Metal Blade as a record label has always seemed to pride itself in its signings of bands that have true potential. Moulding acts that are now household names into living legends, it all starts with a sound. Releasing their Metal Blade debut Twitching Tongues are a band that thrive from differential tendencies. With this in mind we look to their latest release Disharmony.
[tracklist]
1. Disharmony
2. Insincerely Yours
3. Asylum Avenue
4. Love Conquers All
5. Insatiable Sin
6. Cannibal
7. Sacrifice Me
8. Arrival
9. The End Of Love
10. Cruci-fiction
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]43:00[/length]
[record_label]Metal Blade Records[/record_label]
[release_date]30th October 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Impossible to categorise the band are a virtual melting pot of genres. Introducing the album with somber piano immediately sets the ominous tone, hardly the usual setting. As “Disharmony” continues the tracks marries elements from sludge and doom in the ghoulish chorus. Sounding like a mix between Anselmo and Danzig our singer is an anomaly. Utilising vocal hooks that stick with you “Insincerely Yours” offers a hardcore aesthetic yet is free from its constraints. Songs might be longer than what a fan of the genre would be used to but are used to fantastic effect with tracks never overstaying their welcome.
Throwing the idea of having a quasi ballad into the mix our Danselmo recites more sermons, with interesting delivery both in melody and punctuation. Not to mention the absolutely brilliant riffing courtesy of our guitarists who can dare to go outside the regimented box on “Asylum Avenue”. Twitching Tongues are what music should be doing in this day and age, pushing the envelope. For far too long people have become complacent leading to the likes of Asking Alexandria to deliver rehashed material sounding identical to the last.
Bringing more influences into the fray the solemn “Arrival” see’s the influence of classic horror soundtrack come into the picture lending to the air of the macabre and a welcome respite from the sludge riffs whilst also showcasing some of singer Colin Young‘s best work showing that the frontman truly can sing. Much of the albums flavour comes from the interesting use of tone on our man’s guitars. Opting instead for a gritty buzz sound coupled with the double bass battering of the drums make for songs like “The End Of Love” to hit home hard. Culminating in the eight minute epic that is “Cruci-fiction“, often created for the sake of it the longer songs can be more filler simply to have the statement of a long song but with the interesting addition of an air raid alarm and the haunting piano making a reprise from the introduction its a fantastic and macabre footnote for the album.
Bringing their own flavour to the sound, creating an eclectic balance of melodic vocals, gritty guitar work, brilliant breakdowns and some scorching solo’s. All the while retaining the horrific atmosphere synonymous with 80’s video nasty. Particularly its tracks “Cannibal” the band deliver a distorted introduction with subtle bass line before the inclusion of classic Heavy Metal leads which as the song progresses culminate in a spastic solo. With the chants of “you fucked yourself trying to fuck me” no doubt to be hurled back at the band in live setting.
Simply put there isn’t anything like it out there, tracks ebb and flow something the band have above all other bands in the lumped in Hardcore genre where, yes the hook might be incredibly catchy but album after album the band essentially sound the same. With Disharmony the band have presented a work that is repeatedly accessible like a metaphorical onion offering layer upon layer enriching the experience more every time. Embodying the ideology of the machismo genre without the connotations Twitching Tongues offer a different and completely refreshing experience celebrating creativity that is not to be missed.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]An inquisitive nature can not always be a good thing. Intent on delivering Twitching Tongues have created a new sound without genre specific constraints proving sometimes it’s better to be questioning. Though curiosity killed the cat, or was it Disharmony? [/why]
