October 22nd, 2021 - Torn Arteries... And An ESB

 

Hello and happy Friday evil-doers, rivet heads, and craft beer freaks!  Your dinking buddy the Meista here on this fine day getting the weekend off to the right start with a pairing of a tasty ESB from Bewilder Brewing Company and the mighty Carcass's latest brutal album "Torn Arteries"!  YES!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Carcass
• Title: "Torn Arteries"
• Recorded: November 2018 through August 2019 at Ghost Ward Studios & The Stationhouse in Leeds, United Kingdom.  Additional keyboards, organ, and piano recorded at Roth Händle Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
• Release date: September 17th, 2021 (7th studio album released by Carcass)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast 
• Production: Carcass 
• Album cover art: Zbigniew Bielak
• Personnel: Bill Steer (guitars and vocals), Jeff Walker (bass and lead vocals), and Daniel Wilding (drums and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Fredrik Klingwall (keyboards) and Per Wiberg (piano and organ) 
• Musical style: Melodic death metal, death 'n' roll
• Sound: Characterized by a blend of melodic death metal and rock and roll, Carcass's sound on "Torn Arteries" is a wonderful and artistic expansion of their evolving sound.  
• Major themes: Themes on the album include gore, horror, medical procedures, forensic pathology, anatomy, autopsies, death, dismemberment, rot, politics, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Torn Arteries"
2. "Dance Of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No.1 In B)"
3. "Eleanor Rigor Mortis"
4. "Under The Scalpel Blade"
5. "The Devil Rides Out"
6. "Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Limited"
7. "Kelly's Meat Emporium"
8. "In God We Trust"
9. "Wake Up And Smell The Carcass / Caveat Emptor"
10. "The Scythe's Remorseless Swing"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bewilder Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://bewilderbrewing.com/
• Brew: ESP
• Style: Extra Special Bitter Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 35 
• Ingredients: Traditional floor malted English grains and Crystal malt 
• Pour: The ESB pours a fairly clear, deep copper hue with a half finger, off-white, frothy head with that slowly dissipates to a thin ring.
• Nose: The nose is malty, bready, earthy, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of earthy and spicy hops, wild flowers, barley, toasted bread, burnt toffee, and crackery biscuit.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the ESB is a well-balanced blend of earthy hops and slightly sweet malts.  There are notes of barley, hearty toasted bread, sweet biscuit, black tea, light pine resin, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp and smooth with a dry, slightly bitter finish. 

Overall pairing: The easy-drinking Bewilder ESB, a traditional English ale, makes for a nice foil to the aggressive and wonderfully complex music of Carcass while the bitterness is perfect for the guttural vocals and darker lyrical themes!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers!!  Hails!!