March 14th, 2026 - A Blood Dynasty of Old Doods

 

Greetings evildoers, headbangers, and craft beer freaks!  And a very happy Saturday to you!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here rocking the hell out today with a pairing of "Blood Dynasty", the most recent kick-ass album from the mighty Arch Enemy and an Old Doods Stout from Odell Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Arch Enemy
• Title: "Blood Dynasty"
• Recorded: Winter 2024 at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden; cello on "Presage" recorded at Sonic Boom Studios in Berlin, Germany
• Release date: March 28th, 2025 (12th studio album by Arch Enemy)
• Record company: Century Media Records
• Production: Jens Bogren, Michael Amott, and Daniel Erlandsson
• Album cover art: Alex Reisfar
• Personnel: Michael Amott (lead and rhythm guitars, and choir vocals), Joey Concepcion (lead and rhythm guitars, and acoustic guitar), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass guitar), Daniel Erlandsson (drums, keyboards, and effects),  and Alissa White-Gluz (lead vocals)
• Additional musicians: 
• Musical style: Melodic/progressive death metal, progressive metal, with hints of power metal
• Sound: The sound on "Blood Dynasty" is a wall of crushing melodic death!  White-Gluz's ultra-aggressive vocals coupled with the battery ram of sonic ferocity of the band demands your attention from the opening notes of "Dream Stealer" to the final of "Liars & Thieves".  It is filled with loads of great rhythms and melodies, and of course, Amott's and Concepcion's killer guitar solos!
• Major themes: Deception, hate, aggression, fear, honesty, darkness, regret, death, loss, solitude, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Dream Stealer"
2. "Illuminate The Path"
3. "March Of The Miscreants"
4. "A Million Suns"
5. "Don't Look Down"
6. "Presage"
7. "Blood Dynasty"
8. "Paper Tiger"
9. "Vivre Libre" (Blasphème cover)
10. "The Pendulum"
11. "Liars & Thieve"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Odell Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colorado)
• Website: https://www.odellbrewing.com/
• Brew: Old Doods Stout
• Style: Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Chocolate malts, special house yeast, and Fresh Northern Rocky Mountain water from Cache la Poudre River
• Pour: The Old Doods pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost black) hue with a frothy, light mocha, 1+ finger head with good retention and lots of sudsy, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, toasty, and malty.  There are aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, espresso beans, roasted barley, and a hint of burnt toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Old Doods follows the nose with malty, robust, roasty flavors.  There are notes of "roasted barley notes intertwine with hints of dark chocolate", light roasted coffee, dark toasted bread, and soft caramel/toffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with lower carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Old Doods is smooth and velvety with a clean, slightly bittersweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Odell's Old Doods Stout is a bold, yet crushable brew with lots of roasty and dark chocolate flavor, which makes it a great beer to throw back to the intensity of the riffs, vocals, and thunderous rhythm section of Arche Enemy's most recent album, "Blood Dynasty"!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers and hails!

And make sure to check out my interview with Arch Enemy bassist Sharlee D'Angelo from a several years ago here: https://brewsandtunes.blogspot.com/2019/10/october-6th-2019-will-to-power.html

March 13th, 2026 - To the Hilt in the Black Hills

 

Hey there rockers, roller, and craft beer freaks!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here getting the weekend off the right way today by rockin' the hell to Golden Earring's "To The Hilt" album and a tasty and smooth Black Hill Black Lager from the fine folks at Silver Reef Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Golden Earring
• Title: "To The Hilt"
• Recorded: 1975 in the Netherlands 
  Release date: January 1976 (11th studio album by Golden Earring)
• Record company: Polydor Records / MCA
• Production: Golden Earring and Fred Haayen
• Album cover art: Hipgnosis, George Hardie (concept), and Richard Manning (photography and artwork)
• Personnel: Rinus Gerritsen (bass and keyboards), Barry Hay (vocals and flute), George Kooymans (guitar and vocals), Robert Jan Stips (keyboards, synthesizers, and string arrangements), and Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums)
• Additional musician: Bertus Borgers (saxophone), Eelco Gelling (guitar), and Chris Mercer (tenor saxophone)
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock and roll, progressive rock, art rock
• Sound: Wonderfully complex, yet straightforward and totally rocking, "To The Hilt" is another one of those great unsung rock albums of the mid to late 1970s.  With influence from The Who, the songwriting is incredibly solid, the band's musicianship is fantastic (as always), and the execution is flawless!  It will get your feet moving and your fists pumping!
• Major themes: Love, relationships, desire, change, isolation, darkness, depression, life, death, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Why Me?"
2. "Facedancer"
3. "To The Hilt"
4. "Nomad"
5. "Sleepwalkin'"
6. "Latin Lightning"
7. "Violins"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Silver Reef Brewing Company (Saint George, Utah)
• Website: https://sgbev.com/
• Brew: Black Hill Black Lager
• Style: Schwarzbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 20
• Pour: The Black Hill pours a an opaque, deep, dark brown hue with red flecks and a thin, light beige head that dissipates to a thin ring with very light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, toasty, malty.  There are aromas of dark toasted bread, espresso beans, roasted barley, roasted malts, and a hint of burnt toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Black Hill follows the nose with roasty, toasty, and malty flavors.  There are notes of toasted rye bread, roasted barley, light coffee, and soft toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth, with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Silver Reef Black Hill is a great, drinkable beer to crush whilst rockin' the hell out to the killer tunes on Golden Earring's "To The Hilt" album!  I also love the look of the album cover artwork coupled with beer label art!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!

