January 20th, 2025 - Crisp Blasphemies of Oddstock Made Flesh

Greetings headbangers and craft cider freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here rocking the hell out to a pairing of "Blasphemy Made Flesh", the kick-ass, debut death metal beast by the mighty Cryptopsy and a crisp, tasty and sweet Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider from Iron Horse Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cryptopsy
• Title: "Blasphemy Made Flesh"
• Recorded: April 1994 at Piranha Studio in Montreal, Canada
• Release date: November 25th, 1994 (1st studio album by Cryptopsy)
• Record company: Invasion Records / Hammerhead Records
• Production: Cryptopsy and Rod "The God" Shearer 
• Album cover art: Dragon Design (artwork) and Flo Mounier (logo) 
• Personnel: Martin Fergusson (bass), Dan Greening aka Lord Worm (lead vocals), Jon Levasseur (lead and rhythm guitars), Flo Mounier (drums), and Steve Thibault (rhythm guitars and backing vocals)
• Guest musicians: Maynard Moore (backing vocals on "Pathological Frolic") and Evil S. Presley (backing vocals on "Pathological Frolic") 
• Musical style: Brutal death metal, technical death metal
• Sound: Aggressive, heavy as hell, and wonderfully brutal, the sound on "Blasphemy Made Flesh" is classic '90s Canadian death metal that helped define the style and established Cryptopsy as a force to be reckoned with!  From the opening notes of "" to the finale of "Pathological Frolic", this beast of an album grabs you by the collar, slams you against the wall, and demands your attention!
• Major themes: Death, sickness, evil, darkness, the occult, blasphemy, anti-religion, misery, mutilation, horror, gore, insanity, violence, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Defenestration"
2. "Abigor"
3. "Open Face Surgery"
4. "Serial Mesiah"
5. "Born Headless"
6. "Swine Of The Cross"
   
7. "Gravaged (A Cryptopsy)"
8. "Memories Of Blood"
9. "Mutant Christ"
10. "Pathological Frolic"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Iron Horse Brewery (Ellensburg, Washington)
• Website: https://www.ironhorsebrewery.com/
• Brew: Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider
• Style: Apple Cider / Apfelwein
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.6% 
• Pour: The Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider pours a bubbly and clear, pale-yellow hue with a very thin, bright white head that dissipates very quickly, leaving a thin ring.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, slightly sour, and sweet.  There are aromas of freshly sliced apples (both red and green apples), light pear, lemon zest, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider follows the nose with mildly tart and slightly sweet fruit flavors.  There are notes of freshly picked green and red apples, light pear syrup, lemon zest, and a splash of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider is very crisp and fizzy, slightly tart, yet smooth with a dry, sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Fist off, I though the imagery of the album cover against the can art were absolutely perfect for one another!  The Oddstock Crisp Hard Cider is a very crushable, crisp, and tasty cider with lots of fruit flavors, which makes it a great brew to throw back to the complex intensity of the fiery riffs, brutally growling vocals, and thunderous and insane rhythm section on the mighty Cryptopsy's "Blasphemy Made Flesh"!  'Nuff said! 

Make sure to check out my interview from a couple of years ago with Cryptopsy current vocalist Matt McGachy here:  https://youtu.be/-uoPmHbw_ws

Cheers and hails!! 

January 19th, 2025 - The Doppler Effect on Absolute Elsewhere

 

Hey there hellions, headbangers, and craft brew lovers!  I'm off work tomorrow, so let's do another pairing!  That's right, the Meista here getting aggressive, yet progressive with the wonderful "Absolute Elsewhere", the 3rd album by progressive death metal monsters Blood Incantation and a deliciously dark Doppler Czech Style Dark Lager from Equilibrium Brewing Company!  Hell yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Blood Incantation
• Title: "Absolute Elsewhere"
• Recorded: Summer 2023 at Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin, Germany
• Release date: October 4th, 2024 (3rd full-length studio release by Blood Incantation)
• Record company: Century Media Records
• Production: Arthur Rizk
• Album cover art: Steve R. Dodd
• Personnel: Jeff Barrett (bass and additional synthesizers), Isaac Faulk (drums, gong, guitars, additional Mellotron, and percussion), Morris Kolontyrsky (guitars and additional synthesizers), and Paul Reidl (guitars, Mellotron, additional synthesizers, and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Malte Gericke (vocals and narration), Nicklas Malmqvist (piano, synthesizers, Mellotron, and organ), and Thorsten Quaeschning (synthesizers and organ)
• Musical style: Death metal, progressive death metal, progressive rock
• Sound: Aggressive, heavy as hell, and very progressive, the sound on "Absolute Elsewhere" embodies the apocalyptic, complex brutality that is Blood Incantation, yet with wonderfully progressive, spacey, and psychedelic passages and concepts reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree. 
• Major themes: Science, states of consciousness, states of being, life, death, time, space travel, etc.
• Tracks:  
  

