June 21st, 2021 - A Hop Uprising

Hello and hails rock and rollers and craft brew lovers!  Your drinkin' buddy the Meista here today rocking out to a couple kick-ass locals from my area: "An Uprising" by Salt Lake City thrash metal band Swine Of Dissent and a Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA from the Squatters Brewery!

Album Info:

• Artist: Swine Of Dissent
• Title: "An Uprising"
• Recorded: 2020 
• Release date: September 25th, 2020 (1st full-length studio album by Swine Of Dissent)
• Record company: Swine Records
• Production: Swine Of Dissent
• Album cover art: CVSPE (artwork) and Jimmy Scott (layout and design)
• Personnel: Rex Haggard (lead guitars and vocals), Jimmy Scott (guitars and lead vocals), Jeremy Spence (bass and vocals), and Justin Tuft (drums)
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: Steeped in a healthy dose of old school German thrash metal (i.e. Kreator, Destruction, etc.) and Swedish melodic death metal (i.e. At The Gates, Children Of Bodom, etc.), Swine Of Dissent's sound is pure, aggressive metal!  The tracks on "An Uprising" are characterized by fast and fiery riffs, a driving rhythm section, and aggressive growling vocals, but also all very melodic passages with soaring guitar solos.
• Major themes: Violence, death, isolation, pain, loss, deception, society, insanity, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Rise"
2. "Ascension"
3. "With Serpent Tongue"
4. "From The Ashes"
5. "The Passing"
6. "Bred To Kill"
7. "People Of The Lie" (Kreator cover)
8. "Schizophrenic Personality"
9. "Dystopian Ballad" (bonus track from 2018 demo)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative (Squatters Brewery) (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: www.squatters.com/ 
• Brew: Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) / Imperial IPA (IIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 9.0%
• IBUs: 72
• Pour: The Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA pours a hazy, golden peach hue with a 1-finger, frothy white head.  As the head recedes, sustained spider web lacing is left behind. 
• Nose: The nose is very citrusy, tropical, malty, slightly bitter, and sweet.  There are strong notes of pineapple, grapefruit rind, tangerine, mango, guava, orange, lime, black tea, baked bread, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The flavor is marked by lots of juicy tropical and citrus fruits along with bitter herbs and sweetness.  There are notes of pineapple, pink grapefruit, orange pith, lime, mango, tangerine, black tea, sweet caramel, and a hint of booze.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA is effervescent, sharp, and crisp with a dry, slightly boozy and sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Squatters Hop Rising Tropical Double IPA is a punchy, hop-forward, yet bright and tasty brew... great for the raw, thrashing aggressive intensity of Swine of Dissent's killer debut, full-length album!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!