December 29th, 2019 - Venom In The Tail Of The Anniversary Ale

God morgon, hails, and happy Sunday!  Today I'm ending the weekend and the month off right with a pairing of the wonderful "In Cauda Venenum", the latest album by Swedish progressive metal/rock band Opeth and a delightful 2019 Anniversary Ale from Talisman Brewing Company!

 

Album Info:

• Artist: Opeth
• Title: "In Cauda Venenum"
• Recorded: November 2018 through January 2019 at Park Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
• Release date: September 27th, 2019 (13th studio album by Opeth)
• Record company: Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast
• Production: Mikael Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman
• Album cover art: Travis Smith
• Personnel: Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead and backing vocals, rambling, and guitar), Fredrik Åkesson (lead and rhythm guitars, whistles, coughs, and backing vocals), Martin Axenrot (drums and percussion), Martín Méndez (assorted bass guitars), Joakim Svalberg (keyboards and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Dave Stewart (orchestration and string arrangements)  
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock
• Sound: Paying homage to bands like Deep Purple, ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, yet with some metal mixed in, the sound on Opeth's latest album is bold, bombastic, compelling, and heavy.  As always with Opeth, the musicianship is impeccable... richly textured, imaginative, and beautifully and hauntingly compelling.  Åkerfeldt's vocals are warm, honest, and powerful.   
• Major themes: Mythology, magic, power, darkness, death, the occult, deception, life, youth, aging, isolation, etc.
• Notes: "In Cauda Venenum" was released with both Swedish and English vocals.
• Tracks:   

Disc 1:

1. "Livets Trädgård"
2. "Svekets Prins"
3. "Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör"
4. "De Närmast Sörjande"
5. "Minnets Yta"
6. "Charlatan"
7. "Ingen Sanning Är Allas"
8. "Banemannen"
9. "Kontinuerlig Drift"
10. "Allting Tar Slut"
    

Disc 2 (English version):

1. "Garden Of Early Delights"
2. "Dignity"
3. "Heart In Hand"
4. "Next Of Kin"
5. "Lovelorn Crime"
6. "Charlatan"
7. "Universal Truth"
8. "The Garroter"
9. "Continuum"
10. "All Things Will Pass"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: 2019 Anniversary Ale 
• Style: American Wild Ale / Flanders Red
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.5%
• Ingredients: Flanders Red Wild Sour Ale aged for 15 months in Pinot Noir Wine Barrels from Talisman Wines in Northern California
  
• Pour: The 2019 Anniversary Ale pours a clear, but deep mahogany red with a 1-finger, off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very tart, fruity, earthy, slightly spicy and oaky.  There are big aromas of Pinot Noir wine, dark fruits (black cherry, plum), lemon, subtle hints allspice and caramel, and woody oak.
• Taste: The taste of the Talisman 2019 Anniversary Ale follows the nose with lots of tart, tangy fruity, earthy, slightly spicy, and woody flavors.  There are big notes of Pinot Noir wine, plum, pie cherries, and woody oak.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the 2019 Anniversay Ale is very tart and very crisp with an oaky, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Talisman 2019 Anniversary Ale is a very bold and very complex brew with loads of flavor and tart character, which is perfect for the depth, passion, musical prowess, and beauty of Opeth's latest!  Need I say more?

Skål and hails!!