May 8th, 2022 - A Monument To All You Wolf Mothers Out There

 

Hey there thrashers and craft brew fans... happy Sunday!  And happy Mother's Day to all you metal moms out there!  The Meista here today rocking out with a Wolf Mother Hazy IPA from Mother Earth Brew Company and "Monument", the great 3rd album by legendary thrashers Hallows Eve!  Hell yeah!  A special thanks to my good friends Jason and Sonia for providing the tasty brew!  Thank you!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Hallows Eve
• Title: "Monument"
• Recorded: Late 1987 and early 1988 at Studio One in Atlanta, Georgia
• Release date: March 23rd, 1988 (3rd studio album by Hallows Eve)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: Donal Jones and Hallows Eve
• Album cover art: Ioannis (art direction and graphics) and Mick Rock (photography)
• Personnel: Stacy Andersen (vocals), Rob Clayton (drums and backing vocals), Tommy Stewart (bass and backing vocals), and David Stuart (guitars and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Thrash metal
• Sound: With higher production quality and a more radio friendly approach, the sound on "Monument" is maybe more commercial than their previous albums.  However, it is still wonderfully organic, tight, and chalk full of killer riffs and driving rhythms!  It is economical in approach with fairly short songs, yet still richly textured and filled with great hooks!
• Major subjects and themes: Speed, rebellion, humor, darkness, violence, metal, corruption, censorship, freedom, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Speed Freak"
2. "Sheer Heart Attack" (Queen cover)
3. "Rot Gut"
4. "Monument (To Nothing)"
5. "Pain Killer"
6. "The Mighty Decibel"
7. "The Righteous Ones"
8. "No Sanctuary"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mother Earth Brew Company (California)
• Website: https://www.motherearthbrewco.com/
• Brew: Wolf Mother Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA) 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.7%
• IBUs: 25
• Ingredients: Citra, Sabro, BRU-1 and hops with Dextrine malts
• Pour: The Wolf Mother Hazy IPA pours a very hazy, pale yellow-orange hue with a frothy, bright white, 1-finger head with good retention and soapy lacing. 
• Nose: The nose of the is citrusy, tropical, fruity, and slightly sweet.  There are big aromas of fresh pineapple, apricot, and peach along with orange juice and zest, grapefruit rind, tangerine, guava, mango, melon, light cereal grains, wildflowers, soft caramel, and light pine resin.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose and is characterized by citrusy, tropical, malty, and lightly earthy notes.  There are notes of orange juice, tangerine, pineapple juice, pink grapefruit juice, apricot, peach guava, mango, a hint of pine, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Wolf Mother Hazy IPA is crisp and juicy, yet also smooth and creamy with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The bright, fruity elements of Wolf Mother Hazy IPA go great with the fiery vocals and driving guitars of "Monument" while the solid malt backbone goes well with the hard rockin' intensity and power that is and always will be the kick-ass Hallows Eve!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!

Cheers!!