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!!