July 26th, 2025 - Arnie is at a Prrrty in the Temple of the Tyrant!

 

Hello and happy Saturday evildoers, headbangers, and craft brew lovers!  The Meista here on this hot afternoon with a pairing of the excellent, kick-ass debut album "In The Temple Of Tyrant" by Philly metal outfit Behölder and a very tasty, unique, and tart Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour from the fine folks at Drekker Brewing Company!  Hells yes!  (Apologies to Carlos Alvarez for taking so long to get this wonderful album paired/reviewed!)

Album Info:

• Artist: Behölder
• Title: "In The Temple Of Tyrant"
• Recorded: 2024 through early 2025 
• Release date: April 25th, 2025 (1st full-length studio album by Beholder)
• Record company: Black Lion Records
• Production: Carlos Alvarez
• Album cover art: Zsofia Dankova (artwork) and Dominik Schäfer (band logo and layout)
• Personnel: Carlos Alvarez (guitars and backing vocals), Matt Hodsdon (lead guitar and backing vocals), Andrew Julkowski (drums), Michael Sanchez (bass), and John Yelland (lead vocals)
• Guest musicians: Tomi Joutsen (vocals on "Eyes Of The Deep")
• Musical style: Traditional heavy metal, power metal, epic doom metal
• Sound: Steeped in classic metal, the sound on "In The Temple Of Tyrant" is a powerful and bombastic sonic attack!  From the opening notes of "A Pale Blood Sky" to the final notes of "I Magus", these gents do not let up.  The riffs are absolutely superb, the guitar solos are stunning, the drumming and bass work is crushing, and Yelland really outdoes himself with his soaring vocals!
• Major themes: Steeped in Dungeons & Dragons mythology and motifs, themes on the album include dark fantasy, swordplay, sorcery, magic, good vs. evil, darkness, violence, etc.  
• Tracks: 
1. "A Pale Blood Sky"
2. "Dungeon Crawl"
3. "Into The Underdark"
4. "Eyes Of The Deep""
5. "For Those Who Fell"
6. "Draconian (Slave Or Master)"
7. "Summoned & Bound
8. "I Magus"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, North Dakota) 
• Website: https://drekkerbrewing.com/
• Brew: Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour
• Style: Sour Beer / Fruited Beer
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.4% 
• Ingredients: lemon, lemonade mix, apple, and iced tea 
• Pour: The Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour pours a very cloudy, caramel-amber hue with a very, very thin, bright white head that dissipates very quickly, leaving virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by tart, and fruity notes.  There are aromas of iced tea, tart lemonade, lemon juice and zest, apple cider, and a slight hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour follows the nose with tart, grainy, and very fruity flavors.  There are bold, yet refreshing notes of lemonade, lemon juice, lemon zest, iced tea, apple cider, and a light splash of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour is very crisp and very tart with a clean and refreshing finish.

Overall pairing: The Drekker Arnie Prrrty Lemonade Iced Tea Sour is a very refreshing and crushable, yet flavorful brew ... a perfect companion to the metal onslaught that is Behölder's excellent "In The Temple Of Tyrant"!  Those big sour notes go great with the heavy punch of Behölder's fiery guitars, thunderous rhythms, and soaring vocals!  I also like the look of the beer label next to Zsofia Dankova's incredible album art!  I highly recommend this amazing album!

And make sure to check out my interview with Carlos Alvarez from 2024 here: https://youtu.be/rqLvs00ZbLE

Cheers and hails headbangers!!  Keep it craft and keep it heavy!