June 13th, 2019 - Humanicide

Good evening thrashers and hop-heads!  The Meista here feeling a little aggressive... so tonight I'm pairing "Humanicide", the brand spanking new, kickass album by thrash metal legends Death Angel and a West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company!!  Oh, hell yes!!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Death Angel
• Title: "Humanicide"
• Recorded: 2019 at Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford, Florida and Spiderville Studios in Oakland, California
  Release date: May 31st, 2019 (9th studio album by Death Angel)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast
• Production: Jason Suecof
• Album cover art: Brent Elliott White
• Personnel: Ted Aguilar (rythm guitar), Will Carroll (drums), Rob Cavestany (lead guitar and backing vocals), Mark Osegueda (lead vocals), and Damien Sisson (bass guitar)
• Additional musicians: Alexi Laiho (guitar on "Ghost Of Me"), Jason Suecof  (guitar on "Revelation Song"), and Vika Yermolyeva (piano on "Immoratal Behated") 
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Raw, aggressive, fast-paced, and cutting-edge, everything about "" is thrash metal perfection!  Osegueda's vocals are aggressive, brutal, and honest!  The dual guitar work of Aguilar and Cavestany is awe-inspiring!  And the rhythm section of Carroll and Sisson is a thunderous juggernaut!  This is how thrash is supposed to sound!!
• Major themes: Anger, aggression, rebellion, power, destruction, death, war, violence, the evil mankind is capable of, honesty, truth, heavy metal, tribute to fans, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Humanicide"
2. "Divine Defector"
3. "Aggresor"
4. "I Came For Blood"
5. "Immortal Behated"
6. "Alive And Screaming"
7. "The Pack"
8. "Ghost Of Me"
9. "Revelation Song"
10. "Of Rats And Men"
11. "The Day I Walked Away (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.greenflashbrew.com/
• Brew: West Coast IPA
• Style: American Double / Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 7.0%
• IBUs: 95
• Ingredients: British Crystal malt with Centennial, Citra, Columbus, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: Hazy orange-copper hue with a bright, white 1-finger, bubbly head
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, tropical fruit, and dank earthy notes.  There are aromas of passion fruit, mango, grapefruit, tangerine, pine resin, and a malty backbone.
• Taste: The flavor is assertive, aggressive, fruity, bitter, floral, and sweet.  There are big notes of freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice, tangerine juice, mango, light melon, lemon zest, pine, cedar, sweet caramel, burnt toffee, black tea, and herbs.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth, sticky, and slightly oily, but also crisp with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The assertive, bold, and brilliant flavors of the West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company is perfect for that West Coast thrash sound... and especially Death Angel's latest album "Humanicide"!   The amazingly fast and precise guitar work of Cavestany's lead work and Aguilar's rhythm work is doubly enhanced by those citrus and tropical fruit flavors while the more aggressive and bitter hop notes work perfectly with the rhythmic, fast-paced, and sometimes progressive barrage from Carroll and Sisson and Osegueda's kickass vocal delivery!!

HAILS!!  Keep it metal... and keep it craft!!

P.S. If you get a chance to catch a live Death Angel show, DO IT!!  They are touring right now!