April 10th, 2026 - There is a Kernel of Truth Behind Your Mask of Lies

 

Good evening and happy Friday!  The Meista here tonight pairing the wonderful "Mask Of Lies", the debut album by Pennsylvania progressive power metal band MindMaze and a tasty and easy-drinking Kernel Mexican Style Lager from the fine folks at Odell Brewing Company! 


Album Info:

• Artist: MindMaze
• Title: "Mask Of Lies" (Reissue, Expanded Edition)
• Recorded: February through September 2012 at Brain J. Anthony Studios in North Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
• Release date: February 17th, 2013 (1st full-length studio album by MindMaze); reissued on August 31st, 2018
• Record company: Inner Wound Recordings
• Production: Jeff Teets and MindMaze
• Album cover art: Carl-André Beckston (artwork), Bruce P. Seaton (logo design), Sarah Teets (booklet design)
• Personnel: Rich Pasqualone (bass and backing vocals), Kalin Schweizerhof (drums and backing vocals), Jeff Teets (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals), and Sarah Teets (lead and backing vocals, and flute)
• Additional and guest musicians: Mark Bennett (drums on "Destiny Calls" (live bonus track) and "This Holy War" (live bonus track)), John Gaffney (bass), Lord Tim aka Tim Ian Grose (lead guitar on "Destiny Calls"), and Mike LePond (bass on "Remember" (acoustic bonus track))
• Musical style: Power metal, progressive metal
• Sound: With influence from bands like Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, and Symphony X, MindMaze creates an ambitious and wonderfully executed album that perfectly blends power metal and progressive metal for their third go-round!  Bennett and Pasqualone drive a powerful and thunderous rhythm throughout that works wonderfully well with Jeff's amazingly slick, soaring, and fiery guitar acrobatics and his atmospheric keys, while Sarah's always stunningly beautiful and wide vocal range demands your attention! 
• Major themes: Emotions, introspection, personal struggles, war, isolation, sorrow, overcoming adversity, growth, life, relationships, seeking truth, resolution, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Never Look Back"
2. "Breaking The Chains"
3. "This Holy War"
4. "Cosmic Overture"
5. "Fading Skies"
6. "Mask Of Lies"
7. "Dark City (Dreaming This Life)"
8. "Remember"
9. "Destiny Calls"
10. "Slave To The Cycle" (bonus track)
11. "Remember" (acoustic bonus track)
12. "Destiny Calls" (live bonus track)
13. "This Holy War" (live bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Odell Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colorado)
• Website: https://www.odellbrewing.com/
• Brew: Kernel Mexican Style Lager
• Style: Mexican Style Lager
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 4.7%
• IBUs: 17
• Ingredients: Premium Pilsner malt and Colorado malted corn, house lager strain yeast, and fresh Rocky Mountain water from the Cache la Poudre River
• Pour: The Kernel pours a clear, golden-yellow hue with a bubbly, bright white, half-finger head that dissipates to the thin ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, malty, floral, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of corn chips, freshly picked corn husks, cracked wheat, a hint of lemon zest, June grass, and light honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Kernel follows the nose with grainy, malty, and slightly sweet flavors.  There are notes of crackery biscuit, light corn, hints of lemon zest, and a splash of honey. 
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Kernel is very crisp, yet smooth with a clean, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Odell Kernel Mexican Style Lager is a very crushable, very drinkable brew, making it the perfect foil for the wonderfully enchanting and imaginative melodies of MindMaze on their excellent debut album "Mask Of Lies"!  The more I listen to this band, the more I love them!  Definitely check out "Mask Of Lies" and their other albums and grab a tasty Odell Kernel Mexican style Lager while you are at it!

And check out my interview with Jeff and Sarah Teets from way back in the locked-down days of 2020 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg2q3xdV6iA&t=4s

Salud!!  Hails!!