There are some nights when you get home from a hectic day at work and you don't really want to sit down and relax, instead you desire brutal and aggressive extreme metal, head banging, and a big, high-point craft beer. Well my friends, I've got the beer and the metal for you... Ninkasi Total Domination India Pale Ale and Salt Lake City's very own extreme metal band, Darkblood and their 2009 album "Shelf Life Of The Damned"!
Hailing from Eugene, Oregon, Ninkasi Brewing Company is named after the Sumerian Goddess Ninkasi, who oversaw fermentation. The Total Domination IPA pours a deep amber, almost copper in color with rosy hues. The head is 1-1.5 finger, frothy, and sustained with good lacing. The nose is somewhat sweet, intertwining grapefruit notes and floral notes. With 65 IBUs and 6.7% alcohol content by volume, the Total Domination IPA is a big, flavorful India Pale with a very "dominant" and almost overwhelming bitterness that lingers throughout. There are notes of citrus, pine, baked bread, and olive. The finish is clean, very dry, and very bitter.
And speaking of "Total Domination" and bitterness... Darkblood describes themselves as "chaos metal" - they combine straight ahead thrash metal, death metal, and then some really interesting progressive/experimental metal. Elements of their music reminds me of Meshuggah and Spiral Architect, while other elements remind me of Slayer and Cannibal Corpse. Their album, "Shelf Life Of The Damned" is full of interesting signature and tempo changes ("Liquid Spiders"), intricate songs ("Dragon Tears"), and pure, aggressive energy ("Inclination Bent Tendency"). A metal power trio, Isaac "Stu" Norby (bass and vocals), Jeff Power (drums), and Sam Gunn (guitars) create masterful songs of intensity ("Land of Hell") and domination ("Call Me Evil"), perfect for the Total Domination IPA! Both require your full attention... you cannot just leisurely sip the Total Domination IPA and you cannot leisurely just listen to Darkblood... this is definitely not background music! This is pure adrenaline tempered by artistic integrity- brutal, honest, and in your face!
I want to thank Darkblood for the copy of their great CD! Please check them out online at http://www.myspace.com/godfeddemon or on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/darkbloodslc. I also want to thank my buddy Kevin Kirk at the Heavy Metal Shop for giving me the great beer! Check out Ninkasi Brewing Company online at www.ninkasibrewing.com.
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