August 14th, 2023 - The Unquestionable Presence Of Owyhee

 

Hello metal heads and beer freaks!  The Meista is here today pairing "Unquestionable Presence", the kickass sophomore album by thrash/death metal band Atheist and a juicy and hoppy Owyhee NE-Style Hazy IPA from Revision Brewing Company in collaboration with Koholā Brewery!  This pairing is dedicated to the people of Maui and to the owners and staff at Koholā Brewery, which was destroyed in the fire.  Mahalo!

Album Info:

• Artist: Atheist
• Title: "Unquestionable Presence"
• Recorded: 1991 at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida
• Release date: August 30th, 1991 (2nd full-length studio album by Atheist)
• Record company: Active Records / Metal Blade Records
• Production: Scott Burns and Atheist
• Album cover art: Justice Mitchell
• Personnel: Rand Burkey (lead and rhythm guitars), Tony Choy (bass), Steve Flynn (drums), and Kelly Shaefer (lead and rhythm guitars, and vocals)
• Musical style: Thrash metal with elements of technical death metal, jazz fusion and progressive metal
• Sound: Fast and furious, yet wonderfully complex, the sound on "Unquestionable Presence" blends aggressive thrash and death metal with elements of jazz fusion and progressive rock/metal to present a truly unique and creative experience, marked Atheist as one of the most imaginative and creative bands of the era!
• Major themes: Life, death, nature, introspection, corruption, destruction, aggression, resistance, anti-religion, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Mother Man"
2. "Unquestionable Presence"
3. "Your Life's Retribution"
4. "Enthralled In Essence"
5. "An Incantation's Dream"
6. "The Formative Years"
7. "Brains"
8. "And The Psychic Saw"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Revision Brewing Company (Sparks, Nevada) in collaboration with Koholā Brewery (Lahaina, Mau, Hawaii)
• Website: https://revisionbrewing.com/
• Brew: Owyhee NE-Style Hazy IPA
• Style: New England-Style Hazy India Pale Ale (IPA) 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.0%
• IBUs: 35
• Ingredients: Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: The Owyhee a very cloudy golden-yellow with a frothy, bright white, half-finger head with good retention and lots of sudsy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very tropical, citrusy, dank, and floral.  There are aromas of mango, tangerine, orange marmalade, peach lemon zest, herbal tea, wildflowers, coconut, light pine, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Hop-forward, the taste of the Owyhee is citrusy, fruity, bright, and malty.  There are notes of tangerine, orange marmalade, orange juice, lime, pink grapefruit juice, mango, peach, pineapple, guava, a hint of pine, and sweet caramel/toffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and very juicy, yet creamy and smooth with a dry, sweet finish.
• Notes: "Owyhee is an older English spelling of Hawai’i used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is found in the names of certain locations in the American part of the Pacific Northwest, which were explored and mapped by expeditions whose members included native Hawaiians."

Overall pairing: The crushable, fruity, hoppy, complex flavors of the Owyhee NE-Style Hazy IPA from Revision Brewing is the perfect for the metal intensity and artistic integrity of Atheist's ass-kicking and thought provoking "Unquestionable Presence"!  Those crisp, punchy flavors are great for the thrash elements of the album, while the fruity and malty sweetness works wonderfully with the more complex and more intricate elements.  I also like the look of the beer label next to the amazing artwork of the album cover.  

And if you haven't done so already, please check out my interview from 2021 with the very friendly and talented Kelly Shaefer here: https://youtu.be/CXlaoSze_2s

Cheers and hails head bangers!!