisky Awards贏得2005年「最佳威士忌」大獎的Laphroaig 10yo CS可謂泥煤中毒者的解毒劑 (或「致毒」，哈)。Andrew Jefford曾於其2004年詳細描述艾雷島的 Peat Smoke and Spirit一書中表示，10yo CS是一支能將酒廠特色表露無遺的酒，原文是 “the whisky that lets the beast out of the cage”，意境類似某忍者漫畫中，某李姓人物將四肢的加重物拿下，變得身輕如燕一般。雖然不是單一酒桶且完全未經稀釋的威士忌，Laphroaig 10yo CS強悍的ABV確實是這個價位中(大約55~60 USD)，最美妙的艾雷經驗。

Laphroaig 10yo

Distillery: Laphroaig, Islay, Scotland

Laphroaig 10yo, 43%, 750ml, USA Version, Bought @ Leroy Package Store

I love Laphroaig. Despite being the blandest of nouns, verbs and adjectives, “love” is the bluntest, most efficient term I can employ to express that burning, ever-growing longing for this peaty malt. Ardbeg引我進入艾雷威士忌的殿堂，但真正擄獲我心的則是Laphroaig，它質樸且柔美，豪爽而不粗曠，性格介於Lagavulin和Ardbeg之間。若說Ardbeg的泥煤味厚實、充滿大地的芬芳，Lagavulin的泥煤深沉，擁有中藥般複雜、華麗的味道，Laphroaig呈現的便是飽吸海洋恩澤，以藻類、碘和海潮構成的peat。雖然Laphroaig在各種味道的平衡上不及Talisker，但平衡原本就不是它的賣點；赤裸裸的海之味，更勝以「老船長」作為酒標的Bunnahabhain，若說John Masefield的Sea Fever一詩有匹配的威士忌，Laphroiag肯定是首選之一。

Package: 外盒看起來有些笨拙、粗糙，以黑白為主，加上一點綠色。瓶身則是碧綠色，上頭貼著樸素的酒標(有時還沒貼平)，十分耐看、可愛。

Color: 活潑亮麗的金黃，不深不淺。比Ardbeg深，但比Lagavulin淺得多。

Tasting Notes: 起初直攻鼻頭的是那股Laphroaig專屬的碘味與海風，底下夾雜些許細緻的大麥與香草(Bourbon桶的痕跡！)，好味道。放置久些，則有類似海騷/馬糞/海藻或大地的氣息，比起10yo CS鬆散一點。入口後酒體中厚、絲滑且纖細 (和Ardbeg的Firm不同)。Palate算不上複雜，若有似無的麥甜、香草、泥煤和海鹽結實地衝撞著味蕾；吞下肚後，一股dry peat smoke從喉嚨回升，finish很長，很溫暖。

Bang for Buck Meter: BBBB

Comment: 這是筆者第二次購得的43% ABV版本，與研究所學長們共飲，意外地令他們中意。Brendan的味蕾飽經美國Mircrobrew精緻小廠啤酒的鍛鍊，已有相當功力與品味；女友Theresa則表示此酒令人想起煙燻火腿，甚為喜歡。來自奧地利的Johannes大哥則是參訪蘇格蘭過多家蒸餾場的神人，在下羨慕地要死。在喝過美妙的10yo CS和有趣(?)的QC後，標準的10yo似乎有些相形見絀。去年十月(2007)初品這支43% 10yo 的感動已成永恆(追不回來了嗎?!)，但每一口都讓人莫名地安心、舒適。結合麥芽、大地、海洋風味與血汗勞力的威士忌，真他媽的感動人心呀！此生宏願非去一趟艾雷不可。Let’s go!

12/24/08 Christmas Eve @ Binghamton, NY

p.s. Samuel Huntington died on this night. He lived a merry 5 years longer than his intellectual nemesis, Edward Said. Perhaps a bit too peaceful an eve to pass on for someone whose works were so polemic and detrimental?

Ithaca Apricot Wheat

Let's follow up with another fruit-flavored beer, locally (state-wise) produced, too!

Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company, Ithaca NY, Brewery located in Ithaca

Ithaca Apricot Wheat, 4.9% ABV, 12 oz (bottled)

Color: Light gold/yellow, traced with some maple brown.

