May 26th, 2023 - Sacred And Light Hearted

 

Hello and happy Friday metal maniacs!  The Meista here rockin' the hell out to Dio's kick-ass "Sacred Heart" album with a tasty and hoppy Light Hearted Ale from the fine folks at Bell's Brewery, Inc.!  Hell yeah! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Dio
• Title: "Sacred Heart"
• Recorded: 1985 at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles, California
• Release date: August 12th, 1985 (3rd studio album by Dio)
• Record company: Warner Bros. Records / Vertigo
• Production: Ronnie James Dio
• Album cover art: Robert Florczak 
• Personnel: Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitars), Ronnie James Dio (lead vocals and keyboards), and Claude Schnell (keyboards)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, power metal, hard rock, heavy blues
• Sound: With that classic Dio sound, "The Last In Line" is full of richly textured metal anthems, mid-tempo rockers, and RJD's incredible vocals. 
• Major themes: Rock and roll, fantasy, good and evil, life and death, dreams and nightmares, sorrow and happiness, runaways, etc.
• Notes: The inscription around the border of the album cover is Latin and reads "FINIS PER SOMNIVM REPERIO TIBI SACRA COR VENEFICVS OSTIVM AVRVM", which can be translated to "Along the borders of dreams, I found for you the sacred poisonous heart and golden door."
• Tracks:  

1. "King Of Rock And Roll"
2. "Sacred Heart"
3. "Another Lie"
4. "Rock 'N' Roll Children"
5. "Hungry For Heaven"
6. "Like The Beat Of A Heart"
7. "Just Another Day"
8. "Fallen Angels"
9. "Shoot Shoot"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
• Website: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
• Brew: Light Hearted Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 3.7%
• IBUs: 36
• Ingredients: Centennial and Galaxy hops, a variety of specialty malts, and House Ale Yeast 
• Pour: The Light Hearted Ale pours a slightly hazy caramel-amber with a frothy, off-white, 2+ finger head with good retention and sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: Hop-forward, the nose is floral, earthy, citrusy, and malty.  There are aromas of pine resin, grapefruit rind, wildflowers, bitter herbs, sweet caramel, and biscuit.
• Taste: Although a low calorie and low ABV brew, the taste of the Light Hearted Ale is characterized by bold citrusy, piney, earthy, malty, and floral flavors.  There are notes of pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, orange peel, pine, herbal tea, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium in body and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Light Hearted Ale is very crisp, juicy, and smooth with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, yet straight-forward hoppy bitterness of the Light Hearted is an excellent brew to pair with the powerhouse rockin' goodness that the songs on "Sacred Heart" express!  RJD's vocal range is wonderfully enhanced by those citrusy hops, while the more bitter pine notes and heartier malts are great for Campbell's monster guitar work and the rhythm beast that is Appice/Bain!

Cheers and hails!!  Keepin' it metal and keepin' it craft!!