January 1st, 2019 - A Terrible Blaze In The Northern Sky

Good afternoon and happy New Year!  The Meista here today ringing in the new year and getting a little evil and a little "terrible" with Darkthrone's classic "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" and a Terrible from Unibroue!

Album Info:

• Artist: Darkthrone
• Title: "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"
• Recorded: August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn, Norway
  Release date: February 26th, 1992 (2nd studio album by Darkthrone)
• Record company: Peaceville Records
• Production: Darkthrone
• Album cover art: Dave Pybus
• Personnel: Nocturno Culto (lead guitar and vocals), Fenriz (drums and backing vocals), Zephyrous (rhythm guitar)
• Additional musicians: Dag Nilsen (bass guitar) 
• Musical style: Norwegian black metal
• Sound: Raw, lo-fi, fast-paced, primitive, minimalist, repetitive, and highly influential, the sound on Darkthrone's "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" is definitive Scandinavian black metal!  It seems to embody all that is evil and dark.  The guitar work is frenzied, machine gun fire fast, and chaotic.  The bass and drums are primitive, repetitive, and conjure images of tribal ritual and sacrifice.  Culto's vocals are sharp, screechy, and infernal.
• Major themes: The occult, paganism, Satan, violence, horror, evil, death, nature, mythology, folklore, etc. 
• Tracks:  

1. "Kathaarian Life Code"
2. "In The Shadow Of The Horns"
3. "Paragon Belial"
4. "Where Cold Winds Blow"
5. "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"
6. "The Pagan Winter"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec, Canada)
• Website: http://unibroue.com/
• Brew: Terrible
• Style: Belgian-Style Quadruple Ale / Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Serving: 25 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 15
• Pour: It pours an almost black and opaque chestnut brown with a frothy and creamy, 2-finger light tan head with great retention and lots of layered, sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by rich notes of dark fruit, malt, and spice.  There are aromas of plum, cola, cherry, soft banana, light cloves, and light cocoa.
• Taste: As with good wines, the Terrible's complex flavors develop with aging... 5 years for this particular brew! Like the nose, the flavor is also very rich and sweet, but the fruit notes are quite  subtle and there is also a prevailing crispness.  There are notes of cola, prune, black cherry, and vanilla in the finish along with those lovely spices (clove, nutmeg, and black pepper), and burnt toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: It is highly carbonated, so the mouthfeel is very frothy and foams in your mouth.  There's also a little booziness up front, but it mellows quickly and finishes nicely... really good for a meaty dish like "A Blaze In The Northern Sky".  The finish is frothy and somewhat bitter and sharp.

Overall pairing: The rich complexity, sweet and spicy flavors and aromas, and the boldness of Unibroue's fantastic Terrible is great for the heaviness, the darkness, and the pure frozen evil of Darkthrone's infernal "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"! 

Cheers!!  Skål!!  Gezondheid!!  À votre santé!!  Hails!!