February 26th, 2016 - An Imperial IPA For All The Kings Of Thrash!

Good afternoon head-bangers and hop-heads!  Your crazy drinkin' buddy the Meista here today getting wild with the brand new album from Anthrax, "For All Kings" and an Imperial IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Anthrax
• Title: "For All Kings"
• Recorded: 2014 through 2015
• Release date: TODAY!! February 26th, 2016 (11th studio album by Anthrax)
• Record company: Megaforce / Nuclear Blast
• Production: Jay Ruston
• Album cover art: Alex Ross
• Personnel: Joey Belladonna (lead vocals), Frank Bello (bass guitar and backing vocals), Charlie Benante (drums), Jon Donais (lead guitar), and Scott Ian (rhythm guitar and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, thrash metal
• Sound: Aggressive, fast-paced, and riff-heavy, this is arguably one of Anthrax's best!  Belladonna's vocals are powerful, richly textured, and in-your-face while the band is as tight and honestly metal as ever! 
• Major themes: Socio-political criticism of violence, hatred, greed, etc.  Of the album's third track, Ian said: "The meaning, to me, for this title is that everybody can be a king. Everybody can have control over their own lives, control over their destiny, just by growing up and becoming a responsible human being. I'm not necessarily saying that being a "king" is being the boss in your relationship, or any relationship for that matter. A king of yourself is what I mean. Taking responsibility and ownership for your own shit is basically what it means to me."  According to Benante, "Evil Twin" was inspired by events like the 2015 attack on the offices and staff of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and various other mass shootings. Ian, who wrote the lyrics, added that it was about by the actions of people "who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man", calling this mindset the "evil twin" of humanity.
• Tracks:   

1. "Impaled"
2. "You Gotta Believe"
3. "Monster At The End"
4. "For All Kings"
5. "Breathing Lightning"
6. "Breathing Out"
7. "Suzerain"
8. "Evil Twin"
9. "Blood Eagle Wings"
10. "Defend / Avenge"
11. "All Of Them Thieves"
12. "This Battle Chose Us!"
13. "Zero Tolerance"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: www.greenflashbrew.com
• Brew: Imperial IPA
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.0%
• IBUs: 101
• Ingredients: Nugget and Summit hops
• Pour: Very cloudy golden-copper hue with a frothy and creamy, off-white head 1-finger head that displays great sustain and layered, intricate, and bubbly lacing.
• Nose: Dank, earthy, fruity, juicy, and malty, the nose of Green Flash's Imperial IPA is characterized by aromas of evergreens (pine resin), herbs, lemongrass, grapefruit rind, pineapple, mango, orange juice, and hints of soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste is bittersweet, hoppy, earthy, citrusy, and herbal.  There are big notes of pine, tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, and melon ), citrus (pink grapefruit, tangerine, and ), and more subtle notes of bready malt and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is sticky, but smooth with a dry and bitter/peppery finish.

Overall pairing: The heavy-duty metal onslaught that is Anthrax's "For All Kings" deserves nothing less than a big, hop-forward Imperial IPA... and Green Flash's version delivers!!  Those punchy, bitter, and complex flavors of the brew compliment the brilliance and depth of the album perfectly!!

Keep it craft and keep it metal!!  HAILS!!

I special ordered "For All Kings" from my main man, Kevin Kirk at the Heavy Metal Shop (www.heavymetalshop.com) and you should too!!