April 10th, 2024 - It is Time... for Lady Brett in Black

 

Hey there evil-doers, metalheads, and craft beer freaks!  Today I'm pairing "Time", the wonderful and very underrated 4th album by horror metal pioneers Mercyful Fate and a Lady Brett from the fine folks at Fisher Brewing Company!  Hell yeah! 

Album Info: 

• Artist: Mercyful Fate
• Title: "Time"
• Recorded: May through August 1994 at the Dallas Sound Lab in Dallas, Texas
• Release date: October 25th, 1994 (4th studio album by Mercyful Fate)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records
• Production: King Diamond, Tim Kimsey, and Hank Shermann 
• Album cover art: Anneli Adolfsson
• Personnel: Sharlee D'Angelo (bass), Michael Denner (guitars), Kim Bendix Petersen aka King Diamond (vocals, keyboards, and harpsichord), Snowy Shaw (drums), and Hank Shermann (guitars) 
• Musical style: Heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal, hard rock
• Sound: Maybe a little rawer and more aggressive than with previous Mercyful Fate albums, the sound is still that very complex and progressive MF sound!  The King's falsetto vocals are as haunting and insane as ever!  The rhythm section of D'Angelo and Shaw is a driving and thunderous force!  And Shermann and Denner lay down some killer, classic riffing!
• Major themes: Death, the occult, horror, the Necronomicon, evil, the devil, witchcraft, fear, darkness, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Nightmare Be Thy Name"
2. "Angel Of Light"
3. "Witches' Dance"
4. "The Mad Arab"
5. "My Demon"
6. "Time"
7. "The Preacher"
8. "Lady In Black"
9. "Mirror"
10. "The Afterlife"
11. "Castillo Del Mortes"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com/
• Brew: Lady Brett
• Style: Belgian-style Abbey Ale with mixed fermentation 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: "Fermented partway with a yeast strain from a Trappist brewery, then finished with a blend of Brettanomyces."
• Pour: The Lady Brett pours a slightly murky, bright golden peach hue with a thin, yet frothy, bright white head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving only a hint of lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, grainy, slightly tart, and funky.  There are aromas of apricot, pear, soft banana, lemon zest, wet leather, horse blanket, and a hint of spices.
• Taste: The taste of Lady Brett is bright, fruity, grainy, and somewhat funky.  There are notes of dried apricot, pear juice, plum, lemon, crackery biscuit, a hint of clove, and a little barnyard funk.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the is very crisp and refreshing, and slightly tart with a very dry and funky finish.

Overall pairing: Both the complexity of flavors and the overall drinkability of 's tasty e work perfectly with the aggression, musical prowess, and metal integrity of Mercyful Fate's killer "Time" album!  As with the brew, the album provides its audience with very complex notes and artistry.

Skal and hails!!