April 4th, 2024 - Dirty Chai Ghosts Of Orion

 

Hey there evildoers, metalheads, and craft brew fans!  The Meista here getting dark and heavy with "The Ghost Of Orion", the wonderful 13th album by My Dying Bride and a deliciously spicy and bold Barrel Aged Imperial Dirty Chai Stout from the fine folks at SaltFire Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: My Dying Bride
• Title: "The Ghost Of Orion"
• Recorded: 2018 through 2019
• Release date: March 6th, 2020 (13th studio album by My Dying Bride)
• Record company: Nuclear Blast
• Production: Mark Mynett 
• Album cover art: Eliran Kantor
• Personnel: Lena Abé (bass), Andrew Craighan (guitars), Shaun Macgowan (keyboards and violins), Jeff Singer (drums and percussion), and Aaron Stainthorpe (lead vocals)
• Additional musician: Lindy-Fay Hella (vocals on "The Solace") and Jo Quail (cello)
• Musical style: Doom metal, Death metal, gothic metal
• Sound: Dark, atmospheric, gothic, the sound on "The Ghost Of Orion" is hauntingly beautiful!  The band perfectly blends doom and gothic metal elements with tinges of aggressive death metal.
• Major themes: Isolation, strife, sadness, loss, darkness, solitude, death, gratitude, solace, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Your Broken Shore"
2. "To Outlive The Gods"
3. "Tired Of Tears"
4. "The Solace"
5. "The Long Black Land"
6. "The Ghost Of Orion"
7. "The Old Earth"
8. "Your Woven Shore"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: Barrel Aged Imperial Dirty Chai Stout
• Style: Imperial Coffee Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 9.0%
• Pour: The Barrel Aged Imperial Dirty Chai pours an ink black with a creamy and thick, mocha, half-finger head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring, leaving sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is spicy, roasty, chocolatey, earthy, boozy, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of spicy chai tea, dark roasted coffee beans, toasted malts, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa, rich bourbon, oak, a hint of smoke, and sweet toffee.
• Taste: The taste of the Barrel Aged Imperial Dirty Chai is roasty, toasty, spicy, slightly sweet, boozy, chocolatey, and rich.  There are notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, chai tea, dark and milk chocolate, cream, light marshmallow, walnut, hazelnut, toasted malt, bold bourbon, and caramel/toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is creamy, velvety smooth, and spicy with a dry, slightly sweet and rather boozy finish.

Overall pairing: With its rich texture and spicy aromas and flavors, the Barrel Aged Imperial Dirty Chai is perfect for the heaviness, melancholia, and dark beauty of My Dying Bride's wonderfully textured and honest "The Ghost Of Orion"!  'Nuff said!

And make sure to check out my 2021 interview with My Dying Bride frontman Aaron Stainthorpe here: https://youtu.be/k3n9wAN5ICk 

Cheers and hails!!