February 20th, 2022 - Gates Of Annihilation In The Ziggurat Cot

 

Hello and happy Sunday headbangers, evildoers, and craft beer freaks!  Your pal the Meista here today pairing Morbid Angel's killer "Gates Of Annihilation" album and a tasty and unique gluten-free Ziggurat Cot Apricot Buckweizen from Ground Breaker Brewing Gastropub!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Morbid Angel 
• Title: "Gates Of Annihilation"
• Recorded: at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida
  Release date: October 17th, 2000 (6th official studio album by Morbid Angel)
• Record company: Earache Records
• Production: Jim Morris and Morbid Angel
• Album cover art: Dan Seagrave
• Personnel: Trey Azagthoth (guitars and backing vocals), Erik Rutan (guitars and keyboards), Pete Sandoval (drums), and Steve Tucker (bass and lead vocals)
• Musical style: Death metal with elements of doom metal
• Sound: Somewhat slower, more experimental, and a little more atmospheric than previous albums, "Gates Of Annihilation" is still a major tour de force!  It seems Morbid Angel fans either love or hate this album.  I'm actually a very big fan.  Yes, it employs a droning sound, and it may be more "produced" and slower than earlier works, but Azagthoth's muted tremolo guitar work still shreds, Sandoval's thunderous double bass and precision beats still stop you dead in your tracks, and Tucker's vocals are aggressive and brutal as hell!  I think most the nay sayers fall in the category of people that wanted the band to just recreate their first two albums over and over and over again.  I personally prefer growth and experimentation, but that's just me!  :)
• Major themes: The occult, Sumerian mythology, history, death, ancient gods, horror, violence, anti-theism, philosophy, strength vs. weakness, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Kawazu"
2. "Summoning Redemption"
3. "Ageless, Still I Am"
4. "He Who Sleep"
5. "To The Victor The Spoils"
6. "At One With Nothing"
7. "Opening Of The Gates"
8. "Secured Limitations"
9. "Awakening"
10. "I"
11. "God Of The Forsaken"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ground Breaker Brewing Gastropub (Portland, Oregon)
• Website: https://www.groundbreakerbrewing.com/
• Brew: Ziggurat Cot Apricot Buckweizen
• Style: American Buckweizen / Gluten Free “Hefeweizen"
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.8%
• IBUs: 22
• Ingredients: Eckert and Grouse gluten-free malts, apricots
• Pour: The Ziggurat Cot pours a cloudy, golden orange with a thin, yet firm, off-white head that dissipates to a thin ring with very little lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Ziggurat Cot is fruity, grainy, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of freshly picked apricots, dried apricot, light biscuit, cereal grain, and light toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste is fruity, biscuity, and slightly sweet.  There are well-balanced notes of apricot jam, fruit leather, dried apricots, crackery biscuit, light toasted bread, buckwheat, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, juicy, and slightly tart.  The finish is fairly clean, but with a slight lingering sweetness.

Overall pairing: With a light, yet well-balanced, fruity tastiness, the Ground Breaker's Ziggurat Cot makes for a great foil to death metal onslaught that is "Gates Of Annihilation"!  The maltiness and buckwheat is great for the brutal and thunderous rhythm section and the sweeter/tarter fruit, as well as the sweet caramel/toffee notes are perfect for Trey's and Rutan's electrifying guitar work!  I also think the label and the album artwork work well together.

Cheers and hails!!  Raise those horns and raise those pints!!