September 8th, 2023 - The Unholy Deification is My Cuddle Buddy

 

Hello and happy Friday evildoers, headbangers, and craft brew lovers!  The Meista here today with a pairing of one of my all-time favorite bands with one of my favorite albums of 2023... the brutal and brand new "Unholy Deification" album by death metal legends Incantation and a very tasty, bold, and hoppy Cuddle Buddy Double IPA from Drekker Brewing Company!  Hells yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Incantation
• Title: "Unholy Deification"
• Recorded: 2022 through 2023
• Release date: August 25th, 2023 (13th full-length studio album by Incantation)
• Record company: Relapse Records
• Production: Incantation
• Album cover art: Eliran Kantor
• Personnel: John McEntee (guitars and vocals), Kyle Severn (drums), Chuck Sherwood (bass), and Luke Shively (lead guitar)
• Musical style: Death metal with elements of death/doom and thrash metal
• Sound: Progressing their sound ever forward, with "Unholy Deification", Incantation continues the musical trek we last heard on the excellent "Sect Of Vile Divinities".  This album, this incarnation of the band delivers the sound, purpose, and attitude that truly is and should be the definition of death metal!  With crushing rhythms, truly insane and infernal guitar work, and brutally guttural vocals, Incantation provides an album that is as fresh and brutal as their earliest works, but with a more directed voice and a cleaner, crisper, yet brutal sound. 
• Major themes: With fascinating songs about ancient entities and demons, lyrical themes on the album include mythology, paganism, the occult, death, oblivion, darkness, evil, blasphemy, violence, etc.  Sherwood once again proves that he is a master lyricist!
• Tracks: 
1. "Offerings (The Swarm) IV"
2. "Concordat (The Pact) I"
3. "Chalice (Vessel Consanguineous) VIII"
4. "Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX"
5. "Invocation (Chthonic Merge) X"
6. "Megaron (Sunken Chamber) VI"
7. "Convulse (Words Of Power) III"
8. "Altar (Unify In Carnage) V"
9. "Exile (Defy The False) II"
10. "Circle (Eye Of Ascension) VII"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, North Dakota) 
• Website: https://drekkerbrewing.com/
• Brew: Cuddle Buddy Double IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) / New England IPA
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.2% 
• Ingredients: Mosaic, Sabro, and Belma hops
• Pour: The Cuddle Buddy pours a hazy, bright yellow hue with a billowy and sustained, 1-finger, bright white head with soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, tropical, melon, earthy, herbal, and sweet notes.  There are aromas of grapefruit juice, orange juice, tangerine, papaya, pineapple, melon, soft peach, light pine resin, herbal tea, bready malts, and sweet toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Cuddle Buddy follows the nose with lots of fruit (citrus, tropical, and melon), herbal, and soft malty flavors.  There are notes of ripe cantaloupe and watermelon, candied lemon, tangerine, orange juice, pineapple, apricot, herbal tea, light pine, and sweet, bready malts.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the juicy is crisp, yet thick, creamy, and smooth, with a very dry, slightly bitter, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Drekker Cuddle Buddy Double IPA is a very complex and flavorful brew that demands your full attention... a perfect companion to the crushing death metal juggernaut that is the mighty and infernal Incantation!  Those big, bold, and juicy notes go great with the lyrical content and fiery guitar elements of the album, while the hoppy bitterness and boozy bite go great with the more aggressive, chaotic, and dark dimensions!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew... but these are definitely not for the faint at heart!

Cheers and hails headbangers!!  Keep it craft and keep it heavy!