Good evening metal heads and craft beer fans! We are going HEAVY tonight!! How about some progressive and technical death metal (with a hint of black metal) from The Faceless and a nice, big hoppy American IPA? Tonight I'm pairing The Faceless' 2008 critically acclaimed science fiction concept album, "Planetary Duality" and a Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale. And this pairing goes out to extreme metal DJs John Forgach and Cody D. from Maximum Distortion! Cheers fellas!!
"Planetary Duality" The Faceless' second album and was inspired by former BBC television sports presenter and current (and somewhat nutty) writer and speaker, David Icke and his 2001 book, The Children of the Matrix. The album's basic theme revolves around the idea of an extraterrestrial race controlling the world. Definitely not for the faint of heart or for mainstream metal fan, "Planetary Duality" is a brutal, overwhelming, and an insanely technical experiment in death metal power! Michael Keene's lead guitar work, coupled by Steve Jones's rhythm work is a thing of furious beauty! Keene's speed, precision, and tone is otherworldly... perfect for the power of this band and the thematic intensity of the album. The rhythm section of Brandon Giffin (bass) and Lyle Cooper (drums) is big, aggressive, fast, precise, and thunderous! The mix between Derek Rydquist's growling lead vocals and Keene's clean vocals is extreme metal perfection! Opening with the mind-blowingly fast 1:59 minute "Prison Born," The Faceless sets the tone for the album... ominous, intriguing, and masterful! Songs like "The Ancient Covenant," "Coldly Calculated Design," "Xenochrist," "Sons Of Belial," "Legion Of The Serpent," and the two-part title track are brutally intense modern death monsters with a nod to classic bands like Death and Morbid Angel. The focus of these musicians is a thing of beauty! Along with the strong death elements, there are subtle elements of black metal and even Avant garde jazz.. truly an artistic, intelligent, and original band!
The Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale is a 66% IBU and 6.7% ABV American IPA... meaning it is big in flavor and bitter kick! Sierra Nevada utilizes Pale and Caramel malts along with top-fermenting ale yeast and the very unique Pacific Halertau hops for bittering and New Zealand Motueka and New Zealand Southern Cross hops for finishing... giving it a crisp, citrusy, and malty balance. The Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale pours a slightly hazy copper-amber with a frothy head with great retention and thick lacing. Its nose is as fresh as a Spring morning with floral aromas of sweet grass and juniper, malty notes of caramel, and those wonderful hops. Like "Planetary Duality," the Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale's flavor is powerfully complex, well-balanced, and completely refreshing ale. The flavor is crisp, grassy, hoppy, and malty. There are notes of citrus, toffee, baked bread, and a really nice peppery finish. This is most definitely a beer I will have again!
If you enjoy killer technical death metal, check out The Faceless at https://www.facebook.com/thefaceless and pick up a Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale to enhance your listening!! Stay heavy... hails... cheers!!
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