February 8th, 2023 - You Are Next, Inktvis!

 

Goedenavond metal maniacs!  The Meista here today getting a heavy and a little Dutch with Martyr's kick-ass 4th album "You Are Next" and a delicious and punchy Inktvis Black IPA from the fine folks at De Kromme Haring Brouwerij in Amsterdam!

Album Info:

• Artist: Martyr
• Title: "You Are Next"
• Recorded: Late 2015 at Jack's Place in Meerle, Belgium
  Release date: March 31st, 2016 (4th full-length studio album by Martyr)
• Record company: Into the LimeLight Records
• Production: Jack Nobelen and Martyr
• Album cover art: Vince Ruarus (artwork) and Harm Kindt (design)
• Personnel: Rick Bouwman (guitars), Wilfried Broekman (drums), Marcel Heesakkers (guitars), Jeffrey Bryan Rijnsburger (bass), and Rop van Haren (acoustic guitar and lead vocals) 
• Guest musician: John Jaycee Cuijpers (backing vocals on "Unborn Evil"), Nick Holleman (backing vocals on "Souls Breathe", "Monster", and "Crawl"), Johanna Kindt (child's spoken word on "Into The Darkest Of All Realms"), Andreas Lipinski (backing vocals on "Into The Darkest Of All Realms" and "In The End"), Gert Nijboer (lead guitar on "Monster"), Mario van Dooren (backing vocals on "Into The Darkest Of All Realms" and "Mother's Tear"), and Marloes Voskuil (backing vocals on "Souls Breathe")
• Musical style: Heavy metal, power metal, thrash metal
• Sound: Blending elements of tradition metal with a little thrash, the sound on "You Are Next" is wonderful collection of tracks from one of the premiere metal outfits from the Netherlands.  It is high-energy, fast-paced, and totally rockin'!  Another great album from the mighty Martyr!
• Major themes: Darkness, evil, destruction, rebellion, heavy metal, loss, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Into The Darkest Of All Realms"
2. "Infinity"
3. "Inch By Inch"
4. "Souls Breathe"
5. "Unborn Evil"
6. "Monster"
7. "Crawl"
8. "Mother's Tear"
9. "In The End"
10. "Don't Need Your Money"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: De Kromme Haring Brouwerij (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Website: https://www.dekrommeharing.nl/
• Brew: Inktvis Black IPA 
• Style: Black India Pale Ale (IPA) / Cascade Ale
• Serving: 11 ounce can
• ABV: 6.0%
• Ingredients: Pale, Crystal, Munich, and Roast malts with HBC682, Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, Columbus hops, and US-50 yeast
• Pour: The Inktvis pours a deep, dark brown (almost ink black) with a 1-finger, frothy mocha head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, earthy, floral, and roasty notes.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, orange peel, bitter herbs, pine resin, roasted malts, dark toasted bread, a hint of coffee beans and dark chocolate, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Inktvis is citrusy, piney, malty, and earthy.  There are notes of pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, pine, roasted malts, a hint of dark chocolate, and toffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied and delightfully refreshing, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly astringent, and refreshing with a dry and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Inktvis Black IPA from De Kromme Haring is punchy, dark, and somewhat bitter brew... great for the metal onslaught that is the mighty Martyr!  The complexity of the brew goes great with van Haren's rich vocal range, while the bitter elements as well as the malty backbone go great with the intensity and depth of the music!  'Nuff said! 

Proost!!  Gezondheid!!