1. "The Stargate [Tablet I]"
2. "The Stargate [Tablet II]"
3. "The Stargate [Tablet III]"
4. "The Message [Tablet I]"
5. "The Message [Tablet II]"
6. "The Message [Tablet III]"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Equilibrium Brewing Company (Middletown, New York)
• Website: https://www.eqbrew.com/
• Brew: Doppler Czech Style Dark Lager
• Style: Czech Dark Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.6%
• Ingredients: "Bohemian Pils, Bohemian Dark, Caramunich, and Carafa malts, a Czech style yeast strain, and a light addition of Saaz hops for a touch of bittering"
• Pour: The Doppler pours an opaque deep, dark mahogany brown with a 2+ finger, light mocha, frothy head with great retention and lots of soapy, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a characterized by malty, roasty, grainy, floral hops, and lightly herbal aromas.  There are aromas of roasted malts, toasted bread, light cocoa, a hint of coffee, herbal hops, and burnt toffee.
• Taste: Well-balanced, the Doppler is a nice blend of bready, grainy, malty, and herbal flavors.  There are notes of roasty malts, sarsaparilla, toasted bread crust, roasted barley, crackery biscuit, a hint of chocolate, soft caramel, and herbal hops.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp and roasty with a crisp, bitter, and balanced finish.

Overall pairing: The Doppler Czech Style Dark Lager from Equilibrium Brewing is perfect for the intensity, aggression, and complexity of Blood Incantation's "Absolute Elsewhere" album!  Those sweeter flavors go great with the more progressive elements while the roasty flavors are great for the death metal intensity!  For an evening of kickass progressive metal and deliciously, complex, and very drinkable flavor, I highly recommend both the brew and the album! 

HAILS!!

January 19th, 2025 - My Eternal Pursuit of Hell, Fire and Damnation!

 

Good morning my metal and craft beer brethren!  Reverend Meista here today on this gloriously cold Sunday preachin' about "Hell, Fire And Damnation" (1 year old today!) by the mighty Saxon and partaking of the unholy sacrament with a complex and delicious Eternal Pursuit Volume 2: Belgian Style Saison from the Red Feather Small-Batch Series made by the fine folks over at Level Crossing Brewing Company!  Hell yes!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Saxon
• Title: "Hell, Fire And Damnation"
• Recorded: 2023 at Big Silver Barn in York, UK, and Lampes Posthotel in Delligsen, Germany
• Release date: January 19th, 2024 (24th studio album by Saxon) 
• Record company: Silver Lining Music
• Production: Bill Byford and Andy Sneap
• Album cover art: Péter Sallai
• Personnel: Biff Byford (lead vocals), Nibbs Carter (bass), Nigel Glockler (drums), Doug Scarratt (guitars), and Brian Tatler (guitars)
• Additional musicians: Brian Blessed (narration on "The Prophecy") and Paul Quinn (guitars on "Fire And Steel" and "Super Charger")
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Heavy, hard-hitting, yet very melodic and compelling, veteran NWOBHM bad-asses Saxon have released yet another amazing album with "Hell, Fire And Damnation"!  I'm not sure if I can put into words how much I adore this album!  The dual guitar work of Tatler and Scarratt soars, slays, and just roars!  Carter is a thunderous juggernaut of solid, energetic bass work!  Mr. Glockler is a powerhouse of crashing symbols, stampeding bass drum, and machine gun fire toms and snare!  And Mr. Byford may sound better than he did even in the early albums... seriously, this man's voice IS heavy metal!  
• Major themes: Good vs. evil, darkness, hell, salvation, history, the French Revolution, violence, bloodshed, rebellion, aliens, Kubla Khan, witchcraft, etc.
• .
• Tracks:  
1. "The Prophecy"
2. "Hell, Fire And Damnation"
3. "Madam Guillotine"
4. "Fire And Steel"
5. "There's Something In Roswell"
6. "Kubla Khan And The Merchant of Venice"
   
