December 1st, 2017 - To Mega Therion

Gueten Oobe!  The Meista here getting heavy and aggressive with Celtic Frost classic "To Mega Therion" and an Alpha Centauri Imperial India Pale Ale from Hop Valley Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Celtic Frost
• Title: "To Mega Therion"
• Recorded: September 14th through the 28th, 1985 at Casablanca Studio in Berlin, Germany
• Release date: October 27th, 1985 (2nd full-length studio album by Celtic Frost)
• Record company: Noise Records
• Production: Horst Müller, Tom G. Warrior, and Karl Walterbach
• Album cover art: H. R. Giger
• Personnel: Reed St. Mark (drums, percussion, and effects), Dominic Steiner (bass and bass effects), and Tom G. Warrior (guitars, vocals, and effects)
• Additional musicians: Martin Ain (bass on tracks 2 and 3), Wolf Bender (French horn on tracks 1, 4, and 10), Claudia-Maria Mokri (additional vocals on tracks 2, 6, and 10), and Horst Müller, Urs Sprenger (sound effects on track 9)
• Musical style: Extreme metal (early black metal and early death metal) and thrash metal with elements of doom metal and gothic metal
• Sound: Heavily influential in both the black metal and death metal circles, "To Mega Therion" is one of those pivotal, landmark albums that grabs a hold of you and never lets go!  It is fast-paced, aggressive, dark, and completely original!  This is one of those albums that demands your utmost attention from the opening chord to final symbol crash!
• Major themes: Darkness, the occult, evil, death, horror, aggression, power, violence, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Innocence And Wrath"
2. "The Usurper"
3. "Jewel Throne"
4. "Dawn Of Megiddo"
5. "Eternal Summer"
6. "Circle Of The Tyrants"
7. "(Beyond The) North Winds"
8. "Fainted Eyes"
9. "Tears In A Prophet's Dream"
10. "Necromantical Screams"
11. "Return To The Eve" (1985 Studio Jam)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Hop Valley Brewing Company (Springfield, Oregon)
• Website: https://www.hopvalleybrewing.com/
• Brew: Alpha Centauri Imperial India Pale Ale
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.0%
• IBUs: 100
• Pour: The Alpha Centauri pours a hazy golden-amber hue with a big, 2-finger billowy, off-white head that dissipates to a thin ring with soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is dank, citrusy, malty, and spicy.  There are aromas of pine, grapefruit rind, bitter herbs, and hints of sweet malt.
• Taste: The taste of the Alpha Centauri is piney, citrusy, bitter, malty, and spicy.  There are notes of grapefruit rind, tangerine, orange peel, pine, black tea, minerals, bitter herbs, black pepper, and crackery malts with a hint of honey and caramel.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Alpha Centauri is crisp and sharp with a dry, spicy, and bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The dank, hop-forward and bitterly aggressive flavors of Hop Valley's Alpha Centauri Imperial India Pale Ale is the perfect brew for the groundbreaking brutality of Celtic Frost's earth-shattering album "To Mega Therion"!  Both are big, bold, angry, and impactful!
    

Proscht!!  HAILS!!