Tasting Notes: Nose is pleasant with sweet and mellow apricot aromas, the fruit being less awkward than that of Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat. The body is medium to light with nice carbonation, gentle wheat flavor blends in with apricot, with the latter being the dominant. Grain sweetness is less noticeable, and hops are virtually non-existent. The downside to this refreshing beer would be its finish; an odd, overripe scent of either rotting fruit or stale barley kicks into the nose after swallowed.

Comment: Another fruity wheat beer that goes down dangerously easy. In the fruit department, it is less sweet and more refined than Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat, but it loses in the crispness factor. I was somewhat disappointed by the absence of hops – I guess Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale really changed my opinion on the ugly flower. In conclusion, the Apricot Wheat is certainly enjoyable and appetizing, but perhaps not the most distinctive one out there.

9/22/08

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

Here's the very first beer I recorded since getting to Binghamton in August!

Brewery: Boston Beer Company, Boston MA, Breweries located in Cincinnati & Ohio, USA.

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (wheat beer), 4.5% ABV, 12 oz bottle

Color: Light amber with a hint of red.

Tasting Notes: Nose is profoundly sweet, with a pleasant odor resembling a cherry coke, followed by slight maltiness and a faint aroma of hops. On the palate the beer is livingly crisp, with the sweetness of cherries taking center stage. Smooth wheat flavors (traditionally less assertive than barley) further enhances the fruity sweetness, while the hop influence is felt lightly in the finish, never encroaching the dominance of the fruits.

Comment: A very sweet, easily drinkable beer and I patronizingly declare it a more feminine member of the Sam Adams roster. However it is a bit too sweet to my taste, as the cherry becomes slightly overpowering after downing half a bottle. Despite my preference lying with those having a darker finish, the Cherry Wheat is a welcome change on occasion.

8/19/08

On Beer tasting terminology

I will be using categories largely similar to whisky in my beer tasting notes, with minor differences. I won’t be taking extra time/space to explain various fundamental elements that affect a beer’s taste (such as what hops, roasted malts etc. are) unless it's deeply relevant to the topic.

Color: With extra observations on the foam formed by the beer when poured into a glass.

Tasting Notes: Includes nosing, palate and finish, integrated into one category.

Bang for Buck Meter: Not included, unless it is a particularly expensive beer I’m having.

Comment: General comments about the beverage and/or its brewery, as well as other little things in life.

1/14/09

On Beer writing

It is quite fascinating how a human being’s palate changes. From the sweets-only tongue of a toddler, to taste buds that can accommodate bitterness, inflammatory spice, smokiness and fermented stench, I wonder how complex an interaction occurred between the biological (taste buds & neurons) and the cultural throughout those years. All those foods whose taste was “culturally acquired” e.g. Chinese stinky tofu, Japanese Nattou (sticky beans) and Gorgonzola cheese must be comparable to poison for my infantile self back in the late 80’s. I confess: I still can’t stand Nattou’s mouthfeel.

One of the most widely drank beverages across the globe – Beer – was also something I began to appreciate only recently. Thanks to my amateurish liaison with Whiskeys, I settled into the beer world (flavor-wise) with relative ease. With some help from Brendan, the comp-lit dept.’s very own beer aficionado, I have been discovering great beers at an alarming rate. It was also fortuitous to be in the U.S. currently, with the American Microbrewery/Craft-brewery movement going strong as ever – despite the economic recession – people still have to drink regardless, yeah? These breweries are producing a plethora of styles once completely oblivious to an Asian kid like me. The stereotypical Asian beer is a very light lager designed to be consumed with food, such as China’s Tsingdao & Yenching, Taiwan’s eponymous beer, Japan’s Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin, Thailand’s Singha etc.

Doubtlessly, traditional macrobreweries that gave American beer a nasty reputation have not shown any signs of fatigue, and neither shall they in the future. My beer writing will be primarily dedicated to American microbrews and the big names only occasionally. I would like to share my accumulated tastings and musings over these wonderful (and sometimes not-so wonderful) pints of liquid bread. As a strange side-note, the late Michael Jackson, before becoming prominent as a whisky critic – started his career of journalism in beer! He had a goofy, cute nickname: the Beer Hunter. It is odd that I had blatantly ignored an entire half of his career, until now: was I a whisky snob? Perhaps. Farewell to past ignorance, cheers!