7. "Pirates Of The Airwaves"
8. "1066"
9. "Witches Of Salem"
10. "Super Charger"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Level Crossing Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.levelcrossingbrewing.com/ 
• Brew: Eternal Pursuit Volume 2: Belgian Style Saison
• Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.7%
• IBUs: 22 
• Ingredients: Great Western Pure Idaho Pilsner, and White Wheat malts with Magnum, Azacca, Amarillo, and Hallertau Blanc hops, and Orange Blossom Honey
• Pour: The Eternal Pursuit pours a hazy, bright golden yellow hue with a frothy, bright white, 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of soapy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by fruity esters, sweet honey, and earthy aromas.  There are notes aromas of soft banana, white grape juice, pear, orange zest, pink bubble gum, and sweet honey.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Eternal Pursuit is a blend of citrusy and sweet fruits, sweet malts, a slight hint of barnyard funk, and a hint of booze.  There are notes of Sauvignon Blanc, pear juice/syrup, orange zest and pith, Bazooka Bubble Gum, sweet honey, and soft banana.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is tart, yet rich, crisp, yet substantial with a dry, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Wonderfully complex, fruity and rich, the Level Crossing Eternal Pursuit is a beast of a brew, yet very drinkable... perfect for the hard rockin', complex, heavy metal onslaught that is the mighty Saxon!!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Horns raised!! 

January 18th, 2025 - Timothy Hay-Z's Divine Council

 

Hello and happy Saturday my headbanging and hop lovin' friends!  The Meister here today pairing "Divine Council", the wonderfully intricate and heavy 8th album by Tasmanian technical death metal band Psycroptic and a tasty, hoppy, and juicy Timothy Hay-Z IPA from the fine folks at Iron Horse Brewery!  Oh, yeah!!  This pairing goes out to my buddies Forgach and Cody D. of Maximum Distortion fame.  And special thanks to my friend Brad Davis for giving me this tasty brew... thanks brother!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Psycroptic
• Title: "Divine Council"
• Recorded: 2022 at Anubis Studios, Cave Bound Studio, Crawlspace Studios, and White Lake Music
• Release date: August 2nd, 2022 (8th full-length studio album by Psycroptic)
• Record company: EVP Recordings
• Production: Psycroptic
• Album cover art: Eliran Kantor
• Personnel: David Haley (drums), Joe Haley (guitars), Jason Peppiatt (vocals), and Todd Stern (bass)
• Additional musicians: Jason Keyser (additional vocals) and Amy Wiles (additional vocals)
• Musical style: Technical death metal with elements of blackened death metal
• Sound: Blending insane riffage with wonderful counter-rhythmic intensity and brutal vocals, the sound on "Divine Council" is both intense and mesmerizing.  As always, Joe's guitar work is awe-inspiring, while David and Todd Stern lay down an impressively powerful rhythm for Peppiatt's thoughtful lyrics and fierce vocals.
• Major themes: Death, destruction, metaphysics, mythology, politics, ignorance, corruption, fantasy, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Rend Asunder"
2. "A Fool's Errand"
3. "This Shadowed World"
4. "Enslavement"
5. "Ahses Of Our Empire"
6. "The Prophet's Council"
7. "Awakening"
8. "A Fragile Existence"
9. "Exitus"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Iron Horse Brewery (Ellensburg, Washington)
• Website: https://www.ironhorsebrewery.com/
• Brew: Timothy Hay-Z IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.25%
• Ingredients: Citra and Azacca hops with unmalted wheat and oats
• Pour: The Timothy Hay-Z IPA pours a hazy, golden-yellow hue with a frothy and firm, off-white, 2-finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a characterized by citrusy, floral, sweet, and malty aromas.  There are aromas of orange juice, mango, freshly cut pineapple, grapefruit rind, tangerine, wildflowers, bready malt, and sweet caramel.
• Taste: Well-balanced and flavorful, the Timothy Hay-Z IPA has a nice blend of citrusy, tropical fruit, and malty flavors.  There are notes of guava, mango, pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, orange zest, pineapple juice, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of Timothy Hay-Z IPA is juicy, crisp, with a dry, slightly sweet finish. 

