January 27th, 2021 - Awakening The Sky Kraken And Other Elder Gods

 

Good evening evil-doers and hop-heads!  The Meista here pairing "Awakening The Elder Gods" by the now sadly defunct death metal project Despondent and a Sky Kraken Hazy Pale Ale from Fremont Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!  A big thank you to my friend Brett for this tasty brew... cheers brother!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Despondent
• Title: "Awakening The Elder Gods"
• Recorded: 2014 
• Release date: January 26th, 2015 (2nd EP by Despondent)
• Record company: Transcending Records 
• Production: Tyler Merendino 
• Album cover art:  
• Personnel: Tyler Merendino (all instruments)
• Guest musicians: Duncan Bentley (vocals on "The Madness From The Sea"), Austin Chaloux (vocals on "Succumbing To Insanity"), Ben Duerr (vocals on "The Madness From The Sea"), Brandon Imiolo (vocals on "Awakening The Elder Gods"), Tommy Rouse (vocals on "Succumbing To Insanity"), Matt Snyder (vocals on "Awakening The Elder Gods"), and Liam Totton (vocals on "The Madness From The Sea")
• Musical style: death metal, technical death metal, deathcore 
• Sound: Bombastic, brutal, intense, and experimental... a few words to describe the power and aggression that is Despondent's "Awakening The Elder Gods"!  Although short, this EP packs a punch!  It is obvious from the intro to the fade out of "Horrific Revelation" that Merendino is incredibly talented and had a very specific vision for this EP.
• Major themes: H.P. Lovecraft, the occult, horror, death, destruction, fear, insanity, etc.
• Tracks:  
1. "Awakening The Elder Gods"
2. "The Madness From The Sea"
3. "Succumbing To Insanity"
4. "Horrific Revelation (Outro)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company (Seattle, Washington)
• Website:  https://www.fremontbrewing.com/ 
• Brew: Sky Kraken Hazy Pale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.5% 
• IBUs: "JTRA (just the right amount)" 
• Ingredients: 2-Row Pale malt, White Wheat, Flaked Wheat, Malted Oats, and Rolled Oats with Citra, Mosaic, and Strata hops 
• Pour: The Sky Kraken pours a very hazy, bright straw-yellow hue with a billow, 1+ finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of soapy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, tropical, floral, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of pineapple, lemons, guava, mango, grapefruit rind, tangerine, melon, wild flowers, cracked wheat, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of citrusy, tropical fruit, and floral hop flavors.  There are notes of guava, pineapple, pink grapefruit, orange, tangerine, lemon zest, mango, grassy hops, sweet biscuit, caramel, and a hint of pine and black pepper as well in the finish
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Sky Kraken is very crisp, juicy, and smooth with a dry, slightly bitter and peppery finish.

Overall pairing: The juicy, crisp citrus punch of the Sky Kraken Hazy Pale makes it a very crushable brew... a perfect foil for the intense and brutal insanity that is Despondent's "Awakening The Elder Gods"!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers... hails!!