October 18th, 2025 - The Sanders Rare Books of Suffering

 

Greetings headbangers and craft beer freaks!  Happy Saturday!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here rocking the hell out with a pairing of "The Book Of Suffering: Tome I & II", the kick-ass death metal beast by the mighty Cryptopsy and a tasty and crisp Ken Sanders Rare Books Utah American Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company in collaboration with Ken Sanders Rare Books!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cryptopsy
• Title: "The Book Of Suffering: Tome I & II"
• Recorded: 2015 and 2018 at The Grid Studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Release date: October 27th, 2018 (compilation album by Cryptopsy collecting the "Tome I" and "Tome II" EPs released in October 2015 and October 2018)
• Record company: Season of Mist / Hammerheart Records / Defen Society
• Production: Christian Donaldson 
• Album cover art: Remy Cooper (artwork) and Flo Mounier (logo) 
• Personnel: Christian Donaldson (guitars), Matt McGachy (vocals), Flo Mounier (drums), and Olivier Pinard (bass)
• Musical style: Brutal death metal, technical death metal
• Sound: Aggressive, fiery fast, heavy as hell, and wonderfully brutal, the sound on "The Book Of Suffering: Tome I & II" is classic Cryptopsy death metal, yet fresh, bold, and new.  From the opening notes of "Detritus (The One They Kept)" to the finale of "The Laws Of The Flesh", this beast of a collection grabs you by the collar, slams you against the wall, and demands your full, unfettered attention!
• Major themes: Death, sickness, evil, darkness, sin, torture, suffering, misery, mutilation, horror, gore, insanity, violence, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Detritus (The One They Kept)"
2. "The Knife, The Head And What Remains"
3. "Halothane Glow"
4. "Framed By Blood"
5. "The Wretched Living"
6. "Sire Of Sin"
7. "Fear His Displeasure"
8. "The Laws Of The Flesh"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah) in collaboration with Ken Sanders Rare Books (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
• Brew: Ken Sanders Rare Books Utah
• Style: American Pale Ale brewed with Juniper Berries
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Ken Sanders Rare Books Utah American Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries pours a clear, golden yellow hue with a bright white, half-finger head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by herbal, earthy, resiny, citrus, and malt notes.  There are aromas of wet pine needles, crushed juniper berries, grapefruit rind, orange zest, crackery biscuit, pale malts, and a hint of sweet toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Ken Sanders Rare Books Utah American Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries is fruity, citrusy, earthy, and herbal along with crackery maltiness.  There are notes of bright juniper berries, pine resin, pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, barley, crackery biscuit, and very soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly bitter, yet smooth with a dry, bitter finish

Overall pairing: The Ken Sanders Rare Books Utah American Ale Brewed with Juniper Berries is a very crushable brew with lots of bright, crackery, piney hop flavors, which makes it a great beer to throw back to the complex intensity of the fiery riffs, brutally growling vocals, and thunderous rhythm section on the mighty Cryptopsy's "The Book Of Suffering: Tome I & II"!  'Nuff said! 

Make sure to check out my interview with Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy here: https://youtu.be/OVxRheCol7s 

Cheers and hails!!