Greetings headbangers and craft beer freaks! Happy Saturday! Your drinking buddy the Meista here rocking the hell out to a pairing of "The Unspoken King", the polarizing 6th album by the mighty Cryptopsy and a bright and hoppy Fresh Hop IPA from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company! Hell yeah!
Album Info:
- Artist: Cryptopsy
- Title: "The Unspoken King"
- Recorded: December 2007 through February 2008 at Garage Studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Release date: May 26th, 2008 (6th studio album by Cryptopsy)
- Record company: Century Media Records
- Production: Christian Donaldson
- Album cover art: Jeik Dion (art) and Flo Mounier (logo)
- Personnel: Alex Auburn (guitars and vocals), Christian Donaldson (guitars), Maggie Durand (keyboards and samples), Éric Langlois (bass), Matt McGachy (lead vocals), and Flo Mounier (drums and backing vocals)
- Guest musicians: Gabriel McCaughry (vocals on "Anoint The Dead") and Youri Raymond (backing vocals on "Leach")
- Musical style: Brutal death metal, technical death metal, deathcore
- Sound: Still aggressive, heavy as hell, and wonderfully brutal, at the time of its release, "The Unspoken King" was rather controversial with fans as the band incorporated clean vocals, keyboards, and deathcore elements into their sound. To this day, I don't really understand the hatred doled out by some fans. While definitely not their best work, I think it is still a very solid album with interesting and compelling compositions. I like that they explored new sounds and approaches and in the context of what was happening in underground metal at the time, it makes sense that they attempted this path. As always, Flo's drumming is absolutely stellar, and Auburn's and Donaldson's guitar work is phenomenal! Also, I would argue that McGachy is one of the most talented and underrated vocalists in the death metal genre!
- Major themes: Death, violence, sickness, corruption, evil, darkness, the occult, blasphemy, anti-religion, misery, etc.
- Tracks:
- "Worship Your Demons"
- "The Headsmen"
- "Silence The Tyrants"
- "Bemoan The Martyr"
- "Leach"
- "The Plagued"
- "Resurgence Of An Empire"
- "Anoint The Dead"
- "Contemplate Regicide"
- "Bound Dead"
- "(Exit) The Few"
Brew Info:
- Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
- Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
- Brew: Fresh Hop IPA
- Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
- Serving: 16 ounce can
- ABV: 6.5%
- Ingredients: Idaho 7 hops
- Pour: The Fresh Hop IPA pours a clear, golden amber hue with a billowy and frothy, bright white, half-finger head with good sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
- Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, floral, earthy, and herbal hops, and more subtle sweeter malts. There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, herbal tea, wet pine needles, wildflowers, grassy hops, and more subtle aromas of doughy bread, toasted malts, and soft, sweet caramel/toffee.
- Taste: The taste of the Fresh Hop IPA follows the nose with citrusy, earthy, and herbal flavors along with crackery maltiness. There are notes of pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, light pine resin, black tea, crackery biscuit, and 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 bold, refreshing, and intricate flavors and aromas of Fisher's Fresh Hop IPA go great with the infernal aggression and intensity, fiery riffs, brutally growling vocals, and thunderous and insane rhythm section of "The Unspoken King"! This is one of my favorite beers Fisher releases each year in late summer / early fall. And I think it makes a nice companion to the immortal Cryptopsy! 'Nuff said!
Make sure to check out my interview with Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy here: https://youtu.be/OVxRheCol7s
Cheers and hails!!
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