April 4th, 2022 - The Mysterious Something Of The Impera

 

Good evening my friends... the Meista here pairing another great craft brew tonight with another great album!  This evening I'm going with Ghost and their latest studio album, "Impera" along with a bold, unique, and tasty Mysterious Something from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ghost
• Title: "Impera"
• Recorded: April 2020 through July 2021 at Atlantis Metronome and Apmamman Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California
• Release date: March 11th, 2022 (5th studio album by Ghost)
• Record company: Loma Vista
• Production: Klas Åhlund
• Album cover art: Zbigniew Bielak
• Personnel: Tobias Forge aka Papa Emeritus IV (vocals, guitars, bass, and drums) and A Group of Nameless Ghouls (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Fredrik Åkesson (guitars), Martin Hederos (piano and organ), and Hux Nettermalm (drums)
• Choir: Lita Åhlund, Alva Åkesson, Olivia Boman, Jade Ell, Estherlivia, Minou Forge, Ida Gratte, Ida Johansson, Inez Johansson, Anna Mosten, Elvira Nettermalm, and Johanna Eriksson Sanmark
• Musical style: Hard rock with elements of heavy metal, glam metal, progressive rock/metal, and pop
• Sound: Dark and dramatic, yet catchy and upbeat, "Impera" is a wonderfully rocking and melodic album with lots of influence from Blue Öyster Cult, Queen, Boston, Dio, Def Leppard, and even a little ABBA!  The music is complex, guitar driven, very 1970s! 
• Major themes: With songs about the rise and ultimate collapse of empires, themes on the album include death, war, destruction, corruption, doom, the occult, Satan, carpe diem, mortality, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Imperium"
2. "Kaisarion"
3. "Spillways"
4. "Call Me Little Sunshine"
5. "Hunter's Moon"
6. "Watcher In The Sky"
7. "Dominion"
8. "Twenties"
9. "Darkness At The Heart Of My Love"
10. "Griftwood"
11. "Bite Of Passage"
12. "Respite On The Spitalfields"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com//
• Brew: Mysterious Something 
• Style: Belgian-Style Ale
• Serving: 25-ounce crowler can
• ABV: 7.3% 
• Ingredients: "Partially fermented with a yeast strain from a Trappist brewery, then finished with a blend of Brettanomyces" 
• Pour: The Mysterious Something pours a hazy, copper-amber hue with an off-white head, 1+ finger, frothy head that dissipates fairly quickly with very little lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, herbal, spicy, and slightly funky.  There are aromas of banana, pear, spiced apple, cloves, lemon zest, and hints of wet leather and horse blanket. 
• Taste: The taste of the Mysterious Something follows the nose with lots of fruity, spicy, earthy, and slightly funky flavors.  There are notes of spices (cloves and nutmeg), pear juice/syrup, soft banana, orange peel, lemon zest, a little barnyard funk, and soft toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, spicy, bubbly, yet very smooth with a dry, slightly funky finish.

Overall pairing: The complex and bold, yet very crushable, very drinkable tastiness of Fisher's Mysterious Something is perfect for an evening of rocking to the unique and fun music of Ghost!  The fruitier esters and flavors go great with Papa's vocals, while the more herbal, spicy, and funky notes go great with the richly textured musical passages and themes.  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!