June 4th, 2019 - A Deep And Dark Victory At Sea

Guten abend!  The Meista here for tonight pairing the wonderful "The Deep & The Dark" by Visions Of Atlantis and a tasty Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla from Ballast Point Brewing Company!


Album Info:

• Artist: Visions Of Atlantis
• Title: "The Deep & The Dark"
• Recorded: at Silverlinemusic and Studio and The Scratching Tree Studio in Linz, Austria
• Release date: February 16th, 2018 (6th studio album by Visions Of Atlantis)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Frank Pitters
• Album cover art: Gyula Havancsák
• Personnel: Thomas Caser (drums), Clémentine Delauney (lead and backing vocals), Christian "Dushi" Douscha (guitars), Mike Koren (bass), and Siegfried Samer (lead and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Anton Konrath (shamanic vocals and additional percussion) and Frank Pitters (keyboards, arrangements, and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Symphonic power metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Characterized by complex and bombastic compositions, soaring and fiery guitars, soaring vocals, a thunderous rhythm section, and intricate keys, the sound on "The Deep & The Dark" is a tour de force!  Delauney's vocals are angelic and beautifully haunting while Samer's are powerful and melodic; they wonderfully compliment one another! 
• Major themes: The sea, love, relationships, mythology, fantasy, death, loss, temptation, self-doubt, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Deep & The Dark"
2. "Return To Lemuria"
3. "Ritual Night"
4. "The Silent Mutiny"
5. "Book Of Nature"
6. "The Last Home"
7. "The Grand Illusion"
8. "Dead Reckoning"
9. "Words Of War"
10. "Prayer To The Lost"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
• Brew: Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla
• Style: Imperial Porter
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10%
• IBUs: 60
• Ingredients: Infused with ¾ ounce cold brewed coffee beans per pint from Caffe Calabria
• Pour: Black as night with a firm, dark mocha head that dissipates quickly and leaves only trace lacing.
• Nose: Characterized by dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, sweet vanilla, and caramel, the Victory At Sea is loaded with huge, rich, and earthy notes.  There are aromas of cocoa, baker's bittersweet dark chocolate, black coffee, vanilla bean, fresh cream, marshmallow, caramel and toffee with hints of molasses, nutmeg, and light smokiness.
• Taste: The taste of the Victory At Sea is a bold, rich, complex blend of hearty malts, bitter and sweet coffee, and sweet vanilla, chocolate, and caramel.  There are big notes of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, dark roasted coffee, burnt toffee, rum, and vanilla, along with softer notes of cream, marshmallow, light anise, spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), molasses, and brown sugar.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, dense, and with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Victory At Sea is velvety smooth, creamy, sticky, and very thick.  The 10% ABV gives it a boozy kick, but it isn't overpowering.  The finish is dry and slightly bitter.

Overall pairing: With all its complexity, beautiful harmonies, and overall bombast, VOA's "The Deep & The Dark" is the perfect album for the thick, rich, and semi-sweet bold flavors and aromas of Ballast Point's tasty Victory At Sea Imperial Porter With Coffee And Vanilla!

PROST!!