April 15th, 2023 - Shiki And The Snapdragon

 

Hey there metal maniacs and artisan beer freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today rocking the hell out to Sigh's "Shiki" and a spicy and unique Snapdragon Imperial Rice Lager from my friends at UTOG Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!  Oh, this pairing goes out to Josh Tex Freerks.  Thanks for he request, buddy!  Sorry it took so long!  Cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Sigh
• Title: "Shiki"
• Recorded: 2022 at Electric Space Studios, Evil One Studios, and Heller Studios
• Release date: August 26th, 2022 (12th studio album by Sigh)
• Record company: Peaceville Records
• Production: Sigh and Frédéric Leclercq 
• Album cover art: C. Catterall
• Personnel: Satoshi Fujinami (bass), Mirai Kawashima (vocals, keyboards, guitars, Shakuhachi and Sinobue flutes, piccolo, clarinet, Shamisen, Hichiriki, Iwabue, Taishōgoto, Shruti box, and vocoder), and Dr. Mikannibal (vocals, alto saxophone, and soprano saxophone)
• Additional musicians: Mike Heller (drums, percussion, congas, bongos, mini bongos, wood block, bells, pipes, and shaker) and Frédéric Leclercq (guitars and bass)
• Musical style: Black metal, avant-garde metal, experimental metal
• Sound: Combining extreme black metal with more traditional heavy metal and doom elements, psychedelic rock, art rock, and avant-garde music, the sound on "Skiki" is truly unique and somewhat bizarre, and utterly mesmerizing! 
• Major themes: Death, insanity, suffering solitude, occultism, mythology, the 4 seasons, change, ceremony, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "黒い祈り (Kuroi Inori)"
2. "黒い影 (Kuroi Kage)"
3. "生者必滅 (Shoujahitsumetsu)"
4. "屍 (Shikabane)"
5. "殺意~夏至のあと (Satsui - Geshi no Ato)"
6. "冬が来る (Fuyu ga Kuru)"
7. "生苦 (Shouku)"
8. "黒い鏡 (Kuroi Kagami)"
9. "真夜中の怪異 (Mayonaka no Kaii)"
10. "冬至の朝 (Touji no Asa)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: UTOG Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.utogbrewing.com/
• Brew: Snapdragon Imperial Rice Lager
• Style: American Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.0%
• Ingredients: Rice lager with ginger and lime
• Pour: The Snapdragon pours a slightly hazy, bright yellow hue with a thin, bright white head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a thin ring with only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by spicy, citrusy, and grainy notes.  There are aromas of spicy ginger, lime juice and rind, a hint of hay, a hint of rice, and an ever so slight hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Snapdragon follows the nose with lots of lovely spicy, grainy, and citrusy flavors.  There are notes of ginger/ginger beer, light herbs, light and crackery grains, crisp and refreshing lime, and a hint of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the Snapdragon is crisp, spicy, and refreshing with a clean, dry finish. 

Overall pairing: The crisp, spicy, citrusy, well-balanced, and very drinkable flavors of UTOG's Snapdragon Imperial Rice Lager make it a great beer for Sigh's incredible and mesmerizing "Shiki"!  I like the look of the album art coupled with the beer label as well.  'Nuff said!

 Kanpai!!  Hails!!