November 2nd, 2013 - Hung On IPA

Good evening!  I'm going local tonight with a pairing of DiseNgaged's "Hazardous" and a Squatters Brewery India Pale Ale (IPA)!

Question: so what sets great, local, unsigned, extreme metal apart from the crowd?  For me it usually boils down to two core elements.  Since most local bands don't have the budget for a lot of overdubs and big production, they have to 1) have intense musical chops with strong writing skills and 2) have raw and intense energy.  With the new album "Hazardous" by Salt Lake City death metal band DiseNgaged, there's an abundance of both!  DiseNgaged combines thrash, doom, and old-school death metal in a succinct and flawless blend. Dylan "Demon" Dawes drumming is an explosion of sound... thunderous, bombastic, and machine-gun rapid; the combined guitar work of Brandon "Beastly" Smith (lead) and Chase Carnage (rhythm) is brutal hellfire, yet intricate in the form of pickups, power chords, and amplifiers; the bass work of Ash Maker, like Demon Dawes' drumming is a booming thunder; and Dez Troy's growling vocals are aggressive, bold, and biting, but with wonderful depth and control... reminiscent of Mikael Åkerfeldt, Randy Blythe, and David Vincent, and with a touch of black metal as well.  (Dez tells me he is actually influenced more by Dez Fafara of Devil Driver and Cory Taylor of Slipknot.)  Songs like "The Path To Hell," the title track, "Hazardous," "Black Hole," "The Day You Fall," and "The Mad House" are brutally aggressive, fast-paced, fist-raising death metal monsters!  Check these bad-asses out!!  Here's a link to the killer first single "Hung On Chains": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSiNySX8nyE!  Pick up a copy of "Hazardous" at the Heavy Metal Shop on November 9th: www.heavymetalshop.com! And if you are in the Salt Lake area, check them out for their "Hazardous" release party at the Salt House with Dipped In Whiskey!  And check out at https://www.facebook.com/DiseNgaged6669!

Question: so what the hell do you pair with the raw death metal intensity that is DiseNgaged?  I decided to go local and go with something that had some good bite to it... thus the Squatters IPA. It pours a nice, hazy, pale amber with a billowy head that leaves strong, cascading lacing.  The nose is hoppy, spicy, leafy, grassy, and very piney with some light caramel and biscuit notes.  Medium-bodied, the mouthfeel is sharp and biting (like "The Mad House") but with some oily smoothness as well ("Footsteps").  It has a crisp, dry finish.  The flavor of the Squatters IPA is very hop forward, somewhat grainy with some good vege-organic notes.  There are notes of toasted biscuit, citrusy grapefruit and lemon, juniper, and lemongrass.  The finish is clean, but with some lingering bitterness... perfect for the death metal heaviness of DiseNgaged!!Prost... Hails!!