December 28th, 2020 - Mourning The Southern Skies With An OG Juice In Hand

Hello and happy Monday metal maniacs and craft beer fanatics!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today continuing my Xmas vacation with a pairing of the kick-ass "Mourn The Southern Skies" by underrated New Orleans metal monsters Exhorder and a deliciously juicy OG Juice IPA from my friends at UTOG Brewing Company!  Hell yes!! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Exhorder
• Title: "Mourn The Southern Skies"
• Recorded: 2019 at OCD Recording and Production in Metairie, Louisiana
• Release date: September 20th, 2019 (3rd full-length studio album by Exhorder)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast 
• Production: Vinnie LaBella and Duane Simoneaux
• Album cover art: Travis Smith 
• Personnel: Sasha Horn (drums), Vinnie LaBella (guitars), Marzi Montazeri (guitars), Kyle Thomas (vocals), and Jason Viebrooks (bass) 
• Additional musicians: Mikey "B3" Burkart (organ on "Yesterday's Bones" and "Mourn The Southern Skies") and Chris Nail (drums on "Ripping Flesh") 
• Musical style: Thrash metal, groove metal
• Sound: In the vein of Exodus and Pantera, Exhorder's approach is fast, furious, and aggressive!  These metal vets understand the importance of a good solid riff and how to develop a powerhouse song around said riff.  With "Mourn The Southern Skies," Exhorder perfectly lays down killer riff after riff along with soaring solos, machine gun fire drumming... all wonderfully mixed with the powerhouse vocals of Thomas!
• Major themes: death, violence, anger, rebellion, rage, perseverance, crime, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "My Time"
2. "Asunder"
3. "Hallowed Sound"
4. "Beware The Wolf"
5. "Yesterday's Bones"
6. "All She Wrote"
7. "Rumination"
8. "The Arms Of Man"
9. "Ripping Flesh"
10. "Mourn The Southern Skies"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: UTOG Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.utogbrewing.com/
• Brew: OG Juice IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.5%
• Ingredients: Citra, Idaho 7, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: The OG Juice pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with a billowy and foamy bright white, 1-finger head with good sustain and sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose very citrusy, very tropical, hoppy, malty, and sweet.  There are big aromas of stone fruit (peach along with fresh and dried apricot) upfront along with freshly cut pineapple, grapefruit rind, mango, orange marmalade, orange zest, a very subtle hint of pine resin, and a hint of caramel.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of citrusy, fruity, grainy, slightly sweet, and herbal characteristics.  There are notes of orange juice, orange pith, and orange zest, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, pineapple, apricot, peach, mango, herbal tea, light pine, toffee/caramel, white pepper, and an ever so slight hint of booze (more so as it warms).
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, juicy, and a bit spicy with a dry, peppery finish. 

Overall Pairing: The hop-forward, citrusy punch of UTOG's OG Juice IPA is perfect for the aggressive, fast-paced grooves, fiery riffs, and killer hooks of  this kick-ass album!  The more bitter flavors (grapefruit rind, pine, tea, etc.) are great for the lyrics and Thomas' powerful vocals while the brighter flavors go great with the machine gun fire dual guitar attack of LaBella and Montazeri !  And those bolder malt notes are prefect for the thunderous drumming and bass onslaught of the mighty Horn and Viebrooks!  I highly recommend both the album and the beer!

Cheers and hails!!