April 20th, 2024 - Bleeding Out from an Attempted Murder

 

Hello, hails, and happy Saturday rockers, metalheads, and craft beer freaks!  The Meista here with another killer brew and killer album pairing for ya my friends!  Today, I'm rocking out to Within Temptation's most recent album, "Bleed Out" along with a bold and tasty Attempted Murder Vanilla Cinnamon Imperial Stout from Bombastic Brewing!  Oh, hell yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Within Temptation
• Title: "Bleed Out"
• Recorded: 
• Release date: October 20th, 2023 (8th studio album by Within Temptation)
• Record company: Music On CD
• Production: Daniel Gibson, Mathijs Tieken, and Within Temptation, Martijn Swier (executive producer) 
• Album cover art: Anato Finnstark 
• Personnel: Mike Coolen (drums), Sharon den Adel (vocals), Stefan Helleblad (guitars), Ruud Jolie (guitars), Martijn Spierenburg (keyboards), Jeroen van Veen (bass guitar), and Robert Westerholt (guitars)
• Additional musicians: Daniel Gibson (backing vocals), Rudi Schwarzer (vocals on "Shed My Skin"), and Christoph Wieczorek (vocals on "Shed My Skin")
• Musical style: Alternative rock/metal with elements of symphonic metal, gothic metal, pop, electronic, and industrial influence
• Sound: Steeped in complex and dark symphonic and gothic elements, the sound on "Bleed Out" is a mix of classic Within Temptation with more modern and aggressive elements. It is probably their heaviest and most aggressive album (both musically and lyrically) to date.
• Major themes: War, violence, death, life, vengeance, darkness, anger, rage, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "We Go To War"
2. "Bleed Out"
3. "Wireless"
4. "Worth Dying For"
5. "Ritual"
6. "Cyanide Love"
7. "The Purge"
8. "Don't Pray For Me"
9. "Shed My Skin"
10. "Unbroken"
11. "Entertain You"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bombastic Brewing (Hayden, Idaho)
• Website: https://www.bombasticbrewing.com/
• Brew: Attempted Murder Vanilla Cinnamon Imperial Stout 
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 47
• Pour: The Attempted Murder pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost black) hue with a billowy and creamy, 1+ finger, mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, malty, chocolaty, spicy, and boozy.  There are aromas of dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla beans, espresso, oak, and rich bourbon. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Attempted Murder is rich, roasty, malty, chocolaty, and boozy.  There are notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, burnt toffee, creamy vanilla, roasted walnuts, and rich bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is silky, velvety, and thick and chewy with a dry, bittersweet, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The rich and complex flavors and aromas of the Attempted Murder are the perfect beer for an evening of rocking out to Within Temptation's wonderful "Bleed Out" album!  The boozier, more bitter notes are great for the aggressive machine gun fire guitars and drums, while the sweeter malt aromas and flavors are a great companion to Sharon den Adel's beautiful vocals and the soaring keys!

And make sure to check out my interview with Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie here: https://youtu.be/qbD4PE3vvs4 

Proost!!  Rock on!!