December 13th, 2019 - The Black Widow's Dark Lullaby

Good afternoon and happy Friday the 13th!  Your pal the Meista here today pairing the wonderful "The Spider's Lullaby" 2015 Reissue by King Diamond and a tasty Black Widow Dark Lager from Roosters Brewing Company!!  Hell yes!!

Album Info:

• Artist: King Diamond
• Title: "The Spider's Lullaby" 2015 Reissue
• Recorded: September through October 1994 at The Dallas Sound Lab in Dallas, Texas
• Release date: June 6th, 1995 (6th studio album by King Diamond)  Reissue release date: November 27th, 2015
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: King Diamond and Tim Kimsey
• Album cover art:  
• Personnel: Darrin Anthony (drums), Chris Estes (bass and keyboards), Andy LaRocque (guitars and keyboards), Kim Bendix Petersen aka King Diamond (vocals, keyboards, and harpsichord), and Herb Simonsen (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal with elements of progressive rock and NWOBHM
• Sound: Characterized by Petersen's extensive vocal range (and most notably his insane falsetto) coupled by the powerfully intense and complex musicianship of the band, the sound on "The Spider's Lullaby" is a brilliantly composed and executed album track by track with machine gun fire drumming, thunderous bass, and soaring guitars.
• Major themes: Unlike most King Diamond albums, only the last 4 soungs make up a concept story.  However, like all King Diamond albums, the songs tell wonderfully dark stories with themes throughout include the death, murder, hauntings, ghosts, terror, nightmares, spiders, curses, evil, etc.
• Tracks:   

Disc 1:

1. "From The Other Side"
2. "Killer"
3. "Poltergeist"
4. "Dreams"
5. "Moonlight"
6. "Six Feet Under"
7. "The Spider's Lullaby"
8. "Eastmann's Cure"
9. "Room 17"
10. "To The Morgue"

Disc 2:

1. "Moonlight" (1992 Demo)
2. "From The Other Side" (1992 Demo)
3. "The Spider's Lullaby" (1992 Demo)
4. "Dreams" (1992 Demo)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roosters Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.roostersbrewingco.com/
• Brew: The Black Widow Dark Lager
• Style: Schwarzbier
• Serving: 32 ounce crowler can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: As the name implies, the Black Widow pours a very deep, dark brown (almost ink black) with a thin, yet creamy light mocha head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by rich, earthy and malty notes.  There are aromas of toasted bread, dark malts, dark chocolate, espresso, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Black Widow follows the nose with lots of roasty, toasty, malty, chocolaty, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of roasted malts, dark toasted bread, semisweet dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, walnut, a hint of smoke, and caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is with a slightly bitter and dry finish.

Overall pairing: I can think of nothing more fitting right now for the Black Widow Dark Lager to be paired with than King Diamond's "The Spider's Lullaby"!  And not just for the creepy imagery either, but more specifically for the complexity, crushability, and richness of character.  Those big, roasty, toasty, and malty flavors go great with the King's insane vocals and LaRocque's and Simonsen's smokin' guitar work!!

Cheers and hails to the King!!