January 22nd, 2024 - The Outlaws' Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins

 

Good afternoon headbangers and craft brew freaks!  The Meista here today getting a little dark with a pairing of "Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins", the kick-ass 3rd album by The Black Moriah and a tasty and rich Outlaw Milk Stout from Great Basin Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Black Moriah
• Title: "Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins"
• Recorded: 2020 through 2022 at Wooden Horse Studios, Klearlight Studio, and Voltage Control Studio
• Release date: February 17th, 2023 (3rd full-length studio album by The Black Moriah)
• Record company: Folter Records
• Production: The Black Moriah
• Album cover art: Ipoet Poetra (cover art) and Mavro Asteri (layout design, art direction, and photography)
• Personnel: Bernael (lead guitars), Inadu (drums and percussion), The Mad Arab (lead vocals, scriptures, and incantations), Maledon (bass guitar, backing vocals, and baritone choir), and Zawicizuz (lead, rhythm, and grandpa's guitars, synthesizers, samplers, mellotrons, Phrygian flute, unfortunate shovel, backing vocals, tenor choir, and brass and choir arrangements)
• Guest musicians: Mavro Asteri (soprano choir, alto choir, and assorted hand percussion), Pao Guzman (mellotron), Svartalv Halvorsen (vocals and cloven hoof calls on "A Witch Is Born"), Jay Jernigan (synthesizers and mellotrons), Philip Joseph (trombone), Mount Moriah Tabernacle Choir (choir vocals), and Alcedrick Todd (trumpet)
• Musical style: Blackened thrash metal with elements of death metal
• Sound: Fast, fiery, aggressive, and heavy as hell, the sound on "Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins" wonderfully blends thrash, death, and black metal elements with cowboy imagery.  The Mad Arab's vocals are powerful and mesmerizing, and the guitar work just blazes!
• Major themes: Death, darkness, violence, the wild west, the occult, evil, etc.
• Note: If you get a chance to see these guys live, do so!  I was fortunate enough to see them on tour with Possessed and Nunslaughter... absolutely fantastic performance!
• Tracks: 

1. "Slain Children / Roaring Arrows / A Blood Atonement"
2. "Endless Prairie"
3. "Echo Of Hooves"
4. "Devil's Grin"
5. "Buy Me A Blade"
6. "Blessed By Buzzards"
7. "At Night In The Desert"
8. "Carry Me Home"
9. "A Witch Is Born" (Gehenna cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Great Basin Brewing Company (Reno, Nevada)
• Website: http://greatbasinbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Outlaw Milk Stout
• Style: Milk Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• IBUs: 20
• Ingredients: Roasted barley, caramel malt, lactose, and rolled oats
• Pour: The Outlaw pours a nearly jet-black hue with flecks of red when held to light with a firm, 2-figner, mocha head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, earthy, chocolaty, sweet, and creamy.  There are aromas of vanilla bean, dark chocolate, molasses, fresh brewed coffee, and a hint of licorice with subtle aromas of fresh cream, burnt toffee, oats, barley, and espresso.
• Taste: The taste of the Outlaw is earthy, roasty, chocolaty, sweet, creamy and rich.  There are notes of creamy vanilla, bittersweet dark chocolate, fresh cream, milk sugar, marshmallow, cocoa, light coffee, and roasted toffee/caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with very low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Outlaw is thick, silky, and smooth with a dry, sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Along with the almost perfect duality of the album cover and beer label imagery, the bold, complex, earthy, and sweet aromas and flavors of Great Basin's Outlaw Milk Stout make it the perfect brew for the dark, heavy, and aggressive metal onslaught that is The Black Moriah's killer "Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins" album!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Keep it heavy and keep it craft!!