Number 8
“This smooth oatmeal stout has won well over a dozen additional gold, silver, and bronze medals at various beer competitions since first bringing home a silver for Lost Coast in the 1997 World Beer Championships. Presenting a deep, rich brown on the pour, capped by plenty of fluffy light brown foam, 8-Ball offers up luscious aromas of dark chocolate and well-roasted coffee, with some hints of smoky char and a bit of an earthy character. Look for a core of roasty-toasty malts on the palate, joined by some scorched caramel and a mild char note, with the flaked oats helping contribute to a nice round and creamy feel.”
To reach Number 8 we climb four points from SubRosa. It is the final album that belongs to the group of artists that all had almost the same amount of points. Cause we’ve only climbed twenty-five points from the Number 20 position to the Number 8. But after this we make the jump to the frontrunners. But before we do we are treated to the sixth album of a shapeshifting group that has always delivered some damn fine sludge metal. We could always trust these guys and girl to deliver some aggressive heaviness that was thick with punk. But since their last album they used more breathing room and more melodic and psychedelic influences. We can still enjoy those leaden riffs and colossal grooves; but the angelic side is much more prominent than ever. Which we all seem to dig even more! Highly diverse and ultraviolet!