July 12th, 2018 - The Storm Within Four Saisons

Good evening!  Tonight I'm pairing "The Storm Within" by Swedish progressive metal band Evergrey with a Four Saisons Ale from new Salt Lake brewery Toasted Barrel!

 

Album Info:

• Artist: Evergrey
• Title: "The Storm Within"
• Recorded: August 2015 through March 2016 at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden
• Release date: September 9th, 2016 (10th studio album by Evergrey)
• Record company: AFM
• Production: Tom S. Englund and Jonas Ekdahl
• Album cover art: Carlos Fides
• Personnel: Henrik Danhage (guitars), Jonas Ekdahl (drums), Tom S. Englund (lead vocals and guitars), Johan Niemann (bass), and Rikard Zander (keyboards)  
• Additional musicians: Jaqueline Brantsberg (choir), Carina Englund (guest vocals on "The Paradox Of The Flame"), Salina Englund (choir), Floor Jansen (guest vocals on "In Orbit" and "Disconnect"), Stina Larsdotter (cello), Ebba Öberg (choir), Knapp Brita Pettersson (violin), and Felicia Stridh (choir) 
• Musical style: Progressive metal, progressive rock, power metal, gothic metal
• Sound: At times haunting, at times deeply emotional, at times heavy and aggressive, one think is for certain, with "The Storm Within", Evergrey has produced another wonderfully textured, honest, and powerful album!  With heavy duty riffing, soaring keys, and ethereal vocals, Evergrey displays their musical prowess and lays down another winning album!  And the guest vocals of Nightwish's Floor Jansen is a very welcome added bonus!
• Major themes: Life, death, loss, love, knowledge, relationships, pain, isolation, fear, beauty, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Distance"
2. "Passing Through"
3. "Someday"
4. "Astray"
5. "The Impossible"
6. "My Allied Ocean"
7. "In Orbit"
8. "The Lonely Monarch"
9. "The Paradox Of The Flame"
10. "Disconnect"
11. "The Storm Within"
12. "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath cover - bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Toasted Barrel Brewery (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.toastedbarrelbrewery.com/
• Brew: Four Saisons Ale
• Style: Seasonal Saison
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: The Four Saisons Ale pours a hazy golden caramel color with a thin, white head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, earthy, yeasty, malty, and slightly tart.  There are notes of fruity esters (banana, peach, pear), hints of funk, spices (cloves, nutmeg, allspice), and a touch of lemon and honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Four Saisons Ale is fruity, yeasty, spicy, malty, and earthy.  There are flavors of soft banana, pear syrup, peach, lemon juice and zest, clover honey, cloves, nutmeg, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, yeasty, and refreshing with a dry, slightly tart finish.

Overall pairing: The Four Saisons Ale from the Toasted Barrel is a very refreshing and drinkable brew, yet very complex and flavorful... much like the depth, darkness, and beauty of Evergrey's brilliant "The Storm Within"!

Cheers and hails!!