1/14/09

Ardbeg 10yo

Distillery: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Ardbeg 10yo, OB, 46 %, 700ml - Bottling circa 2006/2007 (pre-Renaissance)

說起筆者和Single Malt的初次邂逅，應該是大一上學期，某天心血來潮，和三五好友殺去公館The Wall聽表演之時。當年行事不謹慎，忘記上網確認有無節目，便來到空無一人、只有酒保和音樂的「這牆」。筆者當年也是只參考廣告買酒的一隻羊，眼看The Wall酒款稀疏，便點了杯麥卡倫12yo喝喝。當時僅有的印象是：順、好喝。哈，加了滿杯碎冰的麥卡倫那喝得出所以然？酒在杯中哭泣著呢！想當然爾，筆者並未在那之後便拜倒在Single Malt的石榴裙下。此後，也只買過一瓶 SPEY 12yo和Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish，前一瓶慘遭套可樂、檸檬紅茶的惡運，後者則被愛喝Jim Beam的學長嫌棄味道怪異。筆者真正愛上單一純麥，是在2007年的寒假，和一瓶黑黑、兇兇的怪酒相逢後。

現在回想起來仍有點不可思議，筆者對它缺乏任何知識，只因酒專的阿姨說：「Islay島的威士忌最特別，喜歡的人就會愛死它…」便衝動地買了。下半句她不講也罷：便是不喜歡的人，即使威脅要將他五馬分屍、千刀萬剮，也不碰Islay威士忌 (好吧，這有些誇張)。那瓶市面上從未打過廣告、深沉兇悍的Islay Malt便是台灣酒友暱稱「阿伯」的Ardbeg。由於筆者未服用過正露丸，打開Ardbeg 10yo一聞，不曉得怎麼形容，便咒罵了一陣：「Fxxk! 什麼怪味？」第一口喝，只讓筆者再次狠狠咒罵；喝了幾次，似乎慢慢開始了解泥煤和煙燻味特別、可愛之處在哪。之後，便如「漫畫威士忌入門」的作者古谷三敏先生針對Ardbeg的敘述，「…但若繼續飲用的話，就可能會覺得，其他的威士忌都不夠勁，反而願意忠心臣服於這風味中。」事到如今，筆者已是個徹頭徹尾的Peat Freak，所有Islay的基本款皆已嘗過，獨缺Caol Ila 12yo OB。

Package: 紙盒苔綠與黑色相間，加上蓋爾特式的大「A」以及 “The Ultimate Single Islay Malt Whisky”等字，給人霸氣十足的印象(特種部隊的叢林裝扮？)。瓶身更不用說，黑色酒標與深綠色顯示出其內藏的猛烈口味。

Color: 糧草般的淺金色，貌似香檳，個人猜測完全沒待過雪莉桶。

Nose: 泥煤、焦油，深處潛藏著麥香，相當強烈。

Body: 酒體較輕，但細緻緊實。

Palate: 甫入口是蘋果皮的些微酸甜，伴著檸檬草的香，但和麥甜緊密結合的厚重煙燻味即刻在口中爆發。泥煤並不撲鼻，只是稍稍在鼻梢挑逗幾下，隨即散去。

Finish: 幾絲在舌上飄散的海風，加上若有似無的鹽、煙、海藻味，構成短促、清澈的後韻。這或許是Ardbeg 10yo最令人感到可惜之處，亦或是誘惑人再倒一杯的關鍵。

Bang for Buck Meter: BBBB

Comment: 一支筆者視為最愛之一的酒，Ardbeg 10yo喝到接近瓶底時口感會越變越柔順，十分令人驚豔。雖說Finish不如Laphroaig 10yo有爆發力，Palate不似Lagavulin 16多變、深沉，Ardbeg 10yo仍是三支Kildalton Malts之中最野的。該怎麼表達呢？
同人界這陣子盛行「萌物品擬人化 (Moe Anthropomorphism)」的風潮，將戰車、電腦作業系統等無機物畫成各氏各樣的美少女，加上“-tan”的稱謂，相當有趣(宅?)。筆者心想，若有人願意繪製各種Whiskey-tan的話，肯定能畫出形形色色的有趣人物。到時，Kildalton Malts將會是三姐妹，老大Laga-tan是冷酷、騎著白馬的黑髮美女，和Laga-tan處不好的二姐Laphro-tan是金髮、身著白衣、綠底的艾雷姑娘，而Ardbeg-tan則是帶著小王子般的氣質，短髮、活潑的小妹。筆者也只能期貨威士忌迷中，也存在著動漫迷：我雖然符合這些類目，卻缺乏繪畫能力…

