March 8th, 2026 - The Money From Your Slush Fund Speaks Volumes!

 

Hello and happy Sunday hellions and artisan brew fanatics!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here this fine day with a killer pairing of "Money Talks", the kick-ass sophomore album by Cryptic Slaughter and a tart and fruity Slush from Prairie Artisan Ales!  Oh, and this pairing is dedicated to all the thrashers and punk rockers that I grew up!  Hell yes!!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Cryptic Slaughter
• Title: "Money Talks"
• Recorded: 1987 at Pacific Sound in Chatsworth, California, Preferred Sound in Woodland, California, Stagg Street Studio in Van Nuys, California, and Track Records in Los Angeles, California
• Release date: May 15th, 1987 (2nd full-length studio release by Cryptic Slaughter)
• Record company: Death Records / Relapse Records
• Production: Bill Metoyer and Cryptic Slaughter 
• Album cover art: Jeff Harp
• Personnel: Bill Crooks (vocals), Les Evans (guitars), Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bass and backing vocals), and Scott Peterson (drums) 
• Musical style: Crossover thrash metal
• Sound: Fiery fast, in-your-face, and maniacal, with "Money Talks", Cryptic Slaughter perfectly blends thrash metal aggression with punk speed.  The music is bold, it is brash, and it is powerful!
• Major themes: With socio-politically charged lyrics, themes on the album include a self-reliance, freedom of speech, and critical look at greed and capitalism, drug abuse, censorship, technology, violence, etc.
• Tracks:
  
1. "Money Talks"
2. "Set Your Own Pace"
3. "Could Be Worse"
4. "Wake Up"
5. "Freedom Of Expression?"
6. "Menace To Mankind"
7. "Too Much, Too Little"
8. "Human Contrast"
9. "Tables Are Turned"
10. "Positively"
11. "All Wrong"
12. "American Heroes"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma)
• Website: https://prairieales.com/
• Brew: Slush
• Style: Fruited Sour Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Sour ale brewed strawberry, raspberry, lemon, and lime
• Pour: The Slush pours a very cloudy, mauve hue with a frothy, but very thin bright pink-white head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring with little lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, sweet, and rather tart.  There are aromas of freshly sliced strawberries, raspberry puree, lemon juice and zest, lime juice and zest, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Slush follows the nose with juicy, fruity, tart, and slightly sweet flavors.  There are notes of lemon juice, cranberry juice, a splash of honey, and very subtle graininess.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very tart and crisp, juicy and refreshing, yet smooth with a slightly sweet, juicy and lip-puckering tart finish.

Overall Pairing: The fruit-forward, crushable, tart punch of the Slush from Prairie Artisan Ales is perfect foil for the aggression, fiery riffs, and killer hooks of this kick-ass album!  The more citrusy flavors are great for the lyrics and Crooks' aggressive vocals while the brighter berry flavors go great with the amazing guitar attack of Evans!  And those sweeter notes are prefect for the thunderous blast beat drumming and thumping bass onslaught of Blasko and Peterson!  

Cheers and hails!!