December 21st, 2024 - The Last Will and Testament of Santa Caws

 

God morgon, hails, and happy Saturday!  Today I'm celebrating the holidays with a pairing of the wonderful "The Last Will And Testament", the latest album by Swedish progressive metal/rock band Opeth and a delightfully bold and rich Santa Caws Chocolate Orange Imperial Stout from Bombastic Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Opeth
• Title: "The Last Will And Testament"
• Recorded: February through March 2024 at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK with additional recordings in Hammerthorpe Studios, Flowcreations Studios, The Tower Studios, and Angel Studios in London, England
• Release date: November 22nd, 2024 (14th studio album by Opeth)
• Record company: Moderbolaget Records / Reigning Phoenix Music
• Production: Mikael Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman
• Album cover art: Travis Smith (artwork) and Terhi Ylimäinen (photography)
• Personnel: Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead and backing vocals, guitars, cittra, mellotron, percussion, and string arrangements), Fredrik Åkesson (guitars and backing vocals), Martín Méndez (bass and backing vocals), Joakim Svalberg (keyboards, Hammond organ, mellotron, piano, Moog synthesizers, and backing vocals), and Waltteri Väyrynen (drums, percussion, and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Mirjam Åkerfeldt (spoken word), Ian Anderson (flute and spoken word), The London Session Orchestra (strings), Joey Tempest (backing vocals), and Mia Westlund (harp)
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock with elements of death metal
• Sound: Paying homage to bands like Deep Purple, ELP, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, yet with some metal mixed in, the sound on Opeth's latest album is bold, bombastic, compelling, and heavy.  As always with Opeth, the musicianship is impeccable... richly textured, imaginative, and beautifully and hauntingly compelling.  As always, Åkerfeldt's vocals are warm, honest, and powerful. 
• Major themes: A concept album about a man's life, death, and his final will, themes on the album include life, love, truth, honesty, shame, religion, death, loss, grief, redemption, etc.
• Notes: The idea for the album's concept came to Mikael Åkerfeldt when he evaluated a deceased man's record collection as a favor for a friend who owns a record store.
• Tracks:  

1. "§1"
2. "§2"
3. "§3"
4. "§4"
5. "§5"
6. "§6"
7. "§7"
8. "A Story Never Told"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bombastic Brewing (Hayden, Idaho)
• Website: https://www.bombasticbrewing.com/
• Brew: Santa Caws Chocolate Orange Imperial Stout 
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 47
• Pour: The Santa Caws pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost black) hue with a billowy and creamy, half-finger mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, malty, chocolaty, citrusy, sweet, slightly spicy, and boozy.  There are aromas of dark chocolate, orange zest, a freshly cracked Terry's Chocolate Orange Ball, a hint of vanilla beans, espresso, oak, and rich bourbon. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Santa Caws is rich, roasty, malty, chocolaty, citrusy, and boozy.  There are notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, orange zest, a slice of Terry's Chocolate Orange Ball, nutmeg, burnt toffee, creamy vanilla, roasted walnuts, and rich bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is silky, velvety, and thick and chewy with a dry, bittersweet, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Bombastic Santa Caws is a very bold and very complex brew with loads of flavor and slightly tart character, which is perfect for the depth, passion, musical prowess, and beauty of Opeth's latest!  Need I say more?

Skål and hails!!