October 14th, 2020 - At War With Reality, Armed Only With A Double IPL

 

God kväll craft beer fiends and headbangers!  The Meista here tonight getting heavy and aggressive with a pairing of At The Gates' excellent 2014 "come back" album "At War With Reality" and a bold and aggressive Double India Pale Lager from Shades Brewing!

Album Info:

• Artist: At The Gates
• Title: "At War With Reality" 
• Recorded: June 24th through July 18th, 2014 at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden 
• Release date: October 28th, 2014 (5th studio album by At The Gates)
• Record company: Century Media Records
• Production: Fredrik Nordström 
• Album cover art: Costin Chioreanu 
• Personnel: Anders Björler (guitars), Jonas Björler (bass), Adrian Erlandsson (drums), Martin Larsson (guitars), and Tomas Lindberg (vocals) 
• Additional musicians: Anton Reisenegger (spoken word)
• Musical style: Gothenburg-style melodic death metal, death metal with elements of metalcore
• Sound: Combining muted guitar work with bombastic and harmonic hooks along with aggressive vocals, the sound on "At War With Reality" is classic At The Gates, yet with some really interesting progressive elements.  Like all of their albums, the tracks here are gritty, cerebral, intense, and definitive.  
• Major themes: "At War With Reality" is a concept album based on the literary genre of magic realism.  Themes include death, darkness, magic, fantasy, chaos, knowledge, etc.
• Notes: The album is dedicated to the memory of Henrik Frykman, bassist of the Disfear.
• Tracks:   

1. "El Altar Del Dios Desconocido"
2. "Death And The Labyrinth"
3. "At War With Reality"
4. "The Circular Ruins"
5. "Heroes And Tombs"
6. "The Conspiracy Of The Blind"
7. "Order From Chaos"
8. "The Book Of Sand (The Abomination)"
9. "The Head Of The Hydra"
10. "City Of Mirrors"
11. "Eater Of Gods"
12. "Upon Pillars Of Dust"
13. "The Night Eternal"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Shades Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.shadesbrewing.beer/
• Brew: Double India Pale Lager
• Style: Double India Pale Lager (DIPL) / Imperial IPL (IIPL)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.0% 
• Ingredients: Citra hops (double dry-hopped)
• Pour: The Double India Pale Lager pours a clear golden-yellow/orange color with a billowy, 2-finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate, layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very dank, earthy, herbal, grassy, bready, and citrusy.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, orange pith, black tea, wild flowers, bitter herbs, bready malt, summer grass, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Double India Pale Lager is earthy, herbal, malty, spicy, and citrusy.  There are notes of black tea, grapefruit, tangerine, grassy hops, soft caramel/toffee, and a peppery finish.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very with a bitter, dry, and spicy finish.

Overall pairing: Brash, flavorful, and complex, the Double India Pale Lager is a huge blast of dank and interesting flavors... perfect for the brutality, brilliance, and death metal prowess of the mighty At The Gates!!  'Nuff said!!

Hails!!  Skål!!