April 8th, 2018 - The Immortal Aphrodite

Good afternoon!  The Meista here rocking out to "Immoral" by Danish power metal band Pyramaze and an Aphrodite Belgian Style Blonde Ale from Shades Of Pale Brewing Company!  This one goes out to my buddy Jeff, who runs the Progressive Power page!  Cheers Jeff!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Pyramaze
• Title: "Immortal"
• Recorded: 2007 through 2008 at Alu-Sound Studios and Hansen Studio in Denmark, and Morrisound Recording and Led Belly Studio in the United States
• Release date: May 30th, 2008 (3rd studio album by Pyramaze)
• Record company: Locomotive Music
• Production: Tommy Hansen, Pyramaze, Matt Barlow, and Jim Morris
• Album cover art:  Felipe Machado Franco
• Personnel: Matt Barlow (vocals), Michael Kammeyer (guitars), Niels Kvist (bass), Toke Skjønnemand (guitars), Morten Gade Sørensen (drums), and Jonah Weingarten (keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Howard Helm (choir), Jim Morris (choir), and Kelly Roark (choir)
• Musical style: Power metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Bombastic, epic, powerful... just a few attributes of this fantastic and very underrated album!  Barlow's amazing vocals work wonderfully well with the subject matter along with the soaring guitar work of Kammeyer and Skjønnemand!  The rhythm section is a thunderous juggernaut!  And Weingarten's keys work as the perfect foil to the heaviness of the band!  Think: Iced Earth meets Kamelot!
• Major themes: Mythology, lore, fantasy, new beginnings, change, nightmares, mythological demons and beasts, darkness, the power of creation, freedom, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Arise"
2. "Year Of The Phoenix"
3. "Ghost Light"
4. "Touched By The Mara"
5. "A Beautiful Death"
6. "Legacy In A Rhyme"
7. "Caramon's Poem"
8. "The Highland"
9. "Shadow Of The Beast"
10. "March Through An Endless Rain"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Shades Of Pale Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://shadesofpale.com/
• Brew: Aphrodite Belgian Style Blond Ale 
• Style: Belgian Blonde Ale 
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.6% 
• Pour: The Aphrodite pours a golden-orange with a thin, white, bubbly head that dissipates quickly, leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a blend of spice and sweet fruit ester with only a hint of malt.  There are aromas of banana, clove, caramel, and apple. 
• Taste: The taste of the Aphrodite is like the nose... lots of spice and fruit flavors along with sweet caramel notes.  There are notes of apple, banana, cloves, nutmeg, toffee, and herbal hops.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is sticky, yet crisp with a dry, spicy finish.

Overall pairing: The Aphrodite Belgian Style Blond Ale from Shades Of Pale is a sweet, fruity, spicy, and very complex brew... perfect for the intensity, precision, and musical mastery of Pyramaze and their wonderful album, "Immortal"!

Cheers and hails!!