July 6th, 2021 - Darkness Descends On Palisades Creek

 

Hello there and hails artisan beer and heavy metal fans!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today pairing "Darkness Descends" (The Black Edition), the classic sophomore album by thrash metal band Dark Angel and a tasty Palisades Creek Hazy IPA from Grand Teton Brewing Company!  This pairing is dedicated to my friend Blake who gave me the beer and ordered in the CD for me from his shop Lavender Vinyl... thanks very much brother!!  Cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Dark Angel
• Title: "Darkness Descends" (The Black Edition)
• Recorded: 1986 at Music Grinder Studios in Hollywood, California and Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, California
• Release date: November 17th, 1986 (2nd studio album by Dark Angel) / 2010 reissue
• Record company: Combat Records / Rawforce Productions
• Production: Dark Angel and Randy Burns
• Album cover art: Sean Rodgers (artwork and photography) and Ed Repka (logo)
• Personnel: Don Doty (vocals), Jim Durkin (guitars), Gene Hoglan (drums), Eric Meyer (guitars), and Rob Yahn (bass)
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Dark and atmospheric, yet still fast and furious thrash metal, the sound on "Darkness Descends" further expanded the band's musical prowess!  It is most definitely a mid-80s metal album, yet it transcends time. 
• Major themes: Death, darkness, evil, suffering, pain, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Darkness Descends"
2. "The Burning Of Sodom"
3. "Hunger Of The Undead"
4. "Merciless Death"
5. "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)"
6. "Black Prophecies"
7. "Perish In Flames"
8. "Merciless Death" (live at the Philadelphia Trocadero October 23rd, 1988)
9. "Perish In Flames" (live at the Philadelphia Trocadero October 23rd, 1988)
10. "Darkness Descends" (live at the Philadelphia Trocadero on October 23rd, 1988)
11. "The Burning Of Sodom" (live at the Philadelphia Trocadero on October 23rd, 1988)
12. "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" (live at the Philadelphia Trocadero on October 23rd, 1988)
13. "We Have Arrived" (live at the Reseda Country Club on April 22nd, 1989)
14. "The Burning Of Sodom" (live at the Reseda Country Club on April 22nd, 1989)
15. "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" (live at the Reseda Country Club on April 22nd, 1989)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Grand Teton Brewing Company (Victor, Idaho)
• Website: http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/
• Brew: Palisades Creek Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 7.0%
• Pour: The Palisades Creek Hazy IPA pours a very murky, bright orange hue with a 1-finger, frothy eggshell white head with good retention and lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by tropical fruity, citrusy, and sweet aromas.  There are notes of freshly cut mango, pineapple, orange juice and zest, tangerine, guava, melon, grassy hops, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Palisades Creek Hazy IPA is characterized by flavors.  There are notes of mango, pineapple juice, orange juice, tangerine, grapefruit, guava, passion fruit, watermelon, honeydew, sweet biscuit, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the  and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Palisades Creek Hazy IPA from Grand Teton Brewing is a bright and very crushable brew, which makes it a great companion to the punchy and fiery thrash metal tracks on Dark Angel's wonderful "Darkness Descends" album!  The fruitier, more citrusy notes go great with the shredding guitars and Doty's epic yells, while the maltier notes really enhance Hoglan's stellar drumming!

Cheers and hails!!