June 19th, 2026 - Once Was Not Sauced... About 20 Minutes Ago

 

Bonjour evil-doers, headbangers, and artisan brew freaks!  The Meista here today getting the weekend off the right way with another great pairing for ya... "Once Was Not", the killer fifth album by the legendary Canadian technical death metal band Cryptopsy and a very unique, tart, and spicy Sauced! from Bewilder Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cryptopsy
• Title: "Once Was Not"
• Recorded: 2005 at Vortex Studio in St-Constant, Québec, Canada
• Release date: October 18th, 2005 (5th studio album by Cryptopsy)
• Record company: Century Media Records
• Production: Sébastien Marsan 
• Album cover art: Filip Ivanović, Martin Lacroix, and François Quévillon 
• Personnel: Alex Auburn (guitars and backing vocals), Lord Worm aka Dan Greening (lead vocals), Éric Langlois (bass), Flo Mounier (drums and backing vocals)
• Additional and guest musicians: Ange Curcio (percussion on "The End"), Jon Levasseur (guitar on "Luminum"), and Miguel Roy (samples)
• Musical style: Technical death metal, brutal death metal with elements of grindcore and jazz-fusion
• Sound: With "Once Was Not", Cryptopsy saw the triumphant (though short-lived) return of original lead vocalist Lord Worm.  With his return, their sound revisits their earlier incantation... at least vocally.  Musically, that classic Cryptopsy brutal/technical/grind approach finds itself dabbling in subtle elements of jazz-fusion, which brings a chaotic, yet musically rich and complex juxtapositioned sound... truly remarkable, and mesmerizing!  And as always, Flo's drumming is absolutely fantastic!
• Major themes: Death, pestilence, destruction, murder, violence, darkness, horror, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Luminum"
2. "In the Kingdom Where Everything Dies, The Sky Is Mortal"
3. "Carrionshine"
4. "Adeste Infidelis"
5. "The Curse Of The Great"
6. "The Frantic Pace Of Dying"
7. "Keeping The Cadaver Dogs Busy"
8. "Angelskingarden"
9. "The Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness (Psalm 91:5-8)"
10. "The End"
11. "Endless Cemetery"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bewilder Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://bewilderbrewing.com/
• Brew: Sauced!
• Style: Fruited Sour Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.8%
• IBUs: 10
• Ingredients: Idaho Gem hops with cranberries, cinnamon, and orange peel
• Pour: The Sauced! pours a hazy and pinkish, peach hue with a frothy, bright white, 1-finger head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a thin ring.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, tart, and spicy.  There are aromas of fresh cranberry, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange peel, and spicy and rich cinnamon.
• Taste: The taste of the Sauced! follows the nose with tart, spicy, and fruity flavors.  There are notes of tart cranberry juice, lemon juice, a hint of tart cherry juice, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and light grains.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, tart, and refreshing with a dry, spicy finish.

Overall pairing: The Bewilder Sauced! is a unique blend of tart, juicy, and spicy flavors... a great beer to pair as a foil to the brutal intensity that is Cryptopsy's brilliant "Once Was Not"!  Those sharp, tart flavors go great with Lord Worm's infernal vocals, while the spicy cinnamon works well with the crushing guitars and Flo's neck-wrecking drumming!  'Nuff said!     

À votre santé and hails!!