February 18th, 2024 - A Couple Fivers for Ya!

 

Hello and happy Sunday metal maniacs and craft brew freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here with another great pairing for you on this snowy day here in Utah... "Five", the wonderful 5th by Canadian extreme metal band The Agonist and a Five Belgian Blonde Ale from Brasserie St-Feuillien!  Hell yes!!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Agonist
• Title: "Five"
• Recorded: 2016
• Release date: September 30th, 2016 (5th studio album by The Agonist)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Mike Plotnikoff
• Album cover art: Gustavo Sazes
• Personnel: Pascal "Paco" Jobin (guitars), Chris Kells (bass and backing vocals), Danny Marino (guitars), Simon McKay (drums and percussion), and Vicky Psarakis (lead vocals)
• Musical style: Extreme metal, metalcore, death metal, elements of symphonic metal, rock, and a touch of jazz and R&B
• Sound: Wonderfully emotional, honest, aggressive, unique, and powerful, the sound on The Agonist's "Five" is, in a word, brilliant!  Every note, every riff, every intention is brutally honest and mesmerizing!  The dual guitar work of Jobin and Marino is reminiscent of Judas Priest, Kells bass work is a thunderous and passionate assault, McKay's drumming is machine gun fire intensity, and Psarakis' vocal performance is mind-blowingly intense and robust!
• Major themes: Pain, life, death, suffering, knowledge, power, aggression, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "The Moment"
2. "The Chain"
3. "The Anchor And The Sail"
4. "The Game"
5. "The Ocean"
6. "The Hunt"
7. "The Raven Eyes"
8. "The Wake"
9. "The Resurrection"
10. "The Villain"
11. "The Pursuit Of Emptiness"
12. "The Man Who Fell To Earth"
13. "The Trial"
14. "Take Me To Church" (Hozier cover)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Brasserie St-Feuillien (Le Rœulx, Région Wallonne, Belgium)
• Website: https://st-feuillien.com/en/
• Brew: Five Belgian Blonde Ale
• Style: Belgian Blonde Ale
• Serving: 11.2 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 22
• Pour: The Five pours a cloudy, golden yellow hue with a billowy, bright white, 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Five is fruity, zesty, slightly sweet, and grainy.  There are aromas of lemon zest, pear syrup, a very subtle hint of ripe banana peel, cereal grains, a hint of clove, and light, grassy hops.
• Taste: The taste is fruity, sweet, and grainy.  There are notes of pear juice, lemon zest, lemongrass, a hint of banana, cereal grains, light nutmeg and clove, a hint of honey, and light bitterness from the hops.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Five is very crisp, slightly sweet, very smooth, and very refreshing with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: With it's light and refreshing drinkability, the St-Feuillien Five is a perfect foil for the extreme metal intensity and artistic integrity of The Agonist on their kick-ass album "Five"!  Additionally, along with the obvious album title and beer name, I like the look of the beer label with album cover art.

Cheers and hails head bangers!!