February 2nd, 2022 - Punching The Rye In The Sky

 

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight rockin' out with "Punching The Sky" from the mighty Armored Saint and a crisp and delicious Rye In The Sky Pale Ale from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Armored Saint
• Title: "Punching The Sky"
• Recorded: 2020 at El Dorado Studios in Burbank, California and Skullseven Studios in North Hollywood, California
• Release date: October 23rd, 2020 (8th studio album by Armored Saint)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Joey Vera
• Album cover art: Steve Stone
• Personnel: John Bush (lead vocals), Jeff Duncan (guitars and backing vocals), Gonzo Sandoval (drums and percussion), Phil Sandoval (guitars), and Joey Vera (bass guitar and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Jacob Ayala (percussion), Patrick D'Arcy (Uilleann pipes), and Dizzy Reed (keyboards) 
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Heavy, fast-paced, and pure and honest rockin' metal with some nice bluesy elements!   The powerhouse guitar and drums of the Sandoval brothers is truly wonderful! 
• Major themes: Rebellion, life, death, legacy, freedom, mediocrity, violence, knowledge, self-reliance, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants"
2. "End Of The Attention Span"
3. "Bubble"
4. "My Jurisdiction"
5. "Do Wrong To None"
6. "Lone Wolf"
7. "Missile To Gun"
8. "Fly In The Ointment"
9. "Bark, No Bite"
10. "Unfair"
11. "Never You Fret"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com//
• Brew: Rye In The Sky Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA) 
• Serving: 25-ounce crowler can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• Ingredients: Casacde and Mosaic hops 
• Pour: The Rye In The Sky Pale Ale pours a hazy, bright golden-yellow hue with an off-white, 1+ finger, billowy head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, earthy, malty, peppery and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of barley, pine resin, grapefruit rind, lemon zest, tangerine, freshly baked rye bread, and soft caramel. 
• Taste: The taste of the Rye In The Sky Pale Ale follows the nose with lots of hoppy, malty, peppery, and earthy flavors.  There are notes of rye bread, pine, tangerine, grapefruit, bready biscuit, pine, light herbs, black pepper, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and refreshing with a dry, clean, moderately bitter, peppery finish.

Overall pairing: The crushable, very drinkable tastiness of the Rye In The Sky Pale Ale is perfect for a evening of rocking out to the rockin' goodness that is Armored Saint's "Punching The Sky"!  Those bold hop flavors are great for the soaring guitars while the malty backbone goes great with the heavy bass and drums as well as the tight musicianship and the hard rock sensibility and inventiveness. And the peppery rye flavor is perfect for Bush's vocal!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!

Make sure to check out my interview with Phil Sandoval here: https://youtu.be/g9PW1pMpDcQ