February 27th, 2025 - Sometimes Rivals Make Unusual Friendships

 

Hello and happy Thursday metal maniacs and craft brew lovers!  The Meista here this evening pairing "Rivals", the 4th album by nu metal/groove metal band Coal Chamber and a delicious, juicy, and hoppy Unusual Friendships NE-Style Hazy India Pale Ale from the fine folks at Revision Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Coal Chamber
• Title: "Rivals"
• Recorded: October through December 2014 at Audio Hammer in Sanford, Florida
• Release date: May 19th, 2015 (4th full-length studio album by Coal Chamber)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Mark Lewis
• Album cover art: 
• Personnel: Mike Cox (drums), Dez Fafara (lead vocals), Nadja Peulen (bass), and Miguel Rascón (guitars)
• Guest musician:  Al Jourgensen (vocals on "Suffer In Silence")
• Musical style: Nu metal, groove metal
• Sound: With driving rhythms and guitars, and aggressive vocals, the sound on "Rivals" expands on the band's early 2000s sound, but with a more modern take.  In terms of Coal Chamber, I came to the game pretty late.  Admittedly, I was never a big fan of the nu metal sound, but something about this album kinda grabbed me.  I like the grooves and Fafara's aggressive vocal approach.
• Major themes: Rage, hate, isolation, suffering, pain, anger, vengeance, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "I.O.U. Nothing"
2. "Bad Blood Between Us"
3. "Light In The Shadows"
4. "Suffer In Silence"
5. "The Bridges You Burn"
6. "Orion"
7. "Another Nail In The Coffin"
8. "Rivals"
9. "Wait"
10. "Dumpster Dive"
11. "Over My Head"
12. "Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets"
13. "Empty Handed"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Revision Brewing Company (Sparks, Nevada) 
• Website: https://revisionbrewing.com/
• Brew: Unusual Friendships NE-Style Hazy India Pale Ale 
• Style: New England-style Hazy India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.8%
• IBUs: 42
• Ingredients: Citra and Galaxy hops
• Pour: The Unusual Friendships pours a very hazy golden-yellow hue with a frothy, bright white, half-finger head with good retention and sudsy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very tropical and citrusy with more subtle floral and malt elements.  There are aromas of tangerine, mandarin oranges, lemon zest, lime juice and peel, grapefruit rind, bright mango, freshly cut melon, wildflowers, light pine resin, freshly cut hay, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Hop-forward and very juicy, the taste of the Unusual Friendships is citrusy, fruity, and slightly sweet.  There are notes of tangerine, mandarin orange juice, honeydew, cantaloupe, lime, mango, pineapple, guava, light pine, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and very juicy, yet smooth and creamy with a dry, slightly sweet, slightly boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Unusual Friendship from Revision Brewing is a punchy, yet very drinkable and refreshing, hoppy brew... great for pairing with the aggression of Coal Chamber's "Rivals"!  The complexity and uniqueness of the beer aligns well with the pain and aggression of the tracks on the album!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!