September 6th, 2019 - Spirit Rituals

Boa noite evildoers and craft beer lovers!  The Meista here getting heavy and aggressive with a pairing of the kickass "Ritual", the latest and quite possibly best album by Soulfly and a delicious Spirit Ritual Mixed Culture Golden Ale Aged on Colorado Plums from TRVE Brewing Company, "Denver's true heavy metal brewery"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Soulfly
• Title: "Ritual"
• Recorded: January through June 2018 at Hybrid Studios in Santa Ana, California
• Release date: October 19th, 2018 (11th full-length studio album by Soulfly)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast
• Production: Josh Wilbur
• Album cover art: Eliran Kantor and Marcelo Vasco
• Personnel: Max Cavalera (lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, and sitar on "Soulfly XI"), Zyon Cavalera (drums and percussion), Mike Leon (bass), and Marc Rizzo (lead guitar and flamenco guitar on "Demonized")
• Additional musicians: Randy Blythe (vocals on "Dead Behind The Eyes"), Igor Cavalera (vocals on "Feedback!"), Mark Damon (saxophone on "Soulfly XI"), Ross Dolan (vocals on "Under Rapture"), Gary Elthe (chanting and drums on "Ritual" and flute on "Blood On The Street"), Josh Lomatewaima (chanting and drums on "Blood On The Street"), Elizbeth Mictian (daf on "Dead Behind The Eyes"), Chase Numkena (chanting and drums on "Blood On The Street"), Travis Stone (chanting on "Ritual"), and Ron Taho (chanting and drums on "Blood On The Street")
• Musical style: Groove metal, thrash metal, death metal
• Sound: Quite possibly the best Soulfly album to date, the sound on "Ritual" blends head-bobbing grooves with crunching thrash and death metal intensity!  There are elements that sound very much like old Sepultura and others that are reminiscent of early Soulfly, yet it is all very fresh, very honest, and very Cavalera!.  Mike Leon and Zyon Cavalera drive a powerful, primitive rhythm throughout, while Marc Rizzo and Max lay down some wonderfully aggressive riffs!  Randy Blythe's vocals on "Dead Behind The Eyes" was a very welcome surprise as well!
• Major themes: Ceremony, tribalism, native cultures, chaos, corruption, violence, seeking truth, seeking knowledge, anger, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Ritual"
2. "Dead Behind The Eyes"
3. "The Summoning"
4. "Evil Empowered"
5. "Under Rapture"
6. "Demonized"
7. "Blood On The Street"
8. "Bite The Bullet"
9. "Feedback!"
10. "Soulfly XI"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: TRVE Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website:https://www.trvebrewing.com/
• Brew: Spirit Ritual Mixed Culture Golden Ale Aged on Colorado Plums
• Style: Farmhouse / Saison
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• Pour: The Spirit Ritual pours slightly hazy peeled grape-pink hue with a frothy, 1+ finger off-white head that dissipates quickly, leaving only a very thin ring with virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, tart, floral, and slightly funky.  There are aromas of fresh plum, lemon juice, white grapes, wet leather, and a hint of funk.
• Taste: It is fruity, tangy, very sour, and slightly funky.  There are notes of tart plum, fresh cranberry, raspberry, lemon juice, Chardonnay, light grain, and very light barnyard funk. 
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, frothy, quite tart, and tangy, yet very smooth with a clean, dry finish.

Overall pairing: The Spirit Ritual from TRVE Brewing is a bright, fruity, tart, complex, and very crushable brew, which makes for a great juxtaposed pairing to the chaotic and aggressive grooves of the brilliant "Ritual" by Soulfly!!  'Nuff said!

Saude and hails!