May 17th, 2026 - A Grand Sláinte in Celebration of Satan's Love

 

Hails evil-doers and craft brew fans!  Let's all do some heavy duty headbangin' on this cloudy sabbath with Satan's Host's killer album "Celebration: For the Love of Satan" and a bold and delicious Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout from Proper Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Satan's Host
• Title: "Celebration: For the Love of Satan"
• Recorded: July through September 2011 at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado
• Release date: November 21st, 2011 (8th full-length studio album by Satan's Host)
• Record company: Moribund Records 
• Production: Dave Otero 
• Album cover art: Chris Moyen 
• Personnel: Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, aka Leviathan Thisiren (vocals), Patrick Elkins aka Satan Patrick Evil (guitars), and Anthony Lopez (drums) 
• Musical style: Power metal with elements of black metal, doom metal, and thrash metal
• Sound: Consisting of re-recorded songs from the band history and incredibly heavy, the sound on "Celebration: For the Love of Satan" is everything a metal album should be!  It is aggressive, powerful, bombastic, evil, and fiery!  I cannot say enough about how badass this band is... Conklin's vocals soar (as always) as well as growl and bite, Patrick Evil's guitar work is mind-blowing, Margar's bass is Ash's "boom stick" incarnate, and the Evil Hobbit's drumming is both machine gun fire intensity and a thunderous juggernaut!   And if you get a chance to see this band live, DO SO!!  You will not be sorry!   I highly recommend this wonderful and underrated band!!
• Major themes: Evil, darkness, the occult, Hell, Satan, damnation, black magic, death, destruction, rebellion, horror, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "For The Love Of Satan"
2. "Hell Fire"
3. "Metal From Hell"
4. "Witches Return"
5. "Cauldron Of The Ancients"
6. "Nightside Of Eden"
7. "Ecliptic Equinox"
8. "H.E.L.L."
9. "Satanic Grimoire"
10. "The Cursing (Vampyric Evil Eye)"
11. "Dark Priest (Lord Ahriman)"
12. "Convictions"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com/ 
• Brew: Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout 
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.5%
• Ingredients: Maris Otter Malt, Proximity Base Malt, Flacked Barley, Carmalt, Roasted Barley, Black Malt, Biscuit Malt, Galena Hops, and EKG Hops
• Pour: The Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout pours an opaque, deep, dark ink black hue with a light mocha, 1+ finger, creamy head that dissipates slowly to a thin ring with layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is roasty, toasty, and earthy.  There are aromas of roasted barley, dark toasted bread, dark chocolate, dark roasted espresso beans, rich soil, burnt toffee, oak, and a hint of bourbon.
• Taste: The taste of the Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout follows the nose with earthy, chocolatey, roasty, and toasty flavors.  There are notes of dark roasted malts, hearty barley, dark roasted coffee, light cream, roasted walnuts, light cocoa, bittersweet dark chocolate, and rich bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout is thick and velvety smooth with a creamy, dry, and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: I think the Grand Sláinte Imperial Stout is the perfect brew to sip whilst listening to the bold and aggressive heavy metal beast that is Satan's Host's "Celebration: For the Love of Satan"!  Those earthy, dark malt notes go great with the darker lyrical subject matter and the intense wails of Conklin, while the sweeter chocolate notes are great for the fiery guitar licks of Satan Patrick Evil!  I also like the look of the awesome album artwork juxtaposed with the cool beer can label!

Make sure to check out my 2023 interview with vocalist Harry Conklin here: https://youtu.be/Jy3QZDJhLac

Sláinte and HAILS!!