February 26th, 2018 - Point Of Entry For The Tangerine Express

Good evening metal heads and hopheads!  The Meista here tonight rocking the hell out to Judas Priest's classic "Point Of Entry" album (which is 37 years old today!) and a Tangerine Express IPA from Stone Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Judas Priest
• Title: "Point Of Entry"
• Recorded: October through November 1980 at Ibiza Studios in Ibiza, Spain
• Release date: February 26th, 1981 (7th studio album by Judas Priest)
• Record company: Columbia Records
• Production: Judas Priest and Tom Allom 
• Album cover art: John Berg
• Personnel: K.K. Downing (guitars), Rob Halford (vocals), Ian Hill (bass), Dave Holland (drums), and Glenn Tipton (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal
• Sound: Characterized by speed-metal pace drumming by Dave Holland, thunderstorm bass thumping by Ian Hill, the screaming dual guitars brilliance of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, and the pitch perfect, spit-fire fast vocals of Rob Halford, "Point Of Entry" is unadulterated, high-adrenaline hard rocking metal onslaught in its purest form!  With songs like "Heading Out On the Highway," "Desert Plains," Turning Circles," and "On The Run,"!   "Don't Go," "Solar Angels," "You Say Yes," "All The Way," "Troubleshooter," and my favorite on the album, the fast-paced rocker "Hot Rockin'" are all monster gems in their own right!
• Major themes: There's an open road, driving and rocking thematic thread throughout the album... definitely great traveling music!  Themes include solitude, isolation, power, frustration, honesty, etc.
• Notes: Although this album may not be as commercially successful as their two previous albums and subsequent follow-up albums, it is one of my all-time favorite metal albums!  Of the album, one of the band members once stated, "Recorded on the island of Ibiza with multiple distractions, glorious sunshine, and extremely low cost alcohol, this album was regarded with mixed feelings because it was different from what people expected. The album was nearly all spontaneously written and performed in Ibiza - it was an experiment in the sense that before this we had already written the majority of the songs before going into the studio."
• Tracks:   

1. "Heading Out To The Highway"
2. "Don't Go"
3. "Hot Rockin'"
4. "Turning Circles"
5. "Desert Plains"
6. "Solar Angels"
7. "You Say Yes"
8. "All The Way"
9. "Troubleshooter"
10. "On The Run"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, California)
• Website: http://www.stonebrewing.com/
• Brew: Tangerine Express IPA (formerly known as Mixtape Ale Vol 13)
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can 
• ABV: 6.7% 
• IBUs: 75
• Ingredients: Citra, Centennial, Sterling, Azacca, and Mosiac hops with tangerine and pineapple puree
• Pour: The Tangerine Express pours a very hazy bronze-orange hue with bright white, half-finger, frothy head that dissipates to the thin ring with soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is tropical, citrusy, sweet, and earthy.  It smells like an Orange Crush!  There are aromas of fresh tangerine, orange juice, orange peel, pineapple, mango, light grapefruit, and guava along with light grains and a hint of caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Tangerine Express follows the nose with great citrus, tropical fruit, hoppy, and lightly earthy and malty flavors.  There are notes of fresh squeezed tangerine juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, mango, grapefruit rind, bitter herbs, light grain, and a peppery finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, prickly, sharp, and slightly bitter with a very dry finish.

Overall pairing: The Stone Tangerine Express IPA is a bright, fruity, yet bitter punch of a brew, which is perfect for the heavy metal perfection that is Judas Priest's brilliant "Point Of Entry"!I'm still baffled as to why this album was not as well-accepted by Priest fans as other efforts.  It. Kicks. Ass!!

Cheers and hails!!