September 10th, 2021 - Senjutsu, Sun, & Steel

 

Good evening evildoers, headbangers, and craft brew lovers!  Happy Friday!  The Meista here tonight pairing "Senjutsu", the brand-spanking-new album by metal legends Iron Maiden and a very refreshing, crisp, tasty, and unique Trooper Sun & Steel Sake Lager by Iron Maiden from Robinsons Brewery!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Iron Maiden
• Title: "Senjutsu"
• Recorded: 2019 at Guillaume Tell Studio in Paris, France 
• Release date: September 3rd, 2021 (17th studio album by Iron Maiden)
• Record company: Parlophone / Warner 
• Production: Kevin Shirley and Steve Harris
• Album cover art: Stuart Crouch Creative (art direction and design), Mark "The Tinkerer" Wilkinson (illustrations), Michael Knowland (illustrations), and Ruth Rowland (calligraphy) 
• Personnel: Bruce Dickinson (lead vocals), Janick Gers (guitars), Steve Harris (bass and keyboards), Nicko McBrain (drums), Dave Murray (guitars), and Adrian Smith (guitars)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, progressive metal
• Sound: It is Iron Maiden... so it kicks ass!!  Although older and more refined, Dickinson's vocals are powerful, soulful, and as monstrous as they've always been!  And the rest of the band lays it down and lays it down hard!  There are elements from throughout their long career, and yet the album is fresh and modern.  Aggressive and progressive riffs, intricate harmonies and melodies, soaring and passionate vocals, powerful solos... really, really epic stuff!!  
• Major themes: War, tactics and strategy, violence, mythology, history, death, etc.
• Tracks:  
1. "Senjutsu"
2. "Stratego"
3. "The Writing On The Wall"
4. "Lost In A Lost World"
5. "Days Of Future Past"
6. "The Time Machine"
7. "Darkest Hour"
8. "Death Of The Celts"
9. "The Parchment"
10. "Hell On Earth"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Robinsons Brewery (Stockport, England)
• Website: https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/ 
• Brew: Trooper Sun & Steel Sake Lager by Iron Maiden
• Style: Pilsner
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.8% 
• Ingredients: Pilsner, barley, and wheat malts with "authentic Japanese saké yeast from the award-winning Okunomatsu saké brewery in Japan" 
• Pour: The Sun & Steel pours a clear, pale yellow with a billowy bright white, 1+ finger head with lots of sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, grassy, fruity, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of crackery grains, flowery hops, gooseberry, grapeseed oil, apple, pear, honey lychee, and light saké, which becomes more pungent as it warms.
• Taste: The taste of the Sun & Steel follows the nose with lots of delicious grassy, grainy, and fruity flavors.  There are notes of grassy hops, crackery biscuit, cracked wheat, apple, gooseberry, white grape, and a hint of saké in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, very refreshing, and very smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: This pairing seemed pretty obvious... for both the imagery and flavors, the Trooper Sun & Steel Sake Lager by Iron Maiden from Robinson Brewery is the perfect brew to throw back in the steamy dog days of summer to accompany the epic, progressive metal attack that is the mighty Iron Maiden!  'Nuff said!  

Kanpai and hails headbangers!!  Up the Irons!!