April 29th, 2016 - Epic Vertical Pandemonium

Happy Friday!  The Meista here going full-throttle aggressive today with a Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic from Stone Brewing Company and "Pandemonium" by Cavalera Conspiracy!  GRRRRRR!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cavalera Conspiracy
• Title: "Pandemonium"
• Recorded: 2014 at Loud Audio Recording at Glendale, Arizona
• Release date: October 31st, 2014 (3rd studio album by Cavalera Conspiracy)009-02-03)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Max Cavalera
• Album cover art: Stephan Doitschinoff
• Personnel: Igor Cavalera (drums and percussion), Max Cavalera (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Nate Newton (bass guitar and co-lead vocals on "The Crucible"), and Marc Rizzo (lead and rhythm guitar)
• Musical style: Thrash metal, death metal
• Sound: Incredibly fast, incredibly fast, (did I mention incredibly fast?), aggressive, menacing, and pure metal!  Max stated the following regarding what he was pushing with Igor on the album: "It’s like trying to make him play fast like he’s 15-years-old … You’re gonna play fast the whole time and every time he was in a groove, I’d say, ‘Fuck the groove, get out of the groove and go back to fast."
• Major themes: Aggression, war, violence, chaos, political and social criticism, blind faith, power, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Babylonian Pandemonium"
2. "Bonzai Kamikazee"
3. "Scum"
4. "I, Barbarian"
5. "Cramunhão"
6. "Apex Predator"
7. "Insurrection"
8. "Not Losing The Edge"
9. "Father Of Hate"
10. "The Crucible"
11. "Deus Ex Machina" (bonus track)
12. "Porra" (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, California)
• Website: www.stonebrewing.com   
• Brew: Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic
• Style: Strong Golden Belgian India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.6%
• Ingredients: Ahtanum, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops
• Pour: Hazy golden-yellow hue with a frothy and creamy bright white head with good sustain and lacing.
• Nose: Fruity, spicy, hoppy, and earthy, the nose is characterized by aromas of Belgian yeast (soft banana, spicy clove, and hints of bubble gum), citrus (grapefruit and tangerine), pine resin, and soft grains and malt.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Vertical Epic is fruity, hoppy, and spicy with more subtle hints of bready malt.  There are notes of Belgian yeast, banana, orange peel, lemon zest, and clove along with soft caramel and lots of complex bitterness.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, refreshing, and somewhat sticky with a very dry and pleasantly spicy and bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Like all Cavalera Conspiracy albums and Max-era Sepultura albums, "Pandemonium" is a powerfully aggressive and menacing work of metal goodness that not only an aggressive brew, but something of marked complexity and depth... and that's where the Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic comes in!  Those punchy and bitter American hops blended with a spicy Belgian yeast strain are perfect for the powerful metal that can only come from the Cavalera brothers and the amazing guitar acrobatics of Marc Rizzo!

Saude!!  Hails!!