December 24th, 2024 - Slaughter in the Vatican from a Christmas Bomb!

 

Hello and merry Xmas everyone!  The Meista here today on this somewhat chilly Christmas Eve pairing a deliciously tasty and bold Christmas Bomb Imperial Stout Brewed with Spices from Prairie Artisan Ales and "Slaughter In The Vatican", the kick-ass, debut album by Exhorder!  Cheers and happy holidays to you!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Exhorder
• Title: "Slaughter In The Vatican"
• Recorded: December 1989 and August 1990 at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida
• Release date: October 23rd, 1990 (1st full-length studio album by Exhorder)
• Record company: R/C Records
• Production: Scott Burns
• Album cover art: Kent Mathieu
• Personnel: Jay Ceravolo (guitars and bass), Vinnie LaBella (guitars and bass), Chris Nail (drums), and Kyle Thomas (vocals) 
• Musical style: Thrash metal, groove metal
• Sound: In the vein of Exodus and Pantera, Exhorder's approach is fast, furious, and aggressive!  With their first album, these now metal vets understood the importance of a good solid riff and how to develop a powerhouse song around said riff.  With "Slaughter In The Vatican," Exhorder perfectly lays down killer riff after riff along with soaring solos, machine gun fire drumming... all wonderfully mixed with the powerhouse vocals of Thomas!
• Major themes: death, violence, murder, anger, rebellion, rage, perseverance, crime, religion, corruption, greed, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Death In Vain"
2. "Homicide"
3. "Desecrator"
4. "Exhorder"
5. "The Tragic Period"
6. "Legions Of Death"
7. "Anal Lust"
8. "Slaughter In The Vatican"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma)
• Website: https://prairieales.com/
• Brew: Christmas Bomb Imperial Stout Brewed with Spices 
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 13%
• Ingredients: Imperial stout made with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
• Pour: The Christmas Bomb pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost ink black) with a creamy, light mocha, half-finger head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very spicy, chocolaty, and earthy.  There are big aromas of gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, along with more subtle notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, toffee, tobacco, and rich booze.
• Taste: The taste of the Christmas Bomb is characterized by spicy, earthy, and rich flavors.  There are notes of spicy gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, black licorice, vanilla bean, cream, dark chocolate, sweet toffee, and a boozy finish of rum or bourbon.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Christmas Bomb is thick, chewy, and velvety smooth with a dry, spicy and somewhat boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Christmas Bomb Imperial Stout Brewed with Spices from Prairie Artisan Ales is a bold, rich, boozy, very complex, yet inviting brew... perfect for the aggression and power of the mighty Exhorder!  The flavors and aromas of this tasty brew blend wonderfully well with Thomas's aggressive vocal prowess, as well as the explosive guitars and thunderous intensity and depth of the bass and drums!

And make sure to check out my interview from 2021 with Kyle Thomas here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWuVR_eTp5o&t=2s

Cheers!!  Merry Xmas!!