July 10th, 2021 - An Incessant Mental Funeral

 

Hey there metal maniacs!  The Meista here with another killer craft ale and metal pairing for you my friends.  Today I'm going with the Incessant Double New England Style India Pale Ale from Bell's Brewery and Autopsy's amazing sophomore album "Mental Funeral"!  This pairing goes out to my good friend Blake... thanks for the beer brother!!  Cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Autopsy
• Title: "Mental Funeral"
• Recorded: November 20th through 26th, 1990 at Different Fur
• Release date: April 22nd, 1991 (2nd studio album by Autopsy)
• Record company: Peaceville Records
• Production: Autopsy and Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw
• Album cover art: Kev Walker
• Personnel: Danny Coralles (guitars and additional vocals), Eric Cutler (guitars and vocals), Steve Cutler (bass), and Chris Reifert (drums and vocals)
• Additional vocals on "In The Grip Of Winter" and "Dead": Bob, The Boogieman, Derrick, Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw, Jordan, Ron, Scott, and Troy
• Musical style: Death metal
• Sound: Characterized by crushing and brutal rhythms, buzz saw guitars with insane riffs, and wonderfully guttural vocals, "Mental Funeral" is and always will be a death metal classic!  It is heavy, doomy, aggressive as hell, and unique... a must have for any death metal fan!
• Major themes: Death, darkness, gore, evil, murder, necrophilia, zombies, violence, horror,  etc.  Reifert once stated that his goal in songwriting was to create "the sickest shit imaginable".
• Tracks:   

1. "Twisted Mass Of Burnt Decay"
2. "In The Grip Of Winter"
3. "Fleshcrawl"
4. "Torn From The Womb"
5. "Slaughterday"
6. "Dead"
7. "Robbing The Grave"
8. "Hole In The Head"
9. "Destined To Fester"
10. "Bonesaw"
11. "Dark Crusade"
12. "Mental Funeral"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bell's Brewery (Comstock, Michigan)
• Website: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
• Brew: Incessant Double New England Style India Pale Ale
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) / Imperial IPA (IIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 10.0%
• Pour: The Incessant pours a fairly hazy, golden-orange hue with a creamy, 2-finger, eggshell white head with great sustain and lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, floral, herbal, and sweet.  There are notes of grapefruit rind, orange peel, tangerine, mango, pineapple, light pine resin, wild flowers, herbal tea, sweet biscuit, toffee, and sweet honey.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Incessant is characterized by citrusy, malty, and sweet flavors. There are notes of orange, tangerine, pineapple, pink grapefruit juice, mango, grassy hops, light pine, toasted bread, and honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Incessant is crisp and juicy, yet somewhat sticky and thick with a slightly sweet, dry finish with lingering bitterness.

Overall pairing: Those bold, citrusy, sweet, bitter, and complex flavors of Bell's Incessant Double New England Style India Pale Ale compliment and work as a great foil to the sheer brutality musical prowess of the brilliant "Mental Funeral"!  And I also like the look of the album artwork juxtaposed against the bottle label!

Cheers and hails!