February 6th, 2021 - Putin On The Fritz In The Dawn Of The Damned

 

God eftermiddag! The Meista here today getting heavy and aggressive with infernal metal juggernaut that is Necrophobic's latest album "Dawn Of The Damned" and a very complex and tasty Putin On The Fritz from SaltFire Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

  
Album Info: 

• Artist: Necrophobic 
• Title: "Dawn Of The Damned"
• Recorded: 2020 at Chrome Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
• Release date: October 9th, 2020 (9th studio album by Necrophobic)
• Record company: Century Media Records 
• Production: Fredrik Folkare 
• Album cover art: Kristian Wåhlin 
• Personnel: Johan Bergebäck (rhythm guitars), Allan Lundholm (bass), Sebastian Ramstedt (lead and rhythm guitars), Joakim Sterner (drums), and Anders Strokirk (vocals)  
• Additional musicians: Schmier (additional vocals on "Devil's Spawn Attack" 
• Musical style: Blackened death metal, black metal 
• Sound: Wonderfully blending the brutal and aggressive elements of death metal with the intensity, darkness, and chaos of black metal, the sound on "Dawn Of The Damned" is near perfection in this metalhead's humble opinion!  Strokirk's vocals seem to channel the very depths of hell while the combined guitar work of Bergebäck and Ramstedt really shines with killer riffs, fiery picking, and soaring solos!  And all this layered on the thunderous rhythmic onslaught of Lundholm and Sterner! 
• Major themes: The occult, darkness, evil, Satanism, damnation, anti-Christianity, death, insanity, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Aphelion"
2. "Darkness Be My Guide"
3. "Mirror Black"
4. "Tartarian Winds"
5. "The Infernal Depths Of Eternity"
6. "Dawn Of The Damned"
7. "The Shadows"
8. "As The Fire Burns"
9. "The Return Of A Long Lost Soul"
10. "Devil's Spawn Attack"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: Putin On The Fritz 
• Style: Baltic Porter / Imperial Porter
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 9.6%
• Ingredients: Munich, Pilsner, Special 8, and Pale Chocolate malts with Hallertau Magnum hops
• Pour: The Putin On The Fritz pours a deep, dark brown (almost ink black) with a billowy, 1-finger, mocha head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, toasty, smoky, nutty, and chocolatey.  There are aromas of roasted barley, smoked malts ,roasted walnuts, pecan, hearty bread, dark chocolate, toffee, licorice, and a little peat.
• Taste: The taste of the Putin On The Fritz is a complex blend of toasty and roasty malt flavors along with smokiness and sweetness.  There are notes of toasted malts, roasted barley, cola, cocoa, walnut, light dark chocolate, a hint of plum, and burnt toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with lower carbonation, the mouthfeel is velvety and smooth with a dry, slightly boozy and smoky finish.

Overall pairing: The SaltFire Putin On The Fritz is a bold, complex, and slightly smoky brew... great for the blackened death metal intensity that is Necrophobic's "Dawn Of The Damned"!  Those roasty notes go great with overall power and intensity of the album while the sweeter notes go great with the soaring guitar work!  'Nuff said!

Skål!!  Hails!!