November 15th, 2026 - A Blaze in the Northern Sky Over White Pines

 

Heisann and happy Sunday hellions, headbangers, and craft beer fans!  The Meista here today getting a little evil with Darkthrone's classic "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" and a White Pine West Coast Style Pilsner from the fine folks at Home Range Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Darkthrone
• Title: "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"
• Recorded: August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn, Norway
  Release date: February 26th, 1992 (2nd studio album by Darkthrone)
• Record company: Peaceville Records
• Production: Darkthrone
• Album cover art: Dave Pybus
• Personnel: Nocturno Culto (lead guitar and vocals), Fenriz (drums and backing vocals), Zephyrous (rhythm guitar)
• Additional musicians: Dag Nilsen (bass guitar) 
• Musical style: Norwegian black metal
• Sound: Raw, lo-fi, fast-paced, primitive, minimalist, repetitive, and highly influential, the sound on Darkthrone's "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" is definitive Scandinavian black metal!  It seems to embody all that is evil and dark.  The guitar work is frenzied, machine gun fire fast, and chaotic.  The bass and drums are primitive, repetitive, and conjure images of tribal ritual and sacrifice.  Culto's vocals are sharp, screechy, and intense.  Combined they make for a wondrously dark and infernal listening experience!
• Major themes: The occult, paganism, Satan, violence, horror, evil, death, nature, mythology, folklore, etc. 
• Tracks:  

1. "Kathaarian Life Code"
2. "In The Shadow Of The Horns"
3. "Paragon Belial"
4. "Where Cold Winds Blow"
5. "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"
6. "The Pagan Winter"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Home Range Brewing (Logan, Utah
• Website: https://www.homerangebeer.com/
• Brew: White Pine West Coast Style Pilsner
• Style: West Coast Style Pilsner
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.5%
• Pour: The White Pine pours a clear, pale straw-yellow hue with a thin, bright white, bubbly head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, hoppy, and malty.  There are aromas of freshly cut hay, lightly toasted white bread, a hint of lemongrass, lemon zest and rind, and piney and grassy hops.
• Taste: Following the nose, the flavor of the White Pine is characterized by notes of crackery biscuit, bready malt, light barley, a hint of lemon zest, pine resin, grassy hops, grapefruit rind, and a splash of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the White Pine is very crisp, slightly bitter, yet smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The grainy, grassy, and hoppy flavors and aromas of the Home Range White Pine West Coast Style Pilsner are a great foil to the heaviness, the darkness, and the pure frozen evil of Darkthrone's infernal "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"!   And I love how the starkness of the beer label art goes so well with the starkness of the album cover!

Cheers!!  Skål!!  Hails!!