September 29th, 2020 Tuesday Night Transcendence To A Higher Plane Of IPA

Good evening and happy Tuesday!  I've got a great new beer for you for today's pairing... the Voodoo Ranger Higher Plane IPA from the fine folks at New Belgium Brewing Company, which I'm pairing with "Transcendence" (Deluxe Edition), one of my very favorites by the Devin Townsend Project!

Album Info: 

• Artist: The Devin Townsend Project
• Title: "Transcendence" (Deluxe Edition)
• Recorded: March 27 through May 2016 at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Release date: September 9th, 2016 (7th studio album by the Devin Townsend Project and the 17th album by Devin Townsend)
• Record company: HevyDevy Records
• Production: Devin Townsend and Adam "Nolly" Getgood (of Periphery fame)
• Album cover art: Anthony Clarkson
• Personnel: Mike St-Jean (keyboards), Devin Townsend (vocals, guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, programming, and production), Ryan Van Poederooyen (drums), Brian Waddell (bass guitar), and Dave Young (keyboards and guitars)
• Additional musicians: Ché Aimee Dorval (vocals) and Anneke van Giersbergen (vocals)
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock, power metal, symphonic metal, experimental art rock, power pop
• Sound: As with other Townsend works, on "Transcendence" he combines metal, avant garde, pop, symphonic, and a touch of techno synth to create complex, epic, and bombastic tracks of beauty, power, and depth.  Although there is huge heaviness to the tracks, there is also a bright quality to the sound, the approach, and the lyrics.  I find it powerfully heavy and at the same time uplifting!  Along with the brilliant musical execution, the combined depth of the vocal performances of Townsend, Dorval, and van Giersbergen is utterly mind-blowing!  Simply put, the sound on "Transcendence" is GIGANTIC!!
• Major themes: Life, relationships, human interaction, spiritualism, self-awareness, self-discovery, seeking knowledge, love, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Truth"
2. "Stormbending"
3. "Failure"
4. "Secret Sciences"
5. "Higher"
6. "Stars"
7. "Transcendence"
8. "Offer Your Light"
9. "From The Heart"
10. "Transdermal Celebration" (Ween cover)

Bonus disc: "Holding Patterns"

1. "Gump"
2. "Celestial Signals" (demo)
3. "Support The Cause" (demo)
4. "Into The Sun" (demo)
5. "Time Overload" (demo)
6. "Lexus" (demo)
7. "Farther On" (demo)
8. "Victim" (demo)
9. "Monkey Mind" (demo)
10. "Canucklehead" (demo)
11. "Loud"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Company (Colorado)
• Website: https://www.newbelgium.com/ 
• Brew: Higher Plane IPA
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) / Double IPA (DIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 8.5%
• IBUs: 45
• Pour: The Higher Plane IPA pours a hazy golden-yellow with a frothy, bright white, 1-finger head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very floral, citrusy, earthy, herbal, and slightly boozy.  There are aromas of wild flowers, green hop flowers, grapefruit rind, tangerine, a hint of pineapple, mango, light pine resin, spicy herbs, and a hint of booze.
• Taste: The taste of the Higher Plane IPA follows the nose with lots of punchy, hop-forward, citrusy flavors.  There are notes of grapefruit, tangerine, bitter herbs, pine, black tea, light caramel, booze, and black pepper.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the Higher Plane IPA's mouthfeel is very crisp, with a dry and slightly spicy finish.

Overall pairing: The bright, crisp, complex, and very hoppy flavors of the Higher Plane IPA from New Belgium is perfect for the epic ethereal vastness that is the sound on both discs of the Devin Townsend Project's masterpiece, "Transcendence"!  The hop flavors of the brew conger images of lush canyon riverbeds and mountain meadows while the album congers the vastness of time and space... together creating a wonderfully mesmerizing taste and sonic experience!

Cheers and hails!!  Namaste