November 14th, 2019 - The Desolation Of Life's Trade

Hey there hellraisers and craft beer freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here getting heavy with the brilliant "Desolation" by kickass doom/stoner metal band Khemmis and a delightful Life's Trade Saison from TRVE Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Khemmis
• Title: "Desolation"
• Recorded: 2018 at Flatline Audio in Westminster, Colorado
• Release date: June 22nd, 2018  (3rd full-length studio album by Khemmis)
• Record company: 20 Buck Spin / Nuclear Blast
• Production: Dave Otero
• Album cover art: Sam Turner
• Personnel: Ben Hutcherson (vocals and guitars), Daniel Beiers (bass), Phil Pendergast (vocals and guitars), and Zach Coleman (drums)
• Additional musicians: Grant Netzorg (additional vocals)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, doom metal, stoner metal/rock
• Sound: With powerful and crushing heaviness in the tradition of Black Sabbath, Pallbearer, and High On Fire, the sound on "Desolation" is profoundly heavy, aggressive, and very melodic!  Layered over an intensely thunderous rhythm section, the dual guitar work demands your attention as do the bold and somewhat haunting vocals.
• Major themes: Death, isolation, darkness, evil, magic, mythology, fantasy, etc. 
• Tracks:  

1. "Bloodletting"
2. "Isolation"
3. "Flesh To Nothing"
4. "The Seer"
5. "Maw Of Time"
6. "From Ruin"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: TRVE Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website: https://www.trvebrewing.com/
• Brew: Life's Trade
• Style: Belgian Saison
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.7%
• Pour: The Life's Trade pours a slightly hazy straw-gold with a frothy and firm, bright white, half-finger head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, tart, funky, earthy, and floral aromas.  There are notes of lemongrass, oak, fresh peaches, dried apricot, wet leather, horse blanket, citric acid, and light vinegar.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of funky, citrusy, floral, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of stone fruit (peach and apricot), dried fruit, barnyard funk, kumquat, lemon zest, oak, a touch of honey, and very light pink bubblegum.  
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, frothy, a tart, and funky with a dry finish.

Overall pairing: The complex and funky, yet crushable flavors of TRVE's Life's Trade make a great foil to the aggressive, yet melodic approach this band takes to doom metal!  The beer was actually named for a song by the band Samothrace, but I decided to pair it with Khemmis' "Desolation" because the drummer Zach is the head brewer at TRVE and the flavors really worked well with the whole vibe of the album... I also don't own any Samothrace.  Haha!  :)

I'm really, really looking forward to seeing Khemmis take to the stage in early December here in Utah!

Cheers!!  And hails!!