May 23rd , 2026 - Shades of the Death Knell

Hello, happy Saturday, and hails metal maniacs and craft beer freaks!  The Meista here with another kick-ass pairing for ya today: "Death Knell", the killer debut album by Tennessee death metal band Demon King and a bold and delicious Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier from Heavy Reel Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Demon King
• Title: "Death Knell"
• Recorded: 2025 in Tennessee
• Release date: November 14th, 2025 (1st full-length studio album by Demon King)
• Record company: The Artisan Era
• Production: Demon King 
• Album cover art: Justin Abraham (artwork) and Malcolm Pugh (layout)
• Personnel: Jack Blackburn (drums), Matt Brown (guitars and vocals), Cole Daniels (bass), and Colt Halvorson (guitars) 
• Musical style: Death metal with elements of blackened death metal and technical death metal
• Sound: Characterized by wonderfully aggressive and violent riffs, soaring and intricate guitar solos, machine gun fire blast beat drumming, heavy and complex bass lines, and the searing vocal attack of Matt Brown, the tracks on "Death Knell" are diametrically brutal and melodic!  The writing, musicianship, and execution on this album is really quite astounding!
• Major themes: Death, destruction, evil, darkness, the occult, insanity, fear, terror, violence, rage, etc.  
• Tracks: 

1. "Requiem For A Dead World"
2. "Incineration Mantra"
3. "The Poisoned Veins Of The Willing"
4. "By The Portents Of Evil"
5. "Pharmagickal Dominion"
6. "Saturnal Abyss, Carbonic Prison"
7. "Death Knell"
8. "To Trample And Destroy The Nations"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Heavy Reel Brewing Company (Seaside Heights, New Jersey)
• Website: https://www.heavyreelbrewing.com/
• Brew: Shades of Death
• Style: German Style Schwarzbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Shades of Death pours an opaque, very dark brown (almost black) hue with a light mocha, 2+ finger head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Shades of Death is toasty, roasty, slightly fruity (dark fruits), and malty.  There are aromas of dark toasted bread, roasted malts, roasted coffee beans, hints of dark chocolate, light plum, and hints of burnt toffee.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste is roasty, toasty, grainy, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of bready malts, cacao, dark roasted coffee, hints of dark fruits (plum and raisin), and very light sweet caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Shades of Death is crisp and very smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The very crushable, yet wonderfully complex and flavorful characteristics of the Heavy Reel Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier makes a great companion to the intense and brutal technical death metal attack of Demon King's first full-length offering!  The dark, roasty, and malty notes are even more pronounced when you've got "Death Knell" blasting from your speakers!  I highly recommend both the album and brew!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!