Overall pairing: The Iron Horse Timothy Hay-Z IPA is a very crisp, very juicy, complex, yet crushable brew... a great companion for banging your heading and raising your horns to the Psycroptic!  Those bitter hop notes go great with vocals and the overall aggressiveness of the album while the brighter and sweeter notes go great with the fantastic riffing and solos!  I also thought the beer can art work looked great alongside the amazing album art of Eliran Kantor and the sweet colored vinyl!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Hails!!

January 17th, 2025 - High Voltage Salvation in the PNW

 

Hello and happy Friday craft beer freaks and headbangers!  The Meista here today getting the weekend off to the right start with a pairing of the kickass "High Voltage Salvation" by hard rockin' supergroup Electric Temple and a tasty and a PNW Pils from Offset Bier Company!  Hell yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Electric Temple
• Title: "High Voltage Salvation"
• Recorded: November 2023 through July 2024 at 
• Release date: December 6th, 2024 (1st studio album by Electric Temple)
• Record company: Eonian Records
• Production: Tony Childs 
• Album cover art: Tony Childs (artwork) and Eddi Calzada (art direction and design)
• Personnel: Tony Childs (guitars, mandolin, keyboards, and backing vocals), Mike Duda (bass), Andrew Freeman (lead vocals), and Matt Star (drums)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: Embracing an '80s style hard rock vibe, but fresh and new, the sound on "High Voltage Salvation" is a powerful testament to the songwriting and musical prowess of these fantastic musicians!  This is powerful, heavy-duty rockin stuff my friends and an absolute joy to hear!  Of the album, Tony Childs stated: "I started creating music in a proper old school metal style that I loved but rarely heard anymore. It was quickly evident that it brought me back to my youth when Hard Rock & Metal became my religion and helped me cope with teenage problems. This genre of rock still has the same impact on me today and still has the healing power that "saves my soul. Electric Temple was born out of the need to express myself artistically, go to a place where I could “worship” freely and be able to share my mantra 'Rock is Religion.'"
• Major themes: Life, death, pain, loss, heartbreak, hope, overcoming fear, rebellion, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Death Wish"
2. "Doomed"
3. "Big Black Hole"
4. "Streets Of Pain"
5. "Kill Or Be Killed"
6. "World's On Fire"
   
7. "Am I Damned"
8. "The Storm"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: PNW Pils 
• Style: Pilsner
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.7%
• Ingredients: A blend of HBC1134 and American Noble Cascade hops with Steffi malts
• Pour: The PNW Pils pours a clear, bright yellow hue with a half-finger, frothy, bright white head with great retention and lots of sudsy lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is hoppy, citrusy, grassy, floral, and grainy.  There are aromas of summer grass, wildflowers, hay, light pine resin, grapefruit rind, lemon zest, crackery biscuit, and a hint of soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: crackery, grainy, grassy, and hoppy.  There are notes of citrusy and floral hops, lemon zest, lemongrass, crackery biscuit, minerals, and very light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the PPNW Pils very crisp and dry, yet smooth with a clean, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The delicious, bright, hoppy, and invitingly punchy aromas and flavors of the Offset PNW Pils are perfect for the hard rockin' punch that is the mighty Electric Tempe!  Those bright, crisp flavors go great with the screaming guitars and powerful vocals while the crackery backbone goes great with the heavy-duty rhythm section!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!  In fact, even though "High Voltage Salvation" was released at the very end of 2024, I'd put it in my top 10 list of 2024 albums!  'Nuff said!

Make sure to check out my interview with Electric Temple guitarist Tony Childs here: https://youtu.be/_cDaVOVeehI

Cheers and hails!!

