April 3rd, 2016 - Raise Your Horns To The Dagda And The Jomsviking!

God kväll!!  The Meista is getting heavy and aggressive tonight with the brand new "Jomsviking" by Amon Amarth and The Dagda India Pale Ale from brand new Ogden, Utah brewery Talisman Brewing Company! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Amon Amarth
• Title: "Jomsviking"
• Recorded: 2015 and 2016 at Backstage Productions in Derbyshire, England
• Release date: March 25th, 2016 (10th studio album by Amon Amarth)009-02-03)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Andy Sneap
• Album cover art: Tom Thiel
• Personnel: Johan Hegg (vocals), Ted Lundström (bass guitar), Olavi Mikkonen (guitars), and Johan Söderberg (guitar)
• Additional musicians: Tobias Gustafsson (drums) and Doro Pesch (guest vocals on "A Dream That Cannot Be")
• Musical style: Melodic death metal, Viking metal, power metal
• Sound: Powerfully aggressive and also very melodic, the sound on "Jomsviking" is an onslaught of metal perfection!  The guitar work of Mikkonen and Söderberg soars while Lundström lays down a thunderous boom with help from guest drummer Tobias Gustafsson!  And Hegg's vocals are as brutal, honest, and fun to listen to as always!  The guest vocals of Doro on "A Dream That Cannot Be" is a very nice surprise too!
• Major themes: The album is a concept album (the first by the band).  Vocalist Hegg described the album's concept in an interview as follows: "The Jomsvikings and their world is the background for the story of a young man that is in love with a girl but unfortunately she's being married off. He accidentally kills a man when this happens and he has to flee — but he swears to have revenge and win her back. He can't let go of the past. He feels that he's been wronged and his life has been destroyed. The way the story evolves is not a happy story."  Themes include love, loss, suffering, vengeance, drinking, redemption, violence, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "First Kill"
2. "Wanderer"
3. "On A Sea Of Blood"
4. "One Against All"
5. "Raise Your Horns"
6. "The Way Of The Vikings"
7. "At Dawn's First Light"
8. "One Thousand Burning Arrows"
9. "Vengeance Is My Name"
10. "A Dream That Cannot Be"
11. "Back On Northern Shores"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: http://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: The Dagda India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.5%
• IBUs: 65
• Pour: Very hazy honey gold with half-finger, off-white head that dissipates to a nice, creamy ring with only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Dagda is dank, piney, resinous, floral, and somewhat sweet with a malty backbone.  There are aromas of wild flowers, pine and cedar, wild honey, soft caramel, and bready biscuit.
• Taste: Hop forward and malty, the taste of the Dagda is a very drinkable, but with a good dose of punchy aggressiveness.  There are notes of spicy herbs, pine, fresh baked bread, honey, white pepper, and hints of toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very smooth and crisp with a dry, peppery, and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Although the Dagda is Celtic forest god rather than a Norse god, I thought the mythological themes along with the hoppy aggressiveness would be perfect for the fast-paced sonic decimation that is Amon Amarth's "Jomsviking"... and I was right!  That piney, resinous aroma and flavor conjures images of Vikings battling in a snowy forest!

I picked up "Jomsviking" from the one and only Heavy Metal Shop (www.heavymetalshop.com) in Salt Lake City, Utah and you should too!!

Skål!!  Hails!!