April 6th, 2017 - Total Domination Of The Powerslave

Good evenin' my friends!  The Meista here pairing a couple favorites of mine... Iron Maiden's amazing 1984 album "Powerslave" and a Total Domination India Pale Ale from Ninkasi Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Iron Maiden
• Title: "Powerslave"
• Recorded: February through June 1984 at Compass Point Studio in Nassau, Bahamas
• Release date: September 3rd, 1984 (5th studio album by Iron Maiden)
• Record company: EMI / Capitol Records
• Production: Martin Birch
• Album cover art: Derek Riggs
• Personnel: Bruce Dickinson (lead vocals), Steve Harris (bass guitar), Nicko McBrain (drums), Dave Murray (guitars), and Adrian Smith (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, power metal
• Sound: Musically, the album is fast-paced, aggressive, bombastic, and richly textured.  The dual guitar work of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray is soaring, majestic, and awe-inspiring!  Steve Harris' bass work is thunderous stampede of a cavalry!  Nicko McBrain's drumming is ground zero of a splitting atom!  And Bruce Dickinson's powerful vocal range defined and inspired metal millions!
• Major themes:  Lyrically, the albums themes are centered around war, turmoil, aggression, and human suffering.  The album opens with "Aces High", a fiery song about WWII pilots.  The second track and a fan favorite, "2 Minutes To Midnight" references the Doomsday Clock and specifically September of 1953 when the clock reached 23:58.  All of the tracks on this album are classic metal monsters... from "Flash Of The Blade" to "Duellists" to "Back In The Village".  But my two favorites of the album (and maybe of the band) are the final two tracks: "Powerslave" (about ancient Egypt and reign of the pharaohs) and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic power of the same name)!  BRILLIANT!!
• Tracks:   

1. "Aces High"
2. "2 Minutes To Midnight"
3. "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)"
4. "Flash Of The Blade"
5. "Duellists"
6. "Back In The Village"
7. "Powerslave"
8. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

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 few times already, but that punchy, citrusy, and bitter flavor just works so perfectly well with the aggression, power, and intensity of "Powerslave"!  The soaring vocals guitar work 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 lyrics and thunderous rhythm section!!

Cheers and hails!!  UP THE IRONS!!!