October 28th, 2015 - Return Of The Vampire Pale Ale

Good evening... I bid you velcome (in my best Bela Lugosi voice)! Count Meista here with another pairing for you... with Halloween only a few days away, this evening finds me rockin' out to Mercyful Fate's "Return Of The Vampire" (a compilation album of rare demo tracks) and enjoying a Vampire Pale Ale ("Premium Old World Pale Ale") from Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V. from Belgium!

Album Info:

• Artist: Mercyful Fate
• Title: "Return Of The Vampire"
• Recorded: Between 1981 and 1982 in Denmark and England
  Release date: May 12th, 1992
• Record company: Roadrunner Records
• Production: Mercyful Fate
• Album cover art: Torbjorn Jorgensen / Studio Dzyan
• Personnel: King Diamond (vocals), Hank Shermann (guitar and bass on track 9), Benny Petersen (guitar on tracks 1-6), Michael Denner (guitar on tracks 7 and 8), Timi Hansen (bass on all except track 9), Kim Ruzz (drums on tracks 1-6), Carsten Volsing (guitar on track 9), "Old" Nick Smith (drums on 7 and 8), and Jan Musen (drums on track 9)
• Musical style: Heavy metal
• Sound: Classic Mercyful Fate with a rawer edge!  This is the real deal... Shermann's guitar work alone will melt your face!  But coupled with the King's insane vocals and the classic line-up of Hansen and Denner... that's all you need for Halloween night!!
• Major themes: Good and evil (well, mostly evil), the occult, Satanism, darkness, hauntings, curses, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Burning the Cross"
2. "Curse of the Pharaohs"
3. "Return of the Vampire"
4. "On a Night of Full Moon"
5. "A Corpse without Soul"
6. "Death Kiss"
7. "Leave My Soul Alone"
8. "M.D.A." (Mission: Destroy Aliens)
9. "You Asked for It"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V. (Ertvelde, Belgium)
• Website: http://www.vansteenberge.com/
• Brew: Vampire Pale Ale
• Style: Belgian Pale Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.0% 
• Pour: It pours a wonderful, pale apricot-amber with a thick, chiseled, 2-finger head with very pronouced and sustained lacing that lasts until the very last drop. 
• Nose: The nose is hoppy with lots of Belgian yeast, fruity esters, and caramel malt. There are aromas of pear, soft banana,
• Taste: The flavor, like the nose is hoppy and fruity. There are very strong banana notes along with sharp and crisp hops.
• Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is very smooth and silky especially interesting for a Belgian, which are very crisp from the high carbonation. The finish is clean and smooth with a nice, sublte and slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall pairing: The Vampire Pale Ale is a wonderfully drinkable and flavorful beer that has a nice pop to it....  So put on your cape, slick back your hair, pop open a 750 ml bottle of Vampire Pale Ale, and spin some "Return Of The Vampire" for an evening of evil metal and brew!

Op uw gezondheid... Bunden i vejret eller resten i håret... hails!!