December 30th, 2022 - Performing Destruction Rituals With A Battle Hammer

 

Good afternoon and hails evil-doers!  Your drinkin' buddy the Meista here today rocking the hell out to a pairing of the kickass "Destruction Ritual" by Satans Taint and a tasty and bold Battle Hammer Stout Porter from Woodland Empire Ale Craft!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Satans Taint
• Title: "Destruction Ritual"
• Recorded: 2019
  Release date: August 2nd, 2019 (2nd full-length studio album by Satans Taint)
• Record company: Megaforce Records / Morallaki Recordz
• Production: Bobby Gustafson 
• Album cover art: Bobby Gustafson (concept and direction) and J. Plaster (artwork)
• Personnel: Bobby Gustafson (all guitars and bass)
• Additional musicians: Jim McCourt (drums), Dan Ortega (vocals), and Paolo Velazquez (vocals)
• Musical style: Thrash metal with elements of traditional heavy metal, doom metal, and death metal
• Sound: With Bobby's timeless riffs and his powerful songwriting, the tracks on "Destruction Ritual" are pure metal gold!  The album is aggressive, fiery, compelling, and wonderfully highlights Bobby's guitar mastery!  This is true American metal at its finest!
• Major themes: Power, death, rage, violence, destruction, darkness, evil, vengeance, Viking history and lore, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Sumbel"
2. "Sorry You Were Ever Born"
3. "Thorn In My Side"
4. "End Your Bloodline"
5. "Skullkrusher II"
   
6. "The Crone Of Vero"
7. "Desecration"
8. "Raid Again"
9. "Strength Beneath The Skin"
10. "Destruction Ritual"
11. "Forever Is Nothing"
12. "Spit On Your Coffin"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Woodland Empire Ale Craft (Boise, Idaho)
• Website: http://woodlandempire.com/
• Brew: Battle Hammer Stout Porter
• Style: Porter
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.6%
• Pour: The Battle Hammer pours an opaque ink black with a firm and creamy, 1+ finger, mocha head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is malty, chocolatey, earthy, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of dark chocolate, dark roasted barley, hearty and toasted bread, toffee, a hint of molasses, and tobacco.
• Taste: The taste of the Battle Hammer follows the nose with roasty, toasty, chocolatey, and slightly smokey flavors.  There are notes of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, dark roasted barley, dark toasted bread, walnuts, creamy toffee, and a hint of cream.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with lower carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Battle Hammer is thick, rich, and very smooth with a dry, malty finish.

Overall pairing: The earthy, rich, and bold aromas and flavors of Woodland Empire's Battle Hammer make for an excellent pairing with the aggressive power and depth of "Destruction Ritual"!  I also think the imagery on the can goes great with J. Plaster's amazing album cover art!

And if you haven't done so already, check out my interview with the legendary Bobby Gustafson here: https://youtu.be/_h-ZAvO_HwE 

HAILS!!