From their inception, Twitching Tongues have seemed to garner both praise and criticism in equal measure. They come from hardcore stock, but over the course of their career have gradually ventured into a far more melodic territory – which has been amplified on their third album, ‘Disharmony’. Their penchant for huge choruses and soaring vocal passages has been present since their ‘Insane & Inhumane’ EP back in 2010, and while it may have deterred the more narrow-minded hardcore listener, their unique style has won them a legion of fans across the globe.
It came as no surprise when the band announced they had signed a deal with legendary label, Metal Blade Records, earlier this year. Making their reach bigger than ever. Written largely by vocalist and guitarist brothers, Colin and Taylor Young, it was also recorded and produced by the latter at his own studio – giving the band total control over exactly how they wanted ‘Disharmony’ to sound. The end result is a staggeringly original metal crossover album, and one that dares to be different.
The dark, brooding atmosphere of ‘Disharmony’ is set from the opening title-track, thanks to a haunting introduction. This soon collapses into a hail of thunderous guitar riffs and machine gun drumming, with Colin Young’s vocal sounding more powerful than anything he has released in the past. Simply put, his voice sounds huge and fills the room. He bellows every word during ‘Insincerely Yours (Tears and Blood)’, dragging out lines until he runs out of breath, yet never cracks.
The key aspect that endears you to ‘Disharmony’ is the way the album twists and turns through various metal sub-genres without sounding disjointed. They draw from the looming, goth-rock of Type O Negative on the harrowing ‘Love Conquers None’, and classic speed metal during the furious, ‘Cannibal’, and complete with a near Kerry King-esque guitar solo.
While there are still moments of Twitching Tongues upbringing on hardcore as clearly evident – particularly in some of the relentless, Merauder influenced breakdowns, they are few and far between on ‘Disharmony’. Electronic drum and organs round out the darkwave influenced ‘Arrival’, which comes to a sullen, piano-led ending. This serves a perfect contrast to the crushing ‘Cruci-Fiction’ that closes the album; pulling all of the best elements from ‘Disharmony’ into one nine-minute epic conclusion.
Ultimately, ‘Disharmony’ is going to stand out like a sore thumb no matter where people try to pigeonhole it. Hardcore and metal purists will probably turn up their noses, saying it is too far removed from either genre to be placed there. That should be water off a ducks back to the members of this band, as this game changer is their most challenging, and accomplished work to date. ‘Disharmony’ is undoubtedly the album that Twitching Tongues were destined to make.
GLEN BUSHELL