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Twisted Tower Dire > Make It Dark > Reviews
Twisted Tower Dire - Make It Dark

Absolutely Abysmal - 40%

BotD, June 25th, 2011

Tony Taylor's death must have left a large gap in the soul of this band because after four years this is really weak stuff from the previously rock solid purveyors of classic metal.

Let's start with the production. It made the vocalist way too loud in comparison to other instruments. This is particularly annoying since Johnny Aune's voice is seriously grating. He constantly wails over songs drowning out the instruments and annoying the hell out of me with his consistently high pitched vocals. His voice has no melody or warmth and no number of high notes will overcome that deficiency. The choruses on the album are also rather insipid, catchy only the sense that they are repeated incessantly. I always thought Tony Taylor could have used a little more power in his vocals, but he had emotion and was extremely catchy.

However, not hearing the instruments well is not a huge problem since it appears they are not doing anything interesting anyway. TTD's production was perfect on all but the first album so I don't know why they messed with it here. The riffs are barely distinguished and the tone is altogether too bouncy. Their previous albums were not particularly "heavy" but this is ridiculous.

But enough about the sound, the songs on here just kind of suck. TTD always had catchy riffs and the ability to do these transcendent stream-of-consciousness riff/solo sections