Whisky Tasting 101

I got into whiskies roughly around February of 2007, when I bought a bottle of Ardbeg 10yo and drank it with my two bandmates. Its taste was truly shocking back then - it is impossible to retrace to that fabulous (horrendous?) moment now, but it was surely the beginning of a passionate journey. Most whisky tasting blogs in Mandarin don't bother to explain the numerous terms involved, so here's a basic digest below. The terms in English should be rather self-explanatory. For the terms that aren't, look em' up on Wiki or Google for details - though according to recent research, clicking on Google twice spits out equal amounts of CO2 to boiling a kettle of water...

yo/Age Statement – Years Old，年份
NAS: No age statement的簡寫，意即酒標上沒有指出內容的最低年份。
ABV – Alcohol by Volume，指酒精濃度，在容積內的百分比。
Bourbon – Bourbon Whiskey，美國波本威士忌。
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 產於美國肯塔基州，原料中的玉米至少佔51%並在全新橡木桶中熟成四年以上的波本威士忌，方可稱為 “Straight”。
Straight Rye Whiskey – 用51%以上的裸麥蒸餾出的威士忌。
Single Rye Whiskey – 以100%裸麥為原料的威士忌。
SMW – Single Malt Whisky，單一純麥威士忌的縮寫。
OB – Official Bottling，蒸餾場的正式瓶裝，並非Old Bone (舊瓶?) 或前輩 (但這麼解釋似乎也通，而且比較可愛)。
Package – 筆者認為酒的包裝也會影響品飲者的喜好、感受，故特意寫下觀感，與各位方享。
Color – 酒的顏色。
Nose – 酒的香氣。
Body – 酒體狀態、觸感。
Palate – 酒在舌上的各種味道。
Finish – 酒的後韻。
Bang for Buck Meter – 筆者尚為學生，除了零星的打工和獎學金外，基本上仍是米蟲一隻，得省著買、喝。此指標將酒款的味道/價格比，以「B」表示之。越划算超值者，字母越多。
Comment – 整體評語。

1st Post: Metallica - Death Magnetic Review

I’m going to re-commence blogging with a bang – by reviewing Metallica’s 9th studio album, Death Magnetic. And no, I’ve never written an album review before, so don’t expect what you expect.
What a way to give oneself a swift, brutal kick in the behind to start blogging (er…I mean writing). After a five year hiatus from active, self-motivated composition (excluding school assignments and freelance work), I came to realize that, as a humanities academic-in-training, there would be no clear demarcation of working hours and non-working hours; whenever the mass of grey matter in your cranium cogitates (er…I mean thinks), you are working. So that lines out sleep as the only time I am relieved (deprived?) of work. Psychoanalysts and neurologists may argue otherwise, but I’d like to deceive myself into believing that I can actually get some rest while dozing. So what happens when all the flying circuits just disperse like an ADIDAS daydream (fans of Korn know what this is about)? The voltage is wasted, unless it’s recorded. Again, some may say those thoughts hibernate, but this isn’t where my logic plans to go. Therefore, in order to grasp whatever currents preoccupy the dome now, hitting the keys seems like a decent idea, though this falls into the trap of actually doing MORE work after thinking.

