November 16th, 2023 - Facing The Fear Of The Suicide Squeeze

 

Hey there thrashers, headbangers, and hop lovers!  Happy Thursday!  Today I'm rocking the hell out to "The Face Of Fear", the fantastic 9th album (on its 5th birthday) by legendary Danish thrashers Artillery and a crisp and hoppy Suicide Squeeze Special Addition India Pale Ale from Fort George Brewery!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Artillery 
• Title: "The Face Of Fear"
• Recorded: July and August at Medley Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Release date: November 16th, 2018 (9th full-length studio album by Artillery)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Søren Andersen
• Album cover art: Martin Helgren
• Personnel: Michael Bastholm Dahl (lead and backing vocals), Josua Madsen (drums), Michael Stützer (lead, acoustic, and 12-string guitars, and backing vocals), Morten Stützer (lead guitars and backing vocals), and Peter Thorslund (bass)
• Additional musicians: Jay Boe (Mellotron) and Jan Bæktoft Christensen (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Thrash metal, heavy metal
• Sound: Wonderfully riff-driven, the sound on "The Face Of Fear" .  It is bold and aggressive, yet thoughtful, melodic, and complex... an important album in not only Artillery's legacy, but thrash metal's legacy as a whole! 
• Major themes: Life, death, society, violence, war, rebellion, pain, vengeance, etc. 
• Note: Sadly, this was the final album that Morten Stützer played on before his untimely death in 2019.
• Tracks:

1. "The Face Of Fear"
2. "Crossroads To Conspiracy"
3. "New Rage"
4. "Sworn Utopia"
5. "Through The Ages Of Atrocity"
6. "Thirst Of The Worst"
7. "Pain"
8. "Under Water"
9. "Preaching To The Converted"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fort George Brewery (Astoria, Oregon)
• Website: https://fortgeorgebrewery.com/
• Brew: Suicide Squeeze Special Addition India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.2%
• Ingredients: Mosaic, Amarillo, and Citra hops, 2-Row Barley, Pilsner, C15, Flaked Corn, and Aromatic malts, and London ESB yeast
• Pour: The Suicide Squeeze pours a slightly cloudy, bright straw yellow hue with a frothy, half-finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, floral, herbal, and malty. There are aromas of pale malts, crisp grains, lemongrass, lemon zest, tangerine, grapefruit rind, pine resin, herbal tea, wildflowers,, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Suicide Squeeze is very well-balanced with citrusy, earthy, herbal, and malty flavors.  There are notes of lemon zest, grapefruit juice, tangerine, grassy hops, lightly toasted wheat bread, crackery biscuit, soft caramel, and light pine.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Suicide Squeeze is very crisp and refreshing with a dry, fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Suicide Squeeze is a very crushable brew with great flavors and aromas... perfect for an afternoon of rocking the hell out with the mighty Artillery's "The Face Of Fear"!  'Nuff said!

And make sure to check out my interview with Michael Stützer Hansen, guitarist and founding member of Artillery here: https://youtu.be/o0B1Fg9kiKU 

Skål and hails!  Raise those horns!