My friends, it’s finally here. After 13 long years, progressive death metal collective Dååth are back. The Deceivers is officially out through Metal Blade, continuing the title theme of 2007’s The Hinderers and 2009’s The Concealers, as well as their brutal critique of the constructs around us. I adored the Atlanta-based outfit’s technicality and ferocity within all of that back then, and have been ready for the next chapter since it was first teased with the release of “No Rest No End” early last year. The only question at hand today was what, exactly, do I pair this album with? Beer felt right, but that doesn’t really narrow it down. Something on the aggressive side, for sure, but not overly dense like an imperial stout. Black IPA would have been ideal, but there was no luck in tracking down anything new on that front. So I landed on a double IPA. Those tend to have a lot going on while certainly packing a punch, and the local breweries around here can’t seem to stop making them. As a result, tonight we have Dååth’s The Deceivers and Kettlehead’s Soulfight Double IPA.

—

The Tunes: Daath — The Deceivers

If someone were to ask me what I would want and hope for in a 2024 Dååth record, well, I think I’m currently listening to exactly that. From the early stages of the aforementioned “No Rest No End” opening track, all the mind-melting precision and brutality that defined their style over a decade ago came flooding back. But The Deceivers does so much more than pick up where those previous albums left off. A refreshed lineup has helped thrust a new form of the Dååth sound forward, while still holding true to those distinctive qualities and themes mentioned earlier. Most notably, this album is bigger and impressively more melodic. For instance, on “Hex Undending”, a dark symphonic layer rounds out the blistering leads and overall punishing pace wonderfully. Meanwhile, “With Ill Desire” pulls off the anthemic chorus better than any previous Dååth track by a mile because of this same evolution. For all I rave about their technical prowess (seriously… dear lord these solos are something), it can’t be understated how dense this record is. The Deceivers weighs heavier and leaves a greater impact than its predecessors, somehow both despite and because of the added focus on melody, and this only becomes more apparent as the album carries into its latter half. Carrying on, “The Silent Foray” and “Unwelcome Return” might prioritize beating you into the dirt at certain point, but they still find time to explore more delicate electronic-driven passages at others, some of which take me all the way back to pre-2010. But “Deserving of the Grave” is my crown jewel of the album. It’s plenty dynamic and brings just the right level of energy and chaos for a penultimate track, perfectly leading us to the closing “Into Forgotten Dirt”. In all, The Deceivers is a thing of beauty and I can’t get enough of it. That time away was clearly time well spent if this was the result of it all. This is the Dååth sound brought into 2024 exactly the way I would have wanted it to be.

—

The Booze: Kettlehead Brewing Company’s Soulfight Double IPA

Oh shit, I’m supposed to talk about the beer I’m drinking, too. Right. So Kettlehead is a regional brewery just a few exits down the highway from the White Mountains, and they specialize in big ‘ol IPAs. That’s a good and bad thing. I mean, they have like a million varieties of double IPAs to pick from, and they’re all delicious from what I can tell from the handful I’ve tried. But it’s a really hard place to visit when about 90% of their options on draft are above 7%. Well, at least it feels that way. So I’m really glad they manage to distribute up here. Way safer to consume these on the couch. To that point, one of their double IPAs I stumbled on last weekend was the Soulfight, which is brewed with Mosaic, Citrus, Riwaka, and Rakau, and clocks in at 8.5%. And… yeah. It’s phenomenal. Pillow soft, you would never know how much of a punch it actually packs, and it’s obviously super hazy. They don’t call ’em New England IPAs for nuthin’! The hops are unsurprising subtle as a result, and there are more notes of melon than citrus which makes this is a really easy beverage to put back. Absurdly smooth. Zero hop burn. Dangerously tasty. So, yes, I think I will have another before I wrap this evening up.

—

Well then. This turned into a nice little evening. It’s pretty obvious, but I’m definitely two-for-two tonight. I still can’t get over just how impressed and satisfied I am by the return of Dååth. I know I was looking forward to The Deceivers, but it was hard to tell how much of that was simply driven by nostalgia. I guess it doesn’t matter at this point!

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb