May 27th, 2016 - Beyond Good And The Evil Cousin

Good afternoon and hails!!  Your pal the Meister here today with another rocking pairing for you... "Beyond Good And Evil" by the Cult and an Evil Cousin Hoppy Double IPA from Heretic Brewing Company!  Oh yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Cult
• Title: "Beyond Good And Evil"
• Recorded: 2000
  Release date: June 20th, 2001 (7th studio album by the Cult)
• Record company: Atlantic Records
• Production: Bob Rock
• Album cover art: P.R. Brown
• Personnel: Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitars), and Matt Sorum (drums and percussion)
• Additional musicians: Martyn LeNoble (bass on tracks 5, 10, 11, and 12) and Chris Wyse (bass on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, alternative rock with elements of gothic rock
• Sound: Heavier than earlier works, the sound on "Beyond Good And Evil" is aggressive and thunderous with a modern flair.  Sorum's drumming is a pure adrenaline rush!  Duffy's guitars are wonderfully crunchy and aggressive!  And Astbury's vocal range is rich and honest as ever!
• Major themes: "Beyond Good And Evil" is an examination of human nature and socio-political criticism.  Themes include life and death, war, violence, nihilism, love, hate, drug abuse, self-reliance, knowledge, etc.
• Notes: The title of the album is of course a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche's 1886 book of the same title.  The Cult briefly had given it the hilarious working title of "Bring Me The Head Of Dave Grohl"!  Astbury had wanted to call the album "Demon Process", but was outvoted. 
• Tracks:   

1. "War (The Process)"
2. "The Saint"
3. "Rise"
4. "Take The Power"
5. "Breathe"
6. "Nico"
7. "American Gothic"
8. "Ashes And Ghosts"
9. "Shape The Sky"
10. "Speed Of Light"
11. "True Believers"
12. "My Bridges Burn"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Heretic Brewing Company (Fairfield, California)
• Website: www.hereticbrewing.com
• Brew: Evil Cousin Hoppy Double IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (IPA) / Imperial IPA
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.0%
• IBUs: 100
• Pour: The Evil Cousin pours a slightly hazy, golden apple-amber with a bright, white, 2-finger frothy head with good retention and intricate, spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very hop forward with lots of citrus, tropical fruit, herbs, and floral and dank earthiness.  There are strong tropical notes of mango and pineapple, grapefruit rind and juice, lemon zest, orange zest, and pine resin with more subtle aromas of cereal grains and caramel malt in the back.
• Taste: A "bold, in-your-face hop monster", the Evil Cousin is a very hop-forward Imperial IPA.  There are not-so-subtle notes of pink grapefruit juice, grapefruit rind, tangerine, black tea, pine, spicy herbs, wild flowers, hints of crackery grains and toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with solid carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing, yet somewhat oily with a dry and bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, yet straight-forward hoppy bitterness of the Evil Cousin from Heretic Brewing Company is an excellent brew to pair with the powerhouse rockin' honesty that the songs on "Beyond Good And Evil" express!  Astbury vocal range is wonderfully complimented by those citrus and tropical fruit flavors, while the bitter pine notes and heartier malts are great for Duffy's monster guitar work and the thunderous brilliance that is Sorum!

Cheers and hails!!  Keep it heavy and keep it craft!!