Good evening! Tonight I'm pairing a Full Sail Brewer's Share Alt (aka Phil's Existential Alt) with symphonic power metal monsters, Kamelot and their 2008 album, "Ghost Opera"! I just picked up the deluxe edition today on iTunes: "Ghost Opera - The Second Coming" Re-release, which includes a second disc of live tracks and 3 bonus tracks... and it KICKS ASS!! This pairing goes out to my power metal brother-in-arms, Jeff Turner! Cheers buddy!!
"Ghost Opera" is the 8th studio album release from Kamelot. The line-up on "Ghost Opera" was former vocalist Roy Khan, Thomas Youngblood on guitars, Glenn Barry on bass (his last album with the band), Casey Grillo on drums, and Oliver Palotai on keyboards (his first album with the band). Also included on the album is orchestration and additional keys arranged by Miro, amazing female vocals by Epica's Simone Simons and Amanda Somerville, and additional guitars by Sascha Paeth. As with any and all Kamelot works, "Ghost Opera" is a masterfully crafted and executed work of sonic art! It is richly complex, thoughtful, beautiful, dark, and powerfully bombastic! Khan's vocal performance is (dare I say it, yes!) magical. His range is perfect for the soaring and majestic guitar work of Youngblood, the beauty of Palotai's keys, and the driving power of Grillo's drums and Barry's bass thumping... a formative rhythm section to be sure. Songs like "Rule The World," "Ghost Opera," "The Human Stain" (brilliant!), "Blücher," "Love You To Death," "Up Through The Ashes," "Mourning Star," "Silence Of The Darkness," and "EdenEcho" are profoundly intense compositions of beauty, aggression, passion, and honesty. And don't even get me started on the bonus disc... truly fantastic live performances in Serbia that not only capture the live energy of the audience, but the true essence of the songs as well! And the 4 bonus tracks ("Seasons End," "Pendulous Fall," "Epilogue," and a remixed version of "Rule The World") are bonuses to the bonus!! This is definitely a wonderful follow up album to the incredible 2005 album, "The Black Halo"!
From the Full Sail website: (http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/beers/brewers-share.cfm) “A generous amount of Munich and Vienna malts give this beer its copper color and toasty-caramel aroma. German noble hops provide complimentary bitterness and a clean, dry finish. The beer has been cold-conditioned for six weeks and goes down smooth. ABV 5.1% IBU 43. Altbier is indigenous to Dusseldorf and Neanderthal man is indigenous to Dusseldorf. The ancient Germans thought a lot about their existence. Early myths contain some 200 verses about the creation of the world. The ancient Germans thought even more about beer, with 400 verses about beer making. Phil's Existential Alt celebrates our existence through our most celebrated beverage...beer!” Well, I'm not sure about all that, but I do know this is a mighty fine brew! In a large pint glass, it pours a cloudy, deep copper with a frothy, beige head that displays good retention and good lacing. The nose is very malty with notes of heavily grained toasted bread and slightly sweet toffee notes. The flavor follows suit... complex, yet incredibly drinkable! It definitely goes well with the complexities yet very inviting and listenable sound of Kamelot! Phil's Existential Alt has flavors of roasted hazelnut, multi-grain hand-crafted bakers bread, sweet caramels and toffees, and slightly bitter and mildly smoky hops. This is a well-balanced, tasty brew that goes down smooth and finishes clean. Good stuff!! (I think the bottle looks great against the album cover as well!)
Oh, I'll be seeing Kamelot live in 2 weeks with my buddy, Jeff... and we get to meet the band!!! I'm beside myself with excitement!!!!
Prosit!!
No comments:
Post a Comment