May 20th, 2017 - Entering The Theater Of Dimensions In My Birthday Suit

Good afternoon!  In anticipation of tonight's Xandria show with Kobra And The Lotus, and Once Human at the Metro Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, I'm pairing Xandria's latest album, "Theater Of Dimensions" with a 24 Birthday Suit Sour Cherry Blonde Ale from Uinta Brewing Company!


Album Info:

• Artist: Xandria
• Title: "Theater Of Dimensions"
• Recorded: 2016 at Sandlane Recording Facilities in the Netherlands and Kevin Codfert Studio in Paris, France
  Release date: January 27th, 2017 (7th studio album by Xandria)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Joost van den Broek
• Album cover art: Stefan Heilemann 
• Personnel: Marco Heubaum (guitar and keyboards), Gerit Lamm (drums), Philip Restemeier (guitar), Dianne van Giersbergen (lead vocals), and Steven Wussow (bass)
• Additional musicians: Henning Basse (vocals on "A Theater Of Dimensions"), David Faber (cello), Ben Mathot (violin), PAdam Chamber Choir (choir vocals), Valerio Recenti (backing vocals), Johannes Schiefner (Uillean pipes), Björn Strid (vocals on "We Are Murderers (We All)"), Ross Thompson (vocals on "Ship Of Doom"), Joost van den Broek (keyboards and narration on "A Theater Of Dimensions"), and Zaher Zorgati (vocals on "Burn Me")
• Musical style: Symphonic metal, progressive metal, power metal, folk metal
• Sound: Bombastic, cinematic, melodic... a few words to describe the massive and brilliant sound of Xandria's "Theater Of Dimensions"!  Along with power song writing and delivery, the beautiful vocal performance of Dianne van Giersbergen and Heubaum's monster guitar tones will blow you away!
• Major themes: Fantasy, life and death, love, power, deception, murder, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "When The Heart Is Home"
2. "Death To The Holy"
3. "Forsaken Love"
4. "Call Of Destiny"
5. "We Are Murderers (We All)"
6. "Dark Night Of The Soul"
7. "When The Walls Came Down (Heartache Was Born)"
8. "Ship Of Doom"
9. "Ceilí"
10. "Song For Sorrow And Woe"
11. "Burn Me"
12. "Queen Of Hearts Reborn"
13. "A Theater Of Dimensions"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: 24 Birthday Suit Sour Cherry Blonde
• Style: American Wild Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.2%
• Pour: It pours a very cloudy golden-orange with lots of effervescence and a thin white head that dissipates quickly, leaving on trace, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very fruity, tart, yeasty, and malty.  There are aromas of cherry juice, lemon juice and zest, lime juice and zest, pear, green apple, light barnyard funk, leather, orange peel, soft banana, Belgian yeast, light red wine vinegar, white grape, and mellow herbs and grains. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the 24 Birthday Suit Sour Cherry Blonde is fruity, tangy, yeasty, and a little funky.  There are notes of cherry juice, lemon and lime juice, white grape, pear, apple, wheat, Belgian yeast, light spices (white pepper and nutmeg), and herbs, and hints of caramel and honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, tart, tangy, and frothy with a dry and clean finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, yet very fruity and tart character of Uinta's 24 Birthday Suit Sour Cherry Blonde is perfect for the bombast and overall symphonic depth of Xandria's "Theater Of Dimensions"!   The sharper notes are great for the more aggressive guitars (especially on tracks like "When The Walls Came Down (Heartache Was Born)") while the huge fruit aromas and flavors really compliment Dianne van Giersbergen's amazing vocal range and the overall performance of the band!

Prost!!  Hails!!