September 13th, 2024 - Invidious Dominion of the Hopsters

 

Hello metalheads and craft beer freaks!!  Happy Friday the 13th!  The Meista here with another great pairing for ya to start off the weekend... "Invidious Dominion" by the mighty Malevolent Creation and a tasty and bold Hopsters Double IPA from the fine folks at Epic Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Malevolent Creation
• Title: "Invidious Dominion"
• Recorded: 2010 at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida 
• Release date: August 24th, 2010 (11th studio album by Malevolent Creation)
• Record company: Century Media 
• Production: Erik Rutan and Malevolent Creation 
• Album cover art: Pär Olofsson 
• Personnel: Jason Blachowicz (bass), Phil Fasciana (guitars), Gio Geraca (guitars), Brett Hoffmann (vocals), and Gus Rios (drums) 
• Guest musician: Jerry Mortellaro (guitar solo on "Invidious Dominion")
• Musical style: Death metal
• Sound: Aggressive and brutal as hell, the sound on "Invidious Dominion" will kick your eardrums through the wall!
• Major themes: Death, warfare, the industrial military complex, violence, fear, darkness, oblivion, insanity, isolation, evil, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Intro"
2. "United Hate"
3. "Conflict Finalized"
4. "Slaughter House"
5. "Compulsive Face Breaker"
6. "Target Rich Environment"
7. "Lead Spitter"
8. "Antagonized"
9. "Born Again Hard"
10. "Corruptor"
11. "Invidious Dominion"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.epicbrewing.com/
• Brew: Hopsters Double IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 9.0%
• Ingredients: Amarillo, Centennial, and Magnum hops, and 2-Row Brewers malt, Dextrin malt, and light candy sugars
• Pour: The Hopsters Double IPA pours a clear, bright golden yellow hue with a thin, bright white head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving very light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, dank, floral, herbal, and malty aromas.  There are notes of grapefruit rind, tangerine, orange tea, wet pine needles, cannabis, bready malts, a hint of onion, wildflowers, and burnt toffee. 
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with dank, citrusy, and malty flavors.  There are notes of grapefruit juice, orange zest and pith, pine resin, doughy bread, black tea, thyme, black pepper, and caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Hopsters Double IPA is oily, yet crisp with a dry, bittersweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Epic Hopsters Double IPA is a bold, dank, and hoppy brew ... great for the dark elements of Malevolent Creation's killer "Invidious Dominion" album!  Those malty notes blend wonderfully well with the thunderous crunch of the guitars, bass, and drums while the bitter hops go great with the brutal vocals! 'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails... keep it metal and keep it craft!!