March 12th, 2026 - Goat Vulvas & Scarlet Begonias

Hyvää iltaa, happy Thursday, and hails metal maniacs and craft beer freaks!  The Meista here pairing "Goatvulva", a compilation ablum by Finish noisecore band Goat Vulva and a Scarlet Begonias Wheat Ale with Cherry from Heavy Reel Brewing Company! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Goat Vulva
• Title: "Goatvulva"
• Recorded: 1990 to 1992 in Lappi, Finland
• Release date: August 28th, 2020 (compilation album by Goat Vulva)
• Record company: Werewolf Records
• Production: Goat Vulva
• Album cover art: Moyen C.
• Personnel: Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance aka Marko Laiho (guitars and vocals) and Sodomatic Slaughter aka Jari Pirinen (drums and vocals)
• Musical style: Black metal, "XXX rated porno speed noise", noisecore
• Sound: A bit of a novelty, the sound on "Goatvulva" is a mix of incredibly noisy, low-fi chaos with rough, but intriguingly fiery guitar riffs. 
• Major themes: Sex, pornography, perversion, evil, darkness, Satanism, anti-Christianity, the occult, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Do Me Evil (Intro)"
2. "Bitch Goddess"
3. "Bizarre Dreams"
4. "Midnight Suck Session"
5. "Wanna Drill Your Black Hole"
6. "Black Love"
7. "Mmm, Wet & Juicy"
8. "Nuclear Clitgame"
9. "69 Passion"
10. "Crucifixus"
11. "Mistress Of Hades"
12. "Nocturnal Blessing"
13. "Blasphemous Sexfago"
14. "Intromantic"
15. "Undefiled Wisdom"
16. "At The Gates Of Fornication"
17. "Black 666"
18. "Satanic Sex"
19. "Doglord Of Impiety"
20. "Intropic Pleasures"
21. "Cats Of Mortification"
22. "Procreation Of Black Goat"
23. "Angel Vomit"
24. "Sadomator"
25. "B.M. Goat"
26. "Evil Souls"
27. "Let's Kill All!"
28. "Unholy Captain"
29. "Hate"
30. "Bloodfire"
31. "Dark Triumph"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Heavy Reel Brewing Company (Seaside Heights, New Jersey)
• Website: https://www.heavyreelbrewing.com/
• Brew: Scarlet Begonias Wheat Ale with Cherry
• Style: Fruited Wheat Beer
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Scarlet Begonias pours a very cloudy, pale mauve/pink hue with a 1-finger, bright white, frothy head with good sustain sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Scarlet Begonias is fruity, grainy, and slightly tart.  There are aromas of freshly baked wheat bread, freshly sliced cherries, tart cherry juice, pale malts, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste is fruity, bready, and slightly tart.  There are notes of cracked wheat, lemongrass, tart cherry juice, and a splash of clover honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Scarlet Begonias is very crisp, slightly tart, yet smooth with a dry, fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: The very crushable, yet wonderfully complex and flavorful characteristics of the Heavy Reel Scarlet Begonias Wheat Ale with Cherry makes a great foil to the insanely chaotic, low-fi noise that is Goat Vulva!  'Nuff said!

Kippis and hails!!

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!!

