November 21sy, 2025 - The Techno Viking Gets the Valkyries Screaming

Hello and happy Friday evildoers, headbangers, and craft brew lovers!  The Meista here with a pairing of the excellent album "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" by the mighty Cradle of Filth and a very tasty and tart Techno Viking Berliner Weisse Sour from the fine folks at Drekker Brewing Company!  Hells yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cradle Of Filth
• Title: "The Screaming Of The Valkyries"
• Recorded: 2024 at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England
• Release date: March 21st, 2025 (14th studio album by Cradle Of Filth)
• Record company: Napalm Records
• Production: Scott Atkins
• Album cover art: Roberto Diaz 
• Personnel: Donny Burbage (guitars), Zoe Marie Federoff (keyboards and backing vocals), Dani Filth (lead vocals), Daniel Firth (bass), Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka (drums, keyboards, and orchestration), and Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda (guitars) 
• Additional musician: Same Wale (keyboards, synthesizers, and programming)
• Musical style: Symphonic black metal, extreme gothic metal
• Sound: As with all COF albums, "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" is bombastic, complex, diverse, darkly sinister, and richly textured.  It is actually my favorite of the modern albums of the band and may very well be my favorite overall.  
• Major themes: Mythology, dark fantasy, the occult, paganism, violence, sex, evil, darkness, sorrow, etc. 
• Tracks: 
1. "To Live Deliciously"
2. "Demagoguery"
3. "The Trinity Of Shadows"
4. "Non Omnis Moriar"
5. "White Hellebore"
6. "You Are My Nautilus"
7. "Malignant Perfection"
8. "Ex Sanguine Draculae"
9. "When Misery Was A Stranger"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, North Dakota) 
• Website: https://drekkerbrewing.com/
• Brew: Techno Viking Berliner Weisse Sour
• Style: Berliner Weisse / Sour Beer
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.5% 
• IBUs: 1
• Ingredients: German Pilsner malt
• Pour: The Techno Viking pours a slightly cloudy, golden-yellow hue with a very thin, bright white head that dissipates quickly, leaving virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by tart, grainy, and subtle fruit notes.  There are aromas of craked wheat, lemon juice and zest, freshly cut hay, oak, and a slight hint of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Techno Viking follows the nose with tart, grainy, and slightly fruity flavors.  There are notes of lemon juice, lemon zest, lemongrass, crackery biscuit, and a light splash of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Techno Viking is very crisp and tart with a clean and refreshing finish.

Overall pairing: The Drekker Techno Viking Berliner Weisse Sour is a very light and crushable, yet flavorful brew ... a perfect companion to the uniquely haunting and wonderfully enchanting sound of Cradle Of Filth's "The Screaming Of The Valkyries"!  Those sour notes go great with the heavy punch of these tracks!  I highly recommend both the album and the brew!  It's just too bad the time of this version of Cradle of Filth was fleeting.  

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