February 1st, 2025 - Heresy & Hell

 

Guten abend!  Happy Saturday!  Your heavy metal drinking buddy the Meista here today pairing "Heresy", the fantastic sophomore album by German thrashers Paradox and a crisp and delicious Lagerbier Hell from Brauerei Bernhard Schnitzlbaumer!  Hell yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Paradox
• Title: "Heresy"
• Recorded: January through July 1989 at Music Lab Studio in West Berlin, Germany and Gerryland Studio, Würzburg, Germany
• Release date: November 20th, 1989 (2nd studio album by Paradox)
• Record company: Roadrunner Records
• Production: Harris Johns
• Album cover art: Axel Blaha (cover concept), Les Edwards (artwork), and Thomas Söllner (logo concept)
• Personnel: Alex Blaha (drums), Dieter Roth (guitars), Matthias Schmitt (bass and backing vocals), and Charly Steinhauer (guitars and lead vocals)
• Guest musicians: Koyak (additional vocals) and Werner Wilz (additional vocals)
• Musical style: Power metal, thrash metal, progressive thrash metal, speed metal
• Sound: Richly melodic, yet aggressively driving, Paradox wonderfully blends German power metal with speed and thrash! It is a testament to the musical prowess of Paradox and Steinhauer's vision and songwriting skills. 
• Major themes: A concept album about the Albigensian Crusade sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church against Catharism, considered a heresy, during the 13th century in France.  Themes on the album include death, war, violence, survival, religion, belief, heresy, sacred artifacts, passion, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Heresy"
2. "Search For Perfection"
3. "Killtime"
4. "Crusaders Revenge"
5. "The Burning"
6. "Massacre Of The Cathars"
7. "Serenity"
8. "700 Years On"
9. "Castle In The Wind"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Brauerei Bernhard Schnitzlbaumer (Traunstein, Germany)
• Website: https://www.schnitzlbaumer.de/
• Brew: Lagerbier Hell
• Style: German Helles 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.9%
• Ingredients: Brewing water, barley malt, hops
• Pour: The Lagerbier Hell pours a clear, straw yellow hue with a billowy, bright white, 1+ head with great retention and lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is malty, bready, grassy, and slightly fruity.  There are aromas of bready dough, malted barley, lemon zest, light herbs, a hint of apple, fresh hay, and sweet biscuit.
• Taste: The taste of the Lagerbier Hell is a balanced blend of malty sweetness, crackery grains, and grassy hops.  There are notes of hearty malted barley, sourdough, lemon zest, hay, and light German hops and low bitterness. 
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth, crisp, and very drinkable with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The bready, malty, slightly sweet flavors and aromas of the Schnitzlbaumer Lagerbier Hell is a great brew to enjoy whilst rocking out to the metal grooves, melodies, and harmonies of the mighty Paradox and their very, very wonderful "Heresy" album!  'Nuff said!

Prost!!  Rock on!!