June 12th, 2015 - Dreams Of Horror, Sin, and Peanut Butter And Chocolate?

One more for you tonight and I think it is time for the King my metal brethren... King Diamond that is!  I'm gettin' evil and gettin' heavy with King Diamond's latest compilation album "Dreams Of Horror" and a Sin-Tax Imperial Stout from Mother Earth Brewing Company!  Oh hell yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: King Diamond
• Title: "Dreams Of Horror"
• Recorded: Over the past 30+ years!
• Release date: November 11th, 2014
• Record company: Metal Blade / Roadrunner
• Production: King Diamon 
• Album cover art: Yannick Bouchard
• Personnel (at the time of the release): Kim Bendix Petersen aka King Diamond (vocals and keyboards), Andy LaRocque (guitars and keyboards), Matt Thompson (drums), Mike Wead (guitars)
• Former members who played on the songs over the past 30 years: Darrin Anthony (drums), Pete Blakk (guitars), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass), Mikkey Dee (drums), Michael Denner (guitars), Glen Drover (guitars), Chris Estes (bass), Timi Hansen (bass), Paul David Harbour (bass), John Luke Hebert (drums), Floyd Konstantin (guitars), Mike Moon (guitars), Hal Patino (bass), Snowy Shaw (drums), and Herb Simonsen (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal / shock rock with elements of power metal and progressive metal
• Sound: Wow... how does one describe the sound of King Diamond and do it justices... especially the entire career!?  All I can say is it is HUGE!  The King's vocals alone are HUGE as is LaRocque's brilliant guitar work!  Basically blend Uriah Heep, Alice Cooper, the entire NWOBHM movement, Black Sabbath, Dio, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin and you get some of what King Diamond is all about! 
• Major themes: Too many to name, but there's a lot of exploring the supernatural, elements of horror, evil, devilry, death, and insanity.
• Notes: This album is "the ONLY “best of” album covering the band’s entire career. King Diamond and Andy LaRocque meticulously mastered and enhanced these 23 songs into the ultimate editions, chosen by the band from both the Roadrunner and Metal Blade catalogs."
• Tracks: 

Disc 1

1. "The Candle"
2. "Dressed In White"
3. "The Family Ghost"
4. "Black Horsemen"
5. "Welcome Home"
6. "The Invisible Guest"
7. "At The Graves"
8. "Sleepless Nights"
9. "Let It Be Done"
10. "Eye Of The Witch"
11. "Insanity"

Disc 2

1. "Dreams"
2. "The Spider's Lullabye"
3. "Waiting"
4. "Heads On The Wall"
5. "Voodoo"
6. "Black Devil"
7. "Help!!!"
8. "Spirits"
9. "The Puppet Master"
10. "Blue Eyes"
11. "Never Ending Hill"
12. "Shapes Of Black"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mother Earth Brewing Company (Vista, California)
• Website: http://www.motherearthbrewco.com/on-tap/dont-make-it-weird
• Brew: Sin-Tax Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout / Double Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.1%
• Pour: It pours an opaque black with Coca-Cola amber on the edges of the glass.  The tan head is thick and creamy and leaves a nice ring lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, nutty, and chocolaty.  BIG aromas of peanut butter, dark chocolate, and roasted dark malts abound along with more subtle aromas of vanilla bean and coffee. 
• Taste: Delectable and decadently robust, the flavor is a complex and wonderful blend of chocolate and peanut butter.  There are huge notes of roasted malts, cocoa, peanut, vanilla, and coffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with lower carbonation, the mouthfeel is silky smooth, chunky, and thick.. and very dry with a hint of bourbon booziness in the finish.

Overall pairing: If you are rocking out to King Diamond (especially a 2-disc compilation album), then you gotta go big... and I mean BIG with your choice of brew!  Which of course leads us to the wonderfully rich, complex, and punchy Sin-Tax Imperial Stout from Mother Earth Brewing Company.  I can think of nothing better than sipping this beautifully dark ale whilst rockin' out to the beautifully dark music of King Diamond on a Friday night!!

Hails... Skål!!  Bunden i vejret eller resten i håret!!