May 27th, 2013 - Pleasure To Drink!

Nothing says summer like a nice German style lager... and Kreator's 1986 thrash masterpiece, "Pleasure To Kill"! 

"Pleasure To Kill" is the second, full-length studio album by German thrash metal masters, Kreator and definitely not for the mild-mannered!  Widely considered a thrash classic, "Pleasure To Kill" is an adrenaline-charged, high-octane metal monster of an album that is cited by many death metal bands as a highly influential and a groundbreaking piece of work.  At the time of the recording, Kreator was only a three-piece band with Mille Petrozza on guitars and lead vocals, Rob Fioretti on bass, and Jürgen Reil on drums and vocals on tracks 3, 5 and 8.  "Pleasure To Kill" is characterized by insanely fast riffs, .  The only mellowness on this album you will find is the 44 second opener, "Choir Of The Damned."  From there on out the listener is bombarded with the crushing power that is Kreator!  Songs like "Ripping Corpse," title track "Pleasure To Kill," "Riot Of Violence," "The Pestilence," "Carrion," and "Under The Guillotine" are wonderfully brutal, fast-paced, unapologetic, and heavy as hell!  Mille's vocals are gravel and broken glass with obvious influence from Venom's Cronos.  His guitar work is a blistering machine gun attack as are Reil's drums and Fioretti's bass is the galloping horses of the WWI Leib Hussar Brigade!! Goddamned monstrous!! 

Now normally I like to go with bitter IPAs when it comes to pairing with a thrash metal album, but for some reason the Wasatch Summerbrau Lager  just seemed to fit with "Pleasure To Kill."  Maybe it is crispness and refreshing flavor that goes well with the speed of Kreator's blitzkrieg of power... regardless, it works!  The Summerbrau Lager pours a brilliant straw colored gold with a bright, white head that displays good lacing throughout.  The nose is floral and tangy with a bit of lemon zest and hops, but pleasurable all the same. Brewed with pale malts and a plentiful amount of hops, the flavor is akin to many Bavarian-style brews I've had as of late... highly carbonated, it is very crisp and refreshing with notes of fresh grains and a finish that is both hoppy and peppery.  It goes down easy, but has enough initial bite to be paired with the thrashing intensity of Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill"! 

Raise your fist, bang your head, and pound that fucking beer!!  Prosit!!