July 31st, 2015 - The Total Domination Of A War Eternal!

 Good afternoon my friends!!  The Meista here celebrating Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz's birthday with pairing of Arch Enemy's "War Eternal" and a Total Domination India Pale Ale from Ninkasi Brewing Company!
 
Album Info:

• Artist: Arch Enemy
• Title: "War Eternal"
• Recorded: Late 2013 through early 2014 at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden
• Release date: June 10th, 2014 (9th studio album by Arch Enemy)
• Record company: Century Media
• Production: Arch Enemy
• Album cover art: Costin Chioreanu
• Personnel: Michael Amott (lead and rhythm guitar, and keyboards), Nick Cordle (lead and rhythm guitar), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass guitar), Daniel Erlandsson (drums), and Alissa White-Gluz (lead vocals)
• Additional musicians: Henrik Janson (orchestration and string arrangements), Ulf Janson (additional keyboards, orchestration, and string arrangements), Stockholm Session Strings (strings), and Per Wiberg (mellotron)
• Musical style: Melodic/progressive death metal, progressive metal, and hints of power metal
• Sound: Like the song "Avalanche", the sound on "War Eternal" is a wall of crashing sound!  White-Gluz's ultra-aggressive vocals coupled with the battery ram of sonic ferocity of the band demands your attention from the haunting opening mellotron note of "Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude In F Minor)" to the final heart monitor effects of "Not Long For This World".
• Major themes: Deception, hate, war, aggression, honesty, regret, death, etc.
• Notes: "War Eternal" is the first Arch Enemy album without long-time vocalist Angela Gossow, who stepped down from vocal duties to be the band's business manager.  Nick Cordle left the band soon after the release of "War Eternal" and just before their European tour.  He was replaced by killer guitarist Jeff Loomis of Nevermore fame.
• Tracks: 

1. "Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude In F Minor)"
2. "Never Forgive, Never Forget"
3. "War Eternal"
4. "As The Pages Burn"
5. "No More Regrets"
6. "You Will Know My Name"
7. "Graveyard Of Dreams"
8. "Stolen Life"
9. "Time Is Black"
10. "On And On"
11. "Avalanche"
12. "Down To Nothing"
13. "Not Long For This World"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company (Eugene, Oregon)
• Website: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/
• Brew: Total Domination India Pale Ale
• Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.7%
• IBUs: 65
• Ingredients: 2-Row Pale, Carahell, and Munich malts, and Amarillo and Summit hops
• Pour: The color of an Arnold Palmer iced tea, the Total Domination IPA displays a 1.5-finger frothy white head with good retention and layered doily lacing.
• Nose: A big citrusy and floral hop aroma with a nice balance of sweeter malt, there are notes of juicy pink grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, bitter black tea, earthy pine resin, and sweet caramel/toffee. 
• Taste: With loads of grassy, herbal, and citrusy/tropical fruit flavor, the Total Domination IPA is characterized by notes of pine, bitter black tea, tangerine, grapefruit, orange juice, lemon, mango, melon, pineapple, and a well-balanced and sweet malt backbone. 
• Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium-bodied, and refreshing, the Total Domination IPA's mouthfeel is clean, slightly oily, but with a bitter and dry finish.

Overall pairing: So as you may remember, I've actually paired Ninkasi's Total Domination India Pale Ale a couple times already, but that punchy, citrusy, and bitter flavor just works so perfectly well with the aggression and intensity of "War Eternal"!  The soaring guitar work of Amott and Cordle shines even brighter with the citrus notes of the Total Domination, while that black tea bitterness and hoppy bite is right in line with the brutal vocals of Ms. White-Gluz!

Skål and hails!!  Helan går!!