August 7th, 2026 - Shades of Initium Mortis

 

Hello and hails metal maniacs and craft beer freaks!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here with another kick-ass pairing for ya today to get the weekend off to a killer start: "Initium Mortis", the killer debut album by death metal band Left To Die and a bold and delicious Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier from Heavy Reel Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Left To Die
• Title: "Initium Mortis"
• Recorded: 2026 
• Release date: July 17th, 2026 (1st full-length studio album by Left To Die)
• Record company: Relapse Records
• Production: Left To Die
• Album cover art: Dan Goldsworthy
• Personnel: Terry Butler (bass), Matt Harvey (guitars and vocals), Gus Rios (drums), and Rick Rozz (guitars)
• Musical style: Death metal 
• Sound: Channeling the brilliance and intensity of Chuck Schuldiner, Left To Die's sound is richly entwined in the early sound of Death / Mantas, but with the high-quality production of today's standards.  It is great to hear those early demos reborn... especially with Death veterans Butler and Rozz at the helm along with the mighty Harvey and Rios of Gruesome!  The musicianship, intensity, and execution on this album are all truly astounding!  Of the album, Harvey stated: "For Initium Mortis we wanted Death fans who had never heard these demo songs to hear them with good production.  Most of these early demos were poor quality, often recorded on a boom box, so by the time someone got a demo through tape trading it was almost inaudible!  We think these tracks are a good representation of the birth of Mantas/Death. This is ground zero - where it all started: three 15-year-old kids creating Death Metal history, and even within these choice cuts from the demo days you can hear the evolution of the music."
• Major themes: Death, destruction, evil, darkness, horror, doom, insanity, fear, terror, violence, rage, etc.  
• Tracks: 

1. "Legion Of Doom"
2. "Archangel"
3. "Power Of Darkness"
4. "Zombie"
5. "Witch Of Hell"
6. "Rise Of Satan"
7. "Summoned To Die"
8. "Mantas"
9. "Slaughterhouse"
10. "Death By Metal"

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 dark, complex, and flavorful characteristics of the Heavy Reel Shades of Death German Style Schwarzbier makes a great companion to the intense and classic death metal attack of Left To Die's stellar "Initium Mortis"!  The dark, roasty, and malty notes are even more pronounced when you've got Left To Die blasting from your speakers!  I highly recommend both the album and brew!  'Nuff said!

Make sure to check out my interviews with Matt Harvey and Rick Rozz from several years ago here: 

• Matt Harvey: https://youtu.be/4gKQraXaaMw
• Rick Rozz: https://youtu.be/HeRBK20cf64

Cheers and hails!!