Netherworlds

Tony Taylor passed away in 2010, leaving this as, apparently, the last album he did with any band I can find on Metal Archives anyway. Taylor’s vocals, I hope, will be recognized eventually as a lost masterwork, on the level of any real classic metal singer you can think of. On all the Twisted Tower Dire albums he was on, he had a kind of poetry and romance to his voice that elevates the already very good music to something quite different.

It’s just in the emotional range he has – he wails over the careening, riff-happy music a lot of the time like a goddamn banshee, though with a kind of silky tone that reminds a bit of Tony Martin’s tenure in Sabbath. But then he’ll also have the little subtle parts to it. In storming, forceful album highlight “Fortress,” a song about suicide, he laments in the chorus: “Salvation / is only a bullet away!” And there’s just such a chilling effect to it, such a sorrow. In “No One Left To Blame” there’s a surprise little vocal bridge at the end where the music slows down a little and he’s going “Life is too lonely…” and that’s just such an emotionally naked, fraught thing for a straight-ahead rocking album like this. It’s all just a little bit more, with several of these moments throughout the album. It’s a bit of soulfulness that matters.

I’m making this sound like some kind of very different album. Really, it’s just Twisted Tower Dire doing their thing – they’re a killer trad metal band and know their way around a great riff like alchemists. These are beastly, rocking, epic tunes. It’s a bit of Maiden with the galloping, upbeat tones, a bit of classic U.S. metal with the pugilistic nature of it, the directness of the riffs as they just hit you in the face. But they’d really just forged their own identity by this point. The songs here are rawer than on the previous few, with the production massive and warm and heavy, and the mix making it seem like the band is just playing live right near you. It’s not as clean as the Piet Sielck job from the last album, but the dark, visceral tone here is just so alluring to me.

The album opens right up with the cranky guitar squeal of “Starshine,” a rollicking banger of a tune, and then goes through a bunch of highlights. The flailing epic “Dire Wolf,” the speedy “Killing Kind,” the adventurous, multi-part title song and the massive riff of “Tales of Submission” - there are just too many fucking killer songs here. Many of them are just so catchy, too – the band can work a hook like nobody’s business, and the album is full of them.

The band has its own identity on here, a real personality cultivated over time, and they all mesh really well to create heartfelt and well-done songs. The writing is just sharp as fuck. I actually wouldn’t even say this is their best one – not every track is quite the same consistency, and the previous few albums were just a bit better overall, a bit more well-rounded. But despite that, there’s just something about this one that I always come back to and really enjoy.

Twisted Tower Dire - Netherworlds

Twisted Tower Dire has been hyped to death in the underground metal scene as the band that's going to save the US style of power metal. Like all times when I'm faced with such hyperbole from so many, I approached 'Netherworlds' with more than a little skepticism. It was slightly warranted; Twisted Tower Dire isn't going to 'save' US power metal. But that's less to do with the band's quality and more to do with the fact that USPM never needed to be rescued in the first place. What Twisted Tower Dire IS, however, is one of the very best US style power metal bands to emerge in recent years, and 'Netherworlds' is a great album that's worthy of being named among the largest names in the scene. It's a really excellent release that I'm very happy to have heard, even if it isn't quite the supernova of orgasmic genius that some would have you believe.

This is a band that understands that power metal is actually supposed to have, well, power. 'Netherworlds' is very heavy, has some massive, traditional riffing, and nary a trace of keyboards in sight. The most modern stuff on this album is an occasional sprinkling of tremolo and double bass, but for the most part, the material is completely oldschool metal in the Jag Panzer vein. The riffs are absolutely kickass: the base is completely in the traditional heavy metal vein, with just a touch of extra speed and aggression, resulting in material that's melodic without sacrificing any intensity, aggression, or atmosphere. And the album does have a great deal of atmosphere; in this case, a grandiose, otherworldly atmosphere, like Virgin Steele crossed with H.P. Lovecraft. It's most certainly unique, and it really adds an entirely new dimension to the music. But back to the riffs: there's not a bad one on this disc. Each one is presented fantastically and sustained just long enough to develop but not too long as to be come boring. In addition to this, the insane numbers and length of the solos on this LP are ridiculous! There's always a new, great lead around every corner, and each one is completely unique and memorable. There's no meaningless shredding; everything is plotted out carefully and intricately. This just might be one of the most carefully written metal albums I've heard in a long time; enormous time seems to have been spent on the meshing of each sound and element.

As great as the guitarwork is, it's augmented tremendously by the other instruments present here. The subtle but definitely noticeable bass presence is a crucial piece to the puzzle of 'Netherworlds', always supporting the guitars neatly but never dominating the sound. Drumming is great and again very traditional, and reminds me a lot of earlier Iron Maiden in the variance of beats and fills, with lots of cool, unique rhythms being used, but not being scared to tone it down when necessary. The powerful opening to 'Tales Of Submission' is a great example of the band at their best: huge, epic, bombastic riffs tied together with awesome militaristic drumming. Actually, that song might just be the best on the album, particularly when Tony Taylor's vocals kick in, steeped in reverb and functioning as a perfect blend of the vocals of both US and European styles of power metal. Taylor can be very rough and dirty in delivery when necessary, but he's also able to kick up the technique significantly for the more complex and melodic passages. He's one of the clean vocalists that I'm truly impressed by, simply because of how good he sounds in the context of the band.

I think that what makes this album so great is that it's not trying to be anything in particular. Obviously a genre is in mind, because Twisted Tower Dire does adhere to the conventions of US power metal. But it's still very organically constructed by people with a clearly tremendous grasp on the stylistic elements of what makes traditional metal so great. None of the songs are unnecessarily long, and they're never overly self-indulgent, as dramatic and viruostic as the band gets at times: it's all very measured and employed just enough to make the album better. Every little movement the band makes has been carefully constructed with the only goal being to make the best album they possibly could, and in that regard, I think Twisted Tower Dire achieved their goal.

Seriously, if you love US power metal, you shouldn't even think about it. Just buy this album. Hell, even if you don't like the style you should pick it up, it's just that good. I can honestly say that 'Netherworlds' has converted me to a full-fledged Twisted Tower Dire fan, and I'm eagerly looking forward to more releases from these guys in the future. This album has achieved exactly what the band sought out to do, and that is to simply make a great, no-frills heavy metal album. That's a goal I can most certainly respect, and judging by the quality of this LP, Twisted Tower Dire is just the band to do such a thing.