September 24th, 2021 - The Fate Bell's Dirge Of Elysium

 

Hello, happy Friday, and hails metal maniacs and artisan brew fanatics!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here starting the weekend off right with a killer pairing for ya... "Dirge Of Elysian", the kick-ass 10th album by death metal legends Incantation and a deliciously tart, earthy, and dangerously crushable Fate Bell Gose Style Ale from the fine folks at SaltFire Brewing Company!  Hell yes!!    \m/  \m/

Album Info:

• Artist: Incantation
• Title: "Dirge Of Elysium"
• Recorded: 2014 at Bad Back Studios, Subspecies X Studios, and Enslaved Sound Productions 
• Release date: June 10th, 2014 (10th full-length studio release by Incantation)
• Record company: Listenable Records
• Production: Incantation and Dan Swanö
• Album cover art: Eliran Kantor (artwork) and Bill Venner (band logo)
• Personnel: Alex Bouks (lead guitars), John McEntee (guitars and lead vocals), Kyle Severn (drums), and Chuck Sherwood (bass)
• Additional musicians: Sonny Lombardozzi (additional lead guitars) 
• Musical style: Death metal
• Sound: Aggressive, heavy as hell, and a bit sludgy, the sound on "Dirge Of Elysium" is classic Incantation, yet with more modern production and focus!  More than an album, it is a sonic journey of the highest degree!  From the opening notes of "Dirge Of Elysium" to the final of "Elysium (Eternity Is Nigh)", this album grabs you by the collar, slams you against the wall, and demands your attention!  Bouks and McEntee lay down some intensely fiery and intricate guitar work, while the brutal rhythm section of the Sherwood and Severn is runaway freight train barreling down the tracks!
• Major themes: Death, decomposition, darkness, evil, the occult, mythology, terror, anti-Christianity, blasphemy, Satan, misery, violence, etc.
• Tracks: 
  
1. "Dirge Of Elysium"
2. "Debauchery"
3. "Bastion of a Plagued Soul"
4. "Carrion Prophecy"
5. "From A Glaciate Womb"
6. "Portal Consecration"
7. "Charnel Grounds"
8. "Impalement Of Divinity"
9. "Dominate Ethos"
10. "Elysium (Eternity Is Nigh)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: Fate Bell Gose Style Ale
• Style: Gose
• Serving: 16 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.5%
• Ingredients: Blonde ale with lime peel and Redmond Real Salt aged in Sotol spirit barrels from Desert Door Distillery
• Pour: The Fate Bell pours a fairly clear, bright golden yellow with a very, very thin, white head that dissipates very quickly, leaving no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is tart, floral, fruity, and salty.  There are aromas of lime juice and lime peel, oak, lemon juice and zest, wild flowers, light honey, salt, and a hint of Sotol.
• Taste: The taste of the Fate Bell is a refreshing blend of fruity, sour, slightly boozy, and salty flavors.  There are notes of lime juice, lime zest, lemon juice, a hint of pear, margarita mix, Sotol, salt, and very light honey.  
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, fizzy, juicy, and tart with a dry, salty and slightly boozy finish.

Overall Pairing: The Fate Bell from SaltFire Brewing is a refreshingly tart, salty and earthy brew that goes down easy, yet is very complex and intriguing... a perfect foil to the dark aggression, fiery riffs, and killer hooks of  this kick-ass album!  'Nuff said!  I highly recommend both the album and the beer!

Cheers and hails!!