October 17th, 2026 - A Heartless Portrait in a Bittersweet Motel

 

God kväll and hails!  I'm pairing "A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)", the fantastic 13th album by the wonderful Swedish progressive metal band Evergrey and a tasty Bittersweet Motel Double White India Pale Ale from Uinta Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Evergrey
• Title: "A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)"
• Recorded: January through October 2021 at Division West Coast Studios, Jonas Studio, and Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden
• Release date: May 20th, 2022 (13thstudio album by Evergrey)
• Record company: AFM Records
• Production: Tom S. Englund and Jonas Ekdahl
• Album cover art: Giannis Nakos 
• Personnel: Henrik Danhage (guitars), Jonas Ekdahl (drums), Tom S. Englund (vocals and guitars), Johan Niemann (bass), and Rikard Zander (keyboards)  
• Musical style: Progressive metal, gothic metal, power metal with elements of doom metal and groove metal
• Sound: At times haunting, at times deeply emotional, at times heavy and aggressive, one thing is for certain, with "A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)", Evergrey has produced another wonderfully textured, honest, melodic, and powerful album!  With heavy duty riffing, soaring keys, and ethereal vocals, Evergrey displays their dark musical prowess and lays down another winning album!  
• Major themes: Lyrics and themes on "A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)" include darkness, sorrow, discovery, self-realization, seeking the truth, isolation, freedom, sadness, hope, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Save Us"
2. "Midwinter Calls"
3. "Ominous"
4. "Call Out The Dark"
5. "The Orphean Testament"
6. "Reawakening"
7. "The Great Unwashed"
8. "Heartless"
9. "Blindfolded"
10. "Wildfires"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: www.uintabrewing.com 
• Brew: Bittersweet Motel Double White India Pale Ale
• Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.8%
• Pour: The Bittersweet Motel pours a slightly hazy, goldenrod color with a half-finger, frothy eggshell white head that leaves a nice ring and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, slightly spicy, and slightly sweet with a more subtle malt backbone.  There are aromas of orange and tangerine peel, lemon zest, cloves, vanilla bean, wildflowers, a hint of wet pine needles, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Bittersweet Motel follows the nose with citrusy, fruity, spicy, and hoppy flavors.  There are big notes of tangerine and orange with more subtle notes cloves, nutmeg, fruit esters, vanilla, light pine resin, of doughy bread, and toffee/caramel malt notes in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, very refreshing and juicy, yet very smooth with a dry, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The Bittersweet Motel Double White India Pale Ale is a very unique, flavorful, bold, complex, yet drinkable brew... much like the depth, darkness, intensity, and beauty of Evergrey's brilliant "A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)"!  'Nuff said!

Skål and hails!!