July 7th, 2017 - The Helmet Breaker Scattered My Brain!

Hello and happy Friday!  The Meista here rocking and getting the weekend off the right way with "Scatterbrain", the sophomore release by super group KXM and Helmet Breaker IPA from Dystopian State Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!!


Album Info:

• Artist: KXM
• Title: "Scatterbrain"
• Recorded: 2017 at Steakhouse Studio in North Hollywood California
• Release date: March 17th, 2017 (2nd album by KXM)
• Record company: Rat Pak Records
• Production: KXM
• Album cover art: Jean Michel
• Personnel: Ray Luzier (drums), George Lynch (guitars), and dUg Pinnick (bass and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Oscar Santiago (percussion)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive metal
• Sound: A bit darker, more experimental, more diverse, and more progressive than their debut album, KXM's "Scatterbrain" is a powerful testament to the musical prowess of these individuals and the culmination of their talents!  The album "includes some different dynamics drawing inspiration from prog, ska, punk and metal" with an intense and unique .  Of the album vocalist Pinnick stated, “We wrote all the songs right on the spot and immediately recorded them, everyone doing his part and no one telling the other one what or how to play, just like the previous album!”.  Drummer Luzier added: “We wanted to use the same formula as the 1st KXM record…book studio time, come in fresh every day with a new idea, run with it and not over think anything”
• Major themes: Life and death, relationships, isolation, pain, reality, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Scatterbrain"
2. "Breakout"
3. "Big Sky Country"
4. "Calypso"
5. "Not A Single Word"
6. "Obsession"
7. "Noises In The Sky"
8. "Panic Attack"
9. "It's Never Enough"
10. "True Deceivers"
11. "Stand"
12. "Together"
13. "Angel"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Dystopian State Brewing Company (Tacoma, Washington)
• Website: https://www.dystopianstate.com/
• Brew: Helmet Breaker IPA         
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) / Double IPA (DIPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.2%
• IBUs: 72
• Ingredients: Munich and Crystal malts with Northwestern hops
• Pour: The Helmet Breaker pours a very cloudy, dark bronze-amber with a 1-finger off-white head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a wonderful blend of caramel and light biscuit malt, citrus, tropical fruit, dank earthiness, and grassy hops.  There are aromas of hearty malts, herbs, light pine resin, grapefruit rind, mango, orange zest, pineapple, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste is very hop-forward with citrus and floral hop profiles along with bold, sweet malts.  There are big notes of rich and hearty biscuit, creamy caramel/toffee, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, mango, light pine, and black tea.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Helmet Breaker IPA thick, creamy, and smooth (despite being big in hops) with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Helmet Breaker IPA from Dystopian State Brewing Company is a big, hop-forward, malty monster of a brew... perfect for the depth and power of  KXM's "Scatterbrain"!  The bold flavors and aromas work wonderfully with the soulful, heavy, and intricate characteristics of the tracks on this amazing album!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!