March 7th, 2026 - The Awakening of the Liar, Agua Del Diablo

 

Dobry wieczór metal maniacs, evil-doers, and craft beer freaks!  The Meista here today rockin' the hell out with another kick-ass pairing: "Awakening Of The Liar" (released this week 23 years ago) by Polish blackened death metal band Hate and a tasty and smooth Agua Del Diablo Mexican Style Lager from the fine folks at Silver Reef Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Hate
• Title: "Awakening Of The Liar"
• Recorded: October through November 202 at Hard Studio in Warsaw, Poland and Hertz Studio in Białystok, Poland
• Release date: March 4th, 2003 (4th full-length studio release by Hate)
• Record company: Empire Records / Mercenary Musik / Listenable Records 
• Production: Adam the First Sinner
• Album cover art: Blitz (photography), Graal (design), and Artur Szolc (art concept)
• Personnel: Adam the First Sinner (lead and acoustic guitars, and lead vocals), Cyprian (bass), Hellrizer (drums), and Kaos (rhythm guitars)
• Musical style: Blackened death metal
• Sound: Wonderfully blending the chaotic speed of black metal, and the brutal heaviness of death metal, on "Awakening Of The Liar", Hate lays down a face-melting musical journey of darkness, aggression, and rage!  The melodies are dark and mesmerizing, the drumming encompasses a machine gun fire blast beat intensity, the guitars are fast, fiery, and infernal, and the vocals are deep, guttural, and steeped in old-school death metal brutality!
• Major themes: Death, desolation, the occult, anti-Christianity, mythology, ritual, violence, Slavic pagan folklore, evil, darkness, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Flagellation"
2. "Anti-God Extremity"
3. "Close To The Nephilim"
4. "Immolate The Pope"
5. "The Shroud (A Hellish Value)"
6. "The Scrolls"
7. "Awakening Of The Liar"
8. "Serve God, Rely On Me (Hymn Of Asa'el)"
9. "Grail In The Flesh"
10. "Spirit Of Gospa"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Silver Reef Brewing Company (Saint George, Utah)
• Website: https://sgbev.com/
• Brew: Agua Del Diablo Mexican Style Lager
• Style: Mexican Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.5%
• IBUs: 25
• Pour: The Agua Del Diablo pours a clear, bright golden yellow hue with a bubbly, thin white head with good retention and light soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, floral, slightly citrusy, and malty.  There are aromas of corn chips, lime, grassy hops, light lemon zest, smooth caramel/toffee, and crackery biscuit.
• Taste: The taste of the Agua Del Diablo follows the nose with grassy, malty, grainy, and lightly citrusy flavors.  There are notes of sweet corn, pale malt, grassy hops, lemongrass, lemon zest, freshly baked wheat bread, and hints of soft toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and smooth, with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Silver Reef Agua Del Diablo Mexican Style Lager is a great beer to crush whilst rockin' the hell out to the killer tunes on Hate's wonderful "Awakening Of The Liar" album!  Those crisp, bright notes really make for a great foil to those soul-crushing guitars, bass, and drums!  The easy drinkability of the beer is perfect for the more fast-paced attack, while those malty notes go well with the heaviness!  I also love the look of the album cover artwork coupled with beer label art!

Na zdrowie and hails!!

March 7th, 2026 - Nine Short Films of Nectar

 

Hello and happy Saturday rockers, rollers, and craft beer freaks!  Your pal the Meista here today pairing "Nine Short Films", the wonderfully artistic and compelling album by Terry Bozzio and Billy Sheehan along with a deliciously hoppy and bold Nine Years of Nectar from my friends at Fisher Brewing Company!  The Nine Years of Nectar celebrates Fisher's 9 years in business as a brewery.  Hell yeah!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Terry Bozzio and Billy Sheehan
• Title: "Nine Short Films"
• Recorded: 
• Release date: September 24th, 2002 (1st and only studio album by Terry Bozzio and Billy Sheehan as a duo)
• Record company: Magna Carta Records 
• Production: Terry Bozzio 
• Album cover art: Max Crace
• Personnel: Terry Bozzio (vocals, keyboards, and drums and percussion) and Billy Sheehan (bass and baritone guitars) 
• Musical style: 
• Sound: Not the most accessible album (at least not initially), "Nine Short Films" is an experiment in... well, experimentation.  More akin to the darker works of modern-day King Crimson or even Nine Inch Nails with a little bit of Brian Eno mixed in for good measure, Bozzio and Sheehan shed their classic hard rock skins to provide an eerie, emotionally intense, and musically fascinating work of art that sounds both post-modern and tribal.  Nothing short of brilliant, this is nothing like Bozzio's work with Zappa, Missing Persons, or BLS nor is it anything like Sheehan's work with Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, or Niacin.  Bozzio's almost spoken gravelly vocals add to the overall creepy mood of the album.  This is most definitely NOT background music.  "Nine Short Films" demands your attention from the opening notes of "Live By The Gun" to the closing notes of "Sub Continent"!   There are some really spectacular musical moments on this album like "Black Wisdom", "Water And Blood", "Distant Horses", "Edge Of A Circle" (probably my favorite track), "Finger Painting", and "Sub Continent".  (Oddly enough, there are 10 tracks on "Nine Short Films".)
• Major themes:  Lyrically dark, themes include life, death, violence, desperation, disaster, and depression delivered with purposely cold precision, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Live By The Gun"
2. "Black Wisdom"
3. "Water And Blood"
4. "Tornado Alley"
5. "Distant Horses"
6. "One More Winter"
7. "Edge Of A Circle"
8. "Finger Painting"
9. "The Last Page"
10. "Sub Continent"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
• Brew: Nine Years of Nectar
• Style: West Coast India Pale Ale (IPA) 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5%
• IBUs: 55
• Ingredients: Nectaron hops
• Pour: The Nine Years of Nectar pours a fairly clear, bronze-amber hue with a billowy and frothy, off white, 1+ finger head with great sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by very citrusy aromas along with floral, earthy, dank, and herbal hops, and more subtle sweeter malts.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine zest, orange zest, dried apricot, wet pine needles, orange herbal tea, wildflowers, doughy bread, toasted malts, and a hint of soft, sweet caramel/toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Nine Years of Nectar is very citrusy, earthy, and herbal along with crackery maltiness.  There are notes of grapefruit juice, apricot, orange pith, tangerine, pine resin, black tea, crackery biscuit, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly bitter, yet smooth with a dry, bitter finish

