April 4th, 2025 - The Lord of the Ryes Conjuring at the Balefire

 

Hey there metalheads and craft beer fanatics!  The Meista here rocking out on this sunny Friday to a pairing of Balefire's killer debut, self-titled EP and a very bold and tasty Lord Of The Ryes Rye Stout from the fine folks at Bewilder Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!  This pairing is dedicated to the mighty Chuck Sherwood... cheers and hails, brother!! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Balefire
• Title: "Balefire"
• Recorded: October 2023 to January 2024 at Necrotic Echoes Studios
• Release date: January 31st, 2025 (1st studio EP album by Balefire)
• Record company: Iron Bonehead Productions
• Production: Balefire
• Album cover art: Bruja XIII (artwork), Sofia Aparicio and Dan Fried (layout), and Kyle Bowen (band logo)
• Personnel: Xander Bridge (drums), Paul Perez (guitars), Chuck Sherwood (bass), and Keoni Solomito (vocals)
• Guest musician: Don of the Dead (backing vocals on "Barbaric Rebirth")
• Musical style: Death metal, blackened death metal
• Sound: Conjured from the depths of Hell, the sound on Balefire's debut EP is an infernal deluge of classic '90s death metal elements, heavy doom death, and a hint of black metal, but with a timeless and unique approach.  This EP hits and fuckin' hits hard!  It is a powerful first statement from this group, leaving an indelible mark and leaving this listener very, very excited for more to come!
• Major themes: Satanism, darkness, evil, rebellion, dominance, mythology, death, violence, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Black Sun"
2. "Sands of Gemini"
3. "Star-Born Revolt"
4. "Barbaric Rebirth"
5. "Lord Of The Red Lands"
6. "Black Moon"

 

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bewilder Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://bewilderbrewing.com/
• Brew: Lord of the Ryes
• Style: Rye Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.66%
• IBUs: 55
• Pour: The Lord of the Ryes pours a deep, dark brown, almost black (black like the pits of Hell!) with creamy, 1-finger, light mocha head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a robust blend of hearty malts, peppery rye, and bittersweet chocolate.  There are aromas of dark toasted rye bread, dark roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, burnt toffee, woody oak, and a hint of bourbon.
• Taste: The taste of the Lord of the Ryes follows the nose with bold, roasty, toasty, malty, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, espresso, peppery rye, dark roasted malts, a hint of bourbon, and burnt toffee, and all balanced with light hops.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Lord of the Ryes is thick, velvety smooth, and creamy with a dry, somewhat bittersweet finish.
•  

Overall pairing: The Bewilder Lord of the Ryes is a dark, bold, and very tasty brew... perfect for death metal onslaught that is Balefire!  Those bold, dark roasty flavors go great with the overall low-end heaviness and the dark intensity of the songs, while the peppery rye bite is great for the aggressive guitar and vocal attack!  'Nuff said!

Make sure to check out my interview with Balefire (and Incantation, Occumancy, Blood Storm, etc.) bassist Chuck Sherwood from a few years ago here: https://youtu.be/C390Cs-7li0

Cheers and hails evil-doers!!