August 15th, 2026 - Conventional Wisdom Would Confirm the Passage of Existence

 

Hello, hails, and happy Saturday evil-doers, metal maniacs, and hopheads!  The Meista here today pairing a hoppy and delicious Conventional Wisdom Pale Ale from my friends at Fisher Brewing Company and "The Passage Of Existence", the kick-ass 5th album from the indelible Florida death metal band Monstrosity!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Monstrosity
• Title: "The Passage Of Existence"
• Recorded: 2018 at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, Ascension Sound in Tampa, Florida, and Obituary's Redneck Studios in Gibsonton, Florida  
• Release date: September 7th, 2018 (5th studio album by Monstrosity)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Lee Harrison
• Album cover art: Timbul Cahyono
• Personnel: Matt Barnes (guitars), Mark English (guitars), Lee Harrison (drums and additional keyboards), Mike Hrubovcak (vocals), and Michael Poggione (bass) 
• Guest musician: Chris Ellison (keyboards and effects)
• Musical style: Death metal
• Sound: 
• Major themes: Death, suffering, oblivion, evil, darkness, horror, violence, science fiction, mythology, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Cosmic Pandemia"
2. "Kingdom Of Fire"
3. "Radiated"
4. "Solar Vacuum"
5. "The Proselygeist"
6. "Maelstrom"
7. "Eyes Upon The Abyss"
8. "Dark Matter Invocation"
9. "The Hive"
10. "Eternal Void"
11. "Century"
12. "Slaves To The Evermore"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
• Brew: Conventional Wisdom Pale Ale
• Style: West-Coast Pale Ale 
• Serving: 32 ounce crowler can
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 45
• Ingredients: Nectaron and Lupulin Amarillo hops
• Pour: The Conventional Wisdom Pale Ale pours a cloudy, light bronze-amber hue with a billowy and frothy, off-white, 1+ finger head with great sustain and lots of sudsy, sticky, and layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, piney, and slightly fruity aromas along with floral, earthy, dank, and herbal hops, and more subtle sweeter malts.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine zest, orange zest, wet pine needles, fresh berries, orange herbal tea, wildflowers, doughy bread, toasted malts, and a hint of soft, sweet caramel/toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Conventional Wisdom Pale Ale is very citrusy, fruity, earthy, and herbal along with crackery maltiness.  There are notes of grapefruit juice, orange pith, tangerine, pine resin, hints of strawberry, 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, hoppy, yet very crushable flavors and aromas of the delightful Conventional Wisdom from Fisher Brewing is a great ale to pair with the intense, crushing power and depth of Monstrosity's "" album!  Those citrusy and herbal hop flavors go well with the aggressive rage while the malty backbone is perfect for the overall heaviness of Harrison and van Erp's powerful rhythms! 

Make sure to check out my interview from a few years ago with Lee Harrison: https://youtu.be/9YBn3gNFyBU !

Hails!!  Cheers!!