September 2nd, 2021 - Dead Aesthetics And Cryptic Bones

 

Good evening!  Check this out!  The Meista here getting heavy tonight with "Dead Aesthetics", the upcoming 3rd album by kickass Austrian death metal band Infected Chaos and a Cryptic Bones Hazy Pale Ale from the fine folks at Pipeworks Brewing Company!  A huge thank you to my main metal man Markus at METALMESSAGE for hooking me up with an advanced copy to review!  Cheers and hails brother!

Album Info:

• Artist: Infected Chaos 
• Title: "Dead Aesthetics"
• Recorded: 2021 in Austria
• Release date: September 11th, 2021 (3rd studio album by Infected Chaos)
• Record company: Independent 
• Production: Infected Chaos 
• Album cover art: Wildan Slam (artwork and logo) and Christophe Szpajdel (logo) 
• Personnel: Christian (vocals), Martin (guitars), Matthias (guitars), Matze (drums), and Ronny (bass)
• Musical style: Death metal with elements of melodic death metal and black metal
• Sound: Richly textured, wonderfully brutal, and aggressive as hell, the sound on "Dead Aesthetics" is masterfully artistic and powerful.  The album is a wonderful musical journey into darkness and violence that combines contemporary death metal with the sensibilities of old-school influences.
• Major themes: Death, darkness, evil, mythology, isolation, sickness, fear, death metal, etc. 
• Tracks:  

1. "When Yonder Calls My Name"
2. "Hollow Chars"
3. "Eager Breed The Gods Of Pestilence"
4. "Gehenna"
5. "Iron Nights"
6. "And Thus I Fell"
7. "Death Metal Shock Prayer"
8. "Pitch Black Fever"
9. "Away"
10. "Lethargia"
11. "Of Death And Birth"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Company (Chicago, Illinois)
• Website: https://pdubs.net/
• Brew: Cryptic Bones Hazy Pale Ale 
• Style: Hazy Pale Ale 
  
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5%
• Ingredients: Motueka and Rakau Hops 
• Pour: The Cryptic Bones pours a  lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, fruity, herbal, and floral aromas.  There are notes of orange juice, orange peel, tangerine, grapefruit, stone fruit (apricot and peach), melon, rosemary, wild flowers, and sweet caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Cryptic Bones follows the nose with lots of citrusy, fruity,  and sweet flavors.  There are notes of orange peel, lemon, tangerine, papaya, guava, apricot, rosemary.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, juicy, and refreshing with a dry, fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: Along with the album cover art and can label imagery working well together, the big, bold, yet crushable flavors and aromas of Pipeworks' Cryptic Bones Hazy Pale Ale go great with the powerful, brutal heaviness that is "Dead Aesthetics" by Infected Chaos!  Those citrusy hop notes go great with the aggressive, yet melodic approach this band takes to metal!  You can definitely crush a couple of the Cryptic Bones while banging your head to the might that is Infected Chaos!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!

Prost!!  And hails!!