TRAPPIST Emerge from Their "Monastery" to Unleash Beer-themed Punk/Hardcore Masterpiece Ancient Brewing Tactics (Relapse Records)
TRAPPIST is are a band of Los Angeles-based beer enthusiasts consisting of Chris "Brother" Dodge, Phil "Brother" Vera, and Ryan "Brother" Harkins. Bassist & brewer Brother Dodge has previously played with Ancient Chinese Secret, Despise You, East/West Blast Test, No Use for a Name, and SPAZZ; Guitarist & fermenter Brother Vera has spent time playing with -(16)-, Crom, Despise You, and Fresh American Lamb; Drummer & bottler Brother Harkins has played with Killed In Action and currently runs a Metal-themed burger joint called Grill 'em All. TRAPPIST have put together a complete ripper of a debut album titled Ancient Brewing Tactics, which blends together the stylings of Punk/Hardcore, D-beat, Crust Punk, Powerviolence, Grindcore, and a dash of Metal/Thrash. TRAPPIST's label, Relapse Records, fittingly describes Ancient Brewing Tactics as "21 tracks and 33 minutes of booze-induced chaos, bound to knock you on your a$$ faster than shot-gunning a 15% Russian Imperial Stout." TRAPPIST roped in a number of alcohol-fueled features for Ancient Brewing Tactics, including Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan,) Torche's Steve Brooks, and Pig Destroyer's Blake Harrison. "NO CORPORATE BEER."
Honestly, nearly everything about TRAPPIST (@trappist_la) is beer-themed, from their band name and album title to the themes bubbling within to the Ancient Brewing Tactics vinyl color schemes: 950 "Schwarzbier" AKA standard black vinyl, 300 "Belgian Golden Ale" AKA yellow vinyl, 100 "English Cask Ale" AKA cream-colored vinyl, and 100 label-only "Empty Pint Glass" AKA clear/see-through vinyl. In my humble beer-loving opinion, one of the finer moments on Ancient Brewing Tactics is TRAPPIST's crusty pseudo-cover of JAY-Z's "99 Problems" now re-branded as "99 Problems (But a Beer Ain't One)" which goes a little somethin' like this: "SO MANY SH*TTY BEERS ALL ACROSS THIS PLANET! IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE, IF YOU BOTTLE OR CAN IT! IF YOU HAVIN' BEER PROBLEMS, I FEEL BAD FOR YOU, SON... I GOT 99 PROBLEMS, BUT A BEER AIN'T ONE!" Now, with that said, I would strongly recommend TRAPPIST's Ancient Brewing Tactics for fans of either fine beers and brews, Punk/Hardcore/Powerviolence/D-beat, or both, much like myself! Belgian Golden Ale & Schwarzbier (Standard) vinyl packages are currently still available, as well Ancient Brewing Tactics T-shirt/CD & T-shirt/LP Bundles, directly from Relapse Records.
01. "No Soldier Left Behind" (3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale)
02. "This Means Wort" (FiftyFifty Brewing Eclipse Imperial Stout)
03. "Tesguino" (Cerveza Fauna Penelope Coffee Porter)
04. "The Patron Saints" (Orval Belgian Pale Ale)
05. "Hymn to Ninkasi" (Beachwood Brewing Citraholic IPA)
06. "Waiting In Line - First Stanza" (Jackie O's BBA Oil of Aphrodite with Coffee Imperial Stout)
07. "Giving The Boot to Reinheitsgebot" (Schneider Weisse Aventinus Weizen Bock)
08. "Swignorant" (The Bruery Mash Barleywine)
09. "Nihamanchnihamnchii" (Insurgente La Lupolsa IPA)
10. "Frank The Tank" (Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout)
11. "No Corporate Beer" (Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner)
12. "Victims of a Bomber Raid" (Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout)
13. "99 Problems (But a Beer Ain't One)" (TRVE Possession Saison)
14. "Proost-Op" (De Struise Black Albert Russian Imperial Stout)
15. "Waiting In Line - Second Stanza" (The Veil Brewing Daddy's Home Triple IPA)
16. "To The Pint" (Thrash Zone Chris Dodge's Ham Slappin' Aru-Chu Ale Barley Wine)
17. "You're The Reason" (Sante Adairius Saison Bernice Farmhouse Ale)
18. "Garbage Human" (Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Vietnamese Coffee)
19. "Waiting In Life - Third Stanza" (Lawson's Finest Liquids Double IPA)
20. "Wolves In The Taproom" (Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout)
21. "TRAPPIST-1: Final Gravity" (Zundert Trappist Abbey Tripel)