Before the bang is diluted to little more than a beep, let’s put that pseudo-metaphysical justification for my holier-than-thou (no pun intended, it’s a pretty darn far one) writing motives to rest. Metallica needs no introduction. Either you’ve been living in the Qing dynasty, or you’re actually an Australopithecus…this is how many metal reviewers usually start, by disparaging those who have little knowledge about the subject of their attention. How metal-centric! They have obviously little concern for the individual who is inured by the extreme amounts of information in our day and age, nor for the fellow human deprived of informational access. Those who are reading this and have no clue about who Metallica are, press the back key on the browser to read something else, or look them up on Wikipedia. It’s that simple.
In short, middle-aged Metallica has released the long-awaited follow-up album to the controversial St. Anger (2003). First and final impressions: it’s good. It’s highly entertaining, worth listening, and GASP! Worth writing a few pages over. A lukewarm fan of Metallica at best, I do not know their repertoire by heart, but I am familiar with some of their discs, namely Master of Puppets, …And Justice For All, the Black Album and Reload. I feel quite endeared to all except Reload, but it ultimately was Death Magnetic that prompted me to write. At another period which I feel my intellectual and musical predilections shifting, this album made me raise many questions concerning the genre that has been my love for nearly a decade, Metal. I am beginning to envy metalheads who can bob to every new song by any new band who churns out a decent riff; I was like that circa 2004. It is insanely difficult to get my head banging nowadays; the last time I felt that pleasant urge to break one’s own neck was when I discovered Maximum the Hormone. Many of you should’ve noticed by now, this “review” is more like a deconstruction of my current relationship with metal, with Death Magnetic as the hammer and sickle. Blazing through Death Magnetic, there were a few moments when that euphoria returned – namely in the tracks “The End of the Line”, “Broken, Beat & Scarred” and “All Nightmare Long”. Any fears of getting a “St. Anger Pt.II” are quelled, this is Metallica picking up some old tempo-shifting tricks, infusing some bluesy riff-age from the Load-Reload era and synthesized through massive grooves that actually worked in St. Anger. Kirk Hammet’s blazing guitar solos return, thought not as flashy or impeccably precise as 1986’ Hammet, flavor and experience takes the main stage here. In terms of form, the album is the crystallization of all Metallica has endeavored in the past. Whether it is more or less sonically pleasing compared to their classics is a subjective matter.

Despite all its glory and excitement, after repeated listening, I discovered a simultaneously extant undercurrent of senility. What is first readily noticeable, is a heavy reliance on the abrupt section changes and Lars Ulrich’s jagged drumming style. These were signatures in Metallica’s songwriting back in the 80’s, producing choppy, punchy riffs and verses. But rehashed in 2008, it sounds repetitive and redundant; take the intro to “All Nightmare Long” for instance – thankfully a good verse riff appears to save the day. They can pull this off only because they are Metallica; they’ve done this countless times in the past that it became part of their style – any other band attempting this without a reputation for being experimental would likely get lambasted for “bad writing”. Another streak of tiredness is evident from the gradual dispersion of interesting songwriting starting on perhaps one of the worst tracks, “The Unforgiven III”, dragging all the way through “The Judas Kiss”, a track with an awkward verse that doesn’t work well; the all-instrumental “Suicide & Redemption” that listens like a dirtier, tank-top wearing older sibling of “Orion”; to a boring finale, “My Apocalypse” which is supported by a sub-par, flaccid riff.

Let’s move on to another department, the singing. James Hetfield’s confrontational, clearly-barked vocals greatly contrast the unintelligible screaming in New Wave of American Heavy Metal groups; it actually behooves you to pay attention to the lyrics. Which forms the last nail in the coffin for me: the lyrical content is hardly any different from the Metallica of old. And it’s not convincing, akin to Jonathan Davis’s attempted angst by the 8th Korn record. Youth and fire essentially fuel Thrash and most of today’s aggressive metal, unless you play in an Iron Maiden tribute gig, a European speed metal band or subgenres of metal that trade emotion for sheer technicality, anger is indispensable. For modern thrash, overdoses of aggression is constructed through the unholy trinity of rhythm, speed and sound; if the meat and potatoes are solid, it matters little if the dessert rubs your tummy the wrong way. Yet this ultra-aggression also acts as its very limitation: the spectrum of emotional expression is limited by this instrumentation, compared to other forms of rock. The question them comes back to Metallica; they sounded contemporary, voracious and compelling in the 80’s, when all members were young and eager to carve their teeth. Now? With many new, exciting and talented metal acts around the corner (such as Mastodon, Pelican and Trivium) Metallica must strive extremely hard to ward off the curse that transforms a band into a parody of its former self. Can aggression truly carry musical creation longer than a decade, when an individual is no longer the same hungry, wide-eyed brat back in the day, but a Rolls-Royce driving, champagne sipping, beer-belly flopping middle-aged man? What is it that still fuels their desire today, excluding a guaranteed influx of capital? Perhaps the sheer perfection (or at least, continuous evolution) of a musical form they engendered is rewarding enough.

However, as a fan whose musical tastes are shifting rapidly, the revelation that I can at most stomach 3-4 albums of largely unvarying material – especially of Metal – indicate a new personal understanding of aggression in music. It doesn’t last forever.