Overall pairing: Complex and , deserves a brew of equal intensity and flavor... thus the Nine Years of Nectar from the fine folks at Fisher!  Those big, complex citrus flavors are great for the overall rock and roll vibe, while the complex fruit flavors go great with the powerful vocals!

To your health... cheers!!

March 6th, 2026 - Shades of Death Become My Voice

 

Hello, happy Friday, and hails metal maniacs and craft beer freaks!  The Meista here with another kick-ass pairing for ya today: "Death Becomes My Voice", the kick-ass 8th album by Ohio metal legends Ringworm and a bold and delicious Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier from Heavy Reel Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ringworm
• Title: "Death Becomes My Voice"
• Recorded: 2019 at Mercenary Studios and Spider Studios in Cleveland, Ohio
• Release date: May 3rd, 2019 (8th studio album by Ringworm)
• Record company: Relapse Records
• Production: Ringworm
• Album cover art: Human Furnace (artwork) and Jacob Speis (layout)
• Personnel: James "Human Furnace" Bulloch (vocals), Matt Sorg (guitars), Ryan Steigerwald (drums), Ed Stephens (bass), and Mark Witherspoon (guitars)
• Musical style: Thrash metal with elements of metalcore, hardcore punk, and death metal
• Sound: Characterized by wonderfully aggressive and violent riffs, soaring guitar solos, machine gun fine drumming, driving bass lines, and the Human Furnace's searing vocal attacks, the tracks on "Death Becomes My Voice" are diametrically brutal and melodic! 
• Major themes: The occult, death, rebellion, evil, darkness, insanity, fear, terror, violence, destruction, rage, etc.  
• Tracks: 

1. "Death Becomes My Voice"
2. "Carnivores"
3. "Acquiesce"
4. "Do Not Resuscitate"
5. "Dead To Me"
6. "The God Of New Flesh"
7. "I Want To Tear The World Apart"
8. "Dying By Design"
9. "Separate Realities"
10. "Let It Burn"
11. "Final Division"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Heavy Reel Brewing Company (Seaside Heights, New Jersey)
• Website: https://www.heavyreelbrewing.com/
• Brew: Shades of Death
• Style: German Style Schwarzbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Shades of Death pours an opaque, very dark brown (almost black) hue with a light mocha, 1-finger head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Shades of Death is toasty, roasty, slightly fruity (dark fruits), and malty.  There are aromas of dark toasted bread, roasted malts, roasted coffee beans, hints of dark chocolate, light plum, and hints of burnt toffee.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste is roasty, toasty, grainy, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of bready malts, cacao, dark roasted coffee, hints of dark fruits (plum and raisin), and very light sweet caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Shades of Death is crisp and very smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The very crushable, yet wonderfully complex and flavorful characteristics of the Heavy Reel Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier makes a great companion to the death/thrash metal/metalcore aggression of Ringworm's excellent 2019 offering!  The dark, roasty, and malty notes really pop when you've got Ringworm blasting from your speakers!  I highly recommend both the album and brew!  'Nuff said!

And if you haven't done so already, make sure to check out my interviews with Ringworm guitarists Mike Lare and Matt Sorg from a few years ago:

Mike Lare: https://youtu.be/molfbhf_5_M 

Matt Sorg: https://youtu.be/oWI18sKCEr4 

Cheers and hails!!