October 20th, 2017 - The Whole Holographic Pie Principle

Good afternoon!  Just in time for autumn, the Meista here today pairing The Whole Pie Harvest Pumpkin Saison from Trinity Brewing Company and Epica's "The Holographic Principle"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Epica
• Title: "The Holographic Principle"
• Recorded: 2016 at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, Netherlands
• Release date: September 30th, 2016 (7th studio album by Epica)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast
• Production: Joost van den Broek and Epica
• Album cover art: Stefan Heilemann
• Personnel: Isaac Delahaye (rhythm and lead guitars, mandolin, balalaika, bouzouki, and ukulele), Mark Jansen (growling vocals), Coen Janssen (keyboards, grand piano, synthesizer, glockenspiel, xylophone, and tubular bells), Simone Simons (lead and backing vocals), Rob van der Loo (bass), and Ariën van Weesenbeek (drums, timpani, and spoken vocals on "Ascension - Dream State Armageddon")
• Additional musicians: Paul Babikian (elven king's voice on track 7), Floortje Beljon (violin), Marcela Bovio (backing vocals on all tracks), Marnix Coster (trumpet), Thijs Dapper (oboe and oboe d'amore), Marieke De Bruijn (violin), Ian De Jong (violin), Lennart De Winter (trombone), Loes Dooren (violin), Frank Goossens (viola), Jeroen Goossens (flute, piccolo, and bassoon), Cato Janssen (child's voice on track 1), Linda Janssen (backing vocals on all tracks), Paul Langerman (trombone), Eilidh Martin (cello), Ben Mathot (violin), Mark Mulder (viola), Kamerkoor Pa'Dam (choir), Jack Pisters (sitar), Sabine Poiesz (violin), Alex Thyssen (French horn), Vera Van Der Bie (violin), René Van Munster (cello), Jurgen Van Nijnatten (trumpet), Henk Veldt (French horn), and Geneviève Verhage (cello)
• Musical style: Symphonic metal, gothic metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Bombastic, symphonic, theatrical, cinematic... the sound on Epica's "The Holographic Principle" is HUGE!  Delahaye's string work is utterly jaw-dropping!  van der Loo and van Weesenbeek bring down the hammer as a monster rhythm section!   Janssen's keys soar!  Jansen's vocals are aggressive, brutal, and powerful!  And Simons' vocal performance may be her best yet... simply beautiful!!
• Major themes: "The Holographic Principle" is a concept album about the universe being only a digitally generated hologram.  Of the album, the liner notes state: 'The Holographic Principle' deals with the near future wherein virtual reality has taken off and allows people to create their own virtual worlds which can't be distinguished from 'reality as we know it.' This raises the question whether our current reality is a kind of virtual reality on itself, a hologram. This implies the existence of a higher reality, which we currently do not have access to. The lyrics challenge you to think out of the box, to reconsider everything you thought to know for sure and to be open-minded towards recent revolutions in science. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for a ride as nothing appears to be what it seems in our holographic universe."  Themes include virtual reality, states of being, self-acceptance, creating new realities through dreams, artificial intelligence, layers of truth, the media, isolation, searching for the meaning of life, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Eidola"
2. "Edge Of The Blade"
3. "A Phantasmic Parade"
4. "Universal Death Squad"
5. "Divide And Conquer"
6. "Beyond The Matrix"
7. "Once Upon A Nightmare"
8. "The Cosmic Algorithm"
9. "Ascension - Dream State Armageddon"
10. "Dancing In A Hurricane"
11. "Tear Down Your Walls"
12. "The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding Of Reality"
13. "Beyond the Good, The Bad and the Ugly" (bonus track)
14. "Dancing In A Gypsy Camp" (bonus track)
15. "Immortal Melancholy" (bonus track)
16. "The Funky Algorithm" (bonus track)
17. "Universal Love Squad" (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Trinity Brewing Company (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
• Website: http://www.trinitybrew.com/
• Brew: The Whole Pie Harvest Pumpkin Saison
• Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.5%
• Ingredients: De-bittered Black Malt, Flaked Wheat, Golden Naked Oats, Spelt, and Vienna malts, pumpkin, brown sugar, Garam Masala, ground mace, fresh ginger, coriander, Graham Crackers, whole Madagascar vanilla beans, roasted hazelnuts, and free-rise fermentation with proprietary yeast
• Pour: The Whole Pie pours a very cloudy golden-orange hue with a frothy, 1-finger, bright white head that dissipates to a thin ring that leaves behind thick, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, vegetal, fruity, tart, yeasty, spicy, and slightly funky.  There are aromas of fresh pumpkin, soft banana, coriander, orange peel, light lemon juice and zest, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, pepper, and a little wet leather.
• Taste: The taste of the Whole Pie Harvest Pumpkin Saison is characterized by flavors of big Belgian yeast, sweet malt, fruit, autumn spices, and a bit of tartness.  There are notes fresh pumpkin, soft banana, citrus, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Whole Pie is tangy, frothy, crisp, and slightly tart with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Now I'm not usually a big pumpkin brew fan, but The Whole Pie Harvest Pumpkin Saison from Trinity Brewing is a fantastic... very complex, yet inviting brew... perfect for the complexities, intricacies, and beauty of the brilliant "The Holographic Principle" by Epica!  The flavors and aromas of this tasty brew blend wonderfully well with the soaring vocals, soaring guitars, soaring keyboards, and thunderous bombast of the bass and drums!

Cheers!!  And hails!!