May 24th, 2015 - An Unholy Terror In The Outer Darkness

Greetings!  The Meista here tonight gettin' a little evil with a pairing of W.A.S.P.'s "Unholy Terror" and an Outer Darkness Russian Imperial Stout from Utah Brewers Cooperative (Squatters Brewery)!  Oh hell yeah!! 

Okay... so I'm cheating a bit.  I'm pairing a brew I've already paired three time before and I'm basically just going to reprint what I wrote about this beer back then.  But hey, it is the smaller, 5 ounce version of the brew so it is sort of new... and this is my page and I can do whatever the hell I want!  :)

Album Info:

• Artist: W.A.S.P.
• Title: "Unholy Terror"
• Recorded: December 1999 through January 2001
• Release date: April 3rd, 2001 (9th studio album by W.A.S.P.)
• Record company: Metal-Is Records
• Production: Blackie Lawless
• Album cover art: Kosh
• Personnel: Frankie Banali (drums on tracks 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10), Mike Duda (bass and backing vocals), Chris Holms (lead guitar), Stet Howland (drums and backing vocals), Blackie Lawless (lead vocals, guitars, and keyboards), Valentinia (backing vocals on "Who Slayed Baby Jane?"), and Roy Z (lead guitar on tracks 6 and 10)
• Musical style: Heavy metal/hard rock with elements of rock and roll and doom metal
• Sound: Bold, aggressive, honest, in-your-face metal!  Not only is the lyrical content darker than the earlier "glam-metal" era W.A.S.P., the sound of the album as a whole is darker.
• Major themes: As Blackie states in the liner notes, "Unholy Terror" is a "diverse mix of serious ideas, dark humor, and rebellion".  It is a socio-political-religion criticism including: the "manipulation of the masses in the name of God", greed, the unloved, corruption, evil, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Let it Roar"
2. "Hate To Love Me"
3. "Loco-Motive Man (And The Killer Babies)"
4. "Unholy Terror"
5. "Charisma"
6. "Who Slayed Baby Jane?"
7. "Euphoria"
8. "Raven Heart"
9. "Evermore"
10. "Wasted White Boys"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative (Squatters Brewery) (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.utahbeers.com/
• Brew: Outer Darkness Russian Imperial Stout
• Style: Russian Imperial Stout
• Serving: 5 ounce "Little Slammer" bottle
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 65
• Pour: It pours black (a hellishly unholy black) with a thick, frothy, 2-finger mocha head with very strong, sustained lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy and intense with a strong coffee aroma.  There are notes of dark chocolate and dark fruits like dates, prunes, and figs.
• Taste: The initial flavor of this bold brew is equally rich, intense, and strong... like Columbian coffee with big notes of dark chocolate, raisin, licorice root, aged bourbon or cognac, and toasted malty goodness... and a touch of smokiness.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick and sticky, but with a lovely, creamy, velvetiness.

Overall pairing: So... I usually like to pair big Russian Imperial Stouts with slower, sludgier doom metal, but cannot think of anything more richly deserving of the might of W.A.S.P. than a Squatters Outer Darkness Russian Imperial Stout!!  This stout is "unholy" metal HUGE!  After only a few swigs you know you've got a profoundly big brew in your hands.  This is a bold, complex stout in the Russian tradition that demands attention and respect... and METAL!  It is absolutely perfect for the metal brilliance that is W.A.S.P.'s "Unholy Terror"!!

Cheers and hails!!  Keep it metal... and keep it craft!!