January 1st, 2016 - Stompin', Battering, And Ramming With Saxon And Coffee!

Good evening!!  The Meista here ringing in the new year and getting heavy with a pairing of Saxon's latest, "Battering Ram" (Deluxe Edition) and a Stompin' Grounds Coffee Stout from Uinta Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Saxon
• Title: "Battering Ram" (Deluxe Edition)
• Recorded: January through March 2015
• Release date: October 16th, 2015 (21st studio album by Saxon)
• Record company: UDR Music
• Production: Andy Sneap
• Album cover art: Paul Raymond Gregory
• Personnel: Biff Byford (lead vocals), Nibbs Carter (bass), Nigel Glocker (drums), Paul Quinn (guitars), and Doug Scarratt (guitars)
• Guest musicians: David Bower (spoken word), Seb Byford (backing vocals), and Jamie Scarratt (Moog synth)
• Musical style: Heavy metal/hard rock, power metal
• Sound: Although their 21st album marking an almost 40 year career, on "Battering Ram", NWOBHM Saxon show no signs of slowing down!  Quite the contrary in fact!  "Battering Ram" may be one of, if not their heaviest album to date!  The tone of the entire album is massive with explosive guitar riffs, thunderous drums and bass, and Biff's distinctive and brilliant vocals! 
• Major themes: With songs about knights, mythology, fantasy, comic books, war, and booze, themes include self-determination, self-reliance, power, vengeance, destruction and drinking!
• Tracks:  

1. "Battering Ram"
2. "The Devil's Footprint"
3. "Queen Of Hearts"
4. "Destroyer"
5. "Hard And Fast"
6. "Eye Of The Storm"
7. "Stand Your Ground"
8. "Top Of The World"
9. "To The End"
10. "Kingdom Of The Cross"
11. "Three Sheets To The Wind (The Drinking Song)" (Bonus Track)

I picked up this killer album from my buddy Kevin at the Heavy Metal Shop (www.heavymetalshop.com) and you should too!!

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Stompin' Grounds Coffee Stout
• Style: American Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.1%
• Ingredients: Made with coffee beans from Publik Coffee Roasters
• Pour: Black as night, black as hell with a 1-finger mocha head with excellent retention and frothy and layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a big blast of dark chocolate with hints of dark roasted coffee, dark malts, and earthy soil.
• Taste: Espresso upfront and dark chocolate in the finish, the flavor of the Stompin' Grounds is very earthy, very rich, very chocolaty, and bold.  There are notes of rich baker's chocolate, espresso, mocha, marshmallow, vanilla bean, and bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Stompin' Grounds is very smooth and velvety with a dry and chocolaty finish.

Overall pairing: The powerhouse intensity of Saxon's "Battering Ram" deserves nothing less than a big, bold, complex ass-kicker!  And that my friends is exactly what you will find corked in a bottle of Uinta's newest Crooked Line Series brew, the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Stout!  That rich coffee flavor is perfect for the richness of Biff's vocals while the bold stout flavors intermingle with the heavy duty musicianship of the Saxon boys quite nicely indeed! 

Be safe out there my friends... Cheers!!  Hails!!  Happy New Year!!