January 12th, 2025 - "Hammer Swings Down": An Interview with Drummer Jamey Pacheco

 

Hey there rockers, rollers, and metal maniacs!  Your heavy metal beer drinking pal the Meista here today with another great interview for you!  This one is with the very friendly and very talented Jamey Pacheco, drummer of Duran Duran Duran and founding member and former drummer of Babylon A.D.!  We chatted about Jamey's Duran Duran tribute band, Duran Duran Duran (D3), his previous work with Babylon A.D., his rich history as a musician in general, his work as a graphic designer and web designer, and much more!  Here's a link to that video interview: https://youtu.be/tCfEwOh2rNA

Enjoy!!

Learn more about Jamey here: 

• https://www.jameypacheco.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/duran3tribute

Check out Duran Duran Duran here:

• https://www.duran3tribute.com/

And make sure to check out Jamey's girlfriend, Ronnie Wagner's page here: 

• https://www.ladybassqueen.com/

*Photo of Jamey by Glenn Herring

**Special thanks to Jamie Winters for designing the Brews and Tunes logo, Jerry Howard for creating the Brews and Tunes intro video and to DiseNgaged for the use of their song "The Real Me" (copyright 2020)

January 12th, 2025 - NZH-104 in the Domain of the Wretched

 

Hey there headbangers and hop freaks!  Happy Sunday!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here with another killer pairing for ya!  Today, I'm pairing "Domain Of The Wretched", the debut album by New Zealand death metal band Organectomy with a hoppy and delicious NZH-104 Single Hop Pale Ale from Offset Bier Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Organectomy
• Title: "Domain Of The Wretched"
• Recorded: 2017 
• Release date: December 17th, 2017 (1st full-length studio album by Organectomy)
• Record company: Unique Leader Records
• Production: Organectomy
• Album cover art: Lordigan (aka Pedro Sena) 
• Personnel: Jae Hulbert (drums), Tyler Jordan (bass), Sam McRobert (guitars), Ashton Moore (guitars), and Alex Paul (vocals)
• Guest musicians: Kieran Bircher (vocals on "Intracranial Incubation"), Matthew Bolch (vocals on "Entropic Decay"), Steven Booth (vocals on "Intracranial Incubation"), Stace Fifield (vocals on "Entropic Decay"), Liam Hand (vocals on "Beckoning The Horrors Of The Depths"), Vin Minchington (vocals on "Sanctum Of Deceit"), and Jamie Philpott (vocals on "Inherent Revulsion")
• Musical style: Death metal
• Sound: Characterized by brutal riffs, intricate time signatures, and aggressive vocals, the sound on "Domain Of The Wretched" is death metal perfection!  Organectomy wonderfully and artistically blends old school death metal with more modern slam elements!
• Major themes: Death, destruction, violence, torment, darkness, gore, isolation, evil, the occult, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Eons Of Unyielding Darkness"
2. "Sanctum Of Deceit"
3. "Beckoning The Horrors Of The Depths"
4. "Intracranial Incubation"
5. "Archaic Infestation"
6. "Carnal Bloodlust"
7. "Terror Form"
8. "Inherent Revulsion"
9. "Cascading Into Despair"
10. "Domain Of The Wretched"
11. "Entropic Decay"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: NZH-104 Single Hop Pale Ale
• Style: Pale Ale 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: NZH-104 hops 
• Pour: The NZH-104 pours a murky, dull golden-yellow hue with a frothy, off-white, 2+ finger head with great sustain and lots and lots of sticky, intricate lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is tropically fruity, citrusy, and malty.  There are aromas of clementine oranges, lemon zest, nectarine, guava, kiwi, papaya, melon, lemongrass, light caramel, and crackery biscuit.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: fruity, citrusy, hoppy, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of orange juice, pink grapefruit juice, lemon zest, lemon drop candy, kiwi, light pineapple, honeydew melon, fresh mango, and soft sweet toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the NZH104 is very crisp and smooth with a clean, slightly bittersweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Offset NZH-104 Pale Ale is a bright, complex, fruity, and hoppy, yet very inviting brew... a great foil for the brutal and dark death metal stylings of the mighty Organectomy on their excellent "Domain Of The Wretched" album!  I like the look of the album with the beer can label as well.  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!