February 20th, 2016 - Carnival Of Soul Style

Good evening!  The Meista here rockin' out to "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions" by Kiss and enjoying a Soul Style India Pale Ale from Green Flash Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Kiss
• Title: "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions"
• Recorded: November 1995 through February 1996
• Release date: October 28th, 1997 (17th studio album by Kiss)
• Record company: Mercury Records
• Production: Toby Wright, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: Bruce Kulick (lead guitar, bass guitar on "Rain", "I Will Be There", "Jungle", "It Never Goes Away", "In the Mirror", and "I Walk Alone", and lead vocals on "I Walk Alone"), Gene Simmons (bass guitar and vocals), Eric Singer (drums, percussion, and backing vocals), and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar and vocals)
• Musical style: Grunge rock, hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: Unlike any other Kiss album, the music on "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions" is very much influenced by the Seattle grunge scene.  The guitars are down-tuned, the music is slower and heavier, and there is a much more serious and darker feel.
• Major themes: Lyrically more serious than other Kiss albums, themes include hate, love, sadness, isolation, self-determination, self-realization, the pursuit of truth, the pursuit of knowledge, etc.
• Notes: Kiss actually wasn't planning on releasing "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions" at the time, but bootleg copies had surfaced and were circulating, prompting the band to capitalize on the popularity.  Sadly, "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions" was the last Kiss album to feature the amazingly talented Bruce Kulick on lead guitar.  It is also Kiss album to feature his vocal talents.
• Tracks:   

1. "Hate"
2. "Rain"
3. "Master & Slave"
4. "Childhood's End"
5. "I Will Be There"
6. "Jungle"
7. "In My Head"
8. "It Never Goes Away"
9. "Seduction Of The Innocent"
10. "I Confess"
11. "In The Mirror"
12. "I Walk Alone"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: www.greenflashbrew.com
• Brew: Soul Style India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.8%
• IBUs: 75
• Ingredients: Pale malt with Citra, Simcoe, and Cascade hops
• Pour: Bright orange-gold with a white 1-finger head that leaves a nice ring and splashes of lacing throughout.
• Nose: Dominated by tropical fruit and citrus aromas, there are big scents of ripe mango, pineapple, clementine, tangerine, and "a hint of orange blossom honey" and caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Soul Style is a blast of citrus and tropical fruit.  There are notes of pink grapefruit, mango, melon, tangerine, and orange with more subtle notes of crackery biscuit, soft caramel, pine, and grassy hops.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Soul Style is very crisp, very refreshing, very smooth, but with some citrusy sharpness and a slightly bitter, but clean finish.

Overall pairing: The rockin', heavy punch of  "Carnival Of Souls: The Final Sessions" pairs really well with the overall hoppy and bitter IPA elements of Green Flash's fantastic and very drinkable Soul Style! 

Cheers!!