On The New Wine, Qwel’s dense, multi-syllabic rhymes are buried in biblical metaphors that might take repeat listens to grasp. “Even if Adam and Eve had heeded the father and hadn‘t eaten that apple/There‘d still be self seekin’ artists,” he raps on “Adam & Eve.” This album, the third in a seasonally themed series–following autumn’s The Harvest (with producer Maker) and winter’s Freezerburner (with Meaty Ogre)–is produced entirely by Kip Killagain. His grim, apocalyptic soundscapes are filled with thunderous basslines and haunting violins that compliment Qwel’s fire-and-brimstone flow. Despite its religious leanings, The New Wine isn’t “Christian hip-hop”– it’s a thought-provoking and scathing criticism of American popular culture.