June 24th, 2016 - Time Stands Still When You Wake Up Dead

Good evening head bangers and brew lovers!  The Meista here this evening getting heavy with a Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout from Left Hand Brewing Company and "Time Stands Still" by Unleash The Archers!

Album Info:

• Artist: Unleash The Archers
• Title: "Time Stands Still"
• Recorded: 2015 at Raincity Recorders and 998 Studios
  Release date: June 26th, 2015 (3rd full-length studio album by Unleash The Archers)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Matt Cameron
• Album cover art: JP Fournier
• Personnel: Scott Buchanan (drums), Andrew Kingsley (guitar and vocals), Kyle Sheppard (bass guitar), Brittney Slayes (lead vocals), and Grant Truesdell (guitar and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Doug Gorkoff (cello), Kytami (violin), and choral parts performed by Roger Cranford, Ryan Cho, Curtis Sharp, and Grendell Skalding
• Musical style: Power metal, speed metal, extreme metal
• Sound: With elements of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Doro, Unleashed The Archers wonderfully blends old-school NWOBHM, '80s power metal, thrash, and speed metal with modern metal.  Along with the wonderful crunchy and soaring guitars, Slayes vocal performs does exactly that... slays!!  Her range, control, and integrity is truly inspiring and a joy!
• Major themes: Swords and sorcery, aggression, war, vengeance, power, heavy metal, life and death, the battle between good and evil, etc.
• Notes: I picked up "Time Stands Still" on special order from my bad-ass friend Kevin Kirk at the Heavy Metal Shop (http://www.heavymetalshop.com/)!!  I suggest you do the same!  :) 
• Tracks:   

1. "Northern Passage"
2. "Frozen Steel"
3. "Hail Of The Tide"
4. "Tonight We Ride"
5. "Test Your Metal"
6. "Crypt"
7. "No More Heroes"
8. "Dreamcrusher"
9. "Going Down Fighting"
10. "Time Stands Still"
11. "Tonight We Ride" (Radio Edit)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, Colorado)
• Website: www.lefthandbrewing.com       
• Brew: Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout
• Style: Russian Imperial Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.2%
• IBUs: 45 
• Ingredients: Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Black Barley, and Flaked Oats malts with Magnum and US Goldings hops
• Pour: The Wake Up Dead pours an opaque ink black with flecks of crimson and a thin, but solid creamy light mocha head that holds its form well.
• Nose: The nose is boozy, earthy, rich, and roasty.  There are big notes of bourbon, bittersweet dark chocolate, sweet caramel, dark roasted coffee, light anise, vanilla bean, cream, some liquid smoke, and dark fruits.
• Taste: The taste, like the nose is bold, rich, very complex, earthy, and chocolaty.  There are notes of dark chocolate, French roast coffee, bourbon, burnt toffee, bitter black licorice, marshmallow, vanilla, cream, and smoke.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with little carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick, smooth, velvety and dry with a dry, slightly boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The big, bold, and complex flavor of the Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout from Left Hand Brewing Company is perfect for the brilliant rockin' power metal of Unleash The Archers' "Time Stands Still"!  The smooth chocolaty notes pair wonderfully well with Slayes amazing vocal abilities, while the bitter, boozy, punchiness of the brew is great for the profoundly metal guitar, bass, and drum work of Buchanan, Kingsley, Sheppard, and Truesdell!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!!

Raise those pints and raise those horns!!

Brittney Slayes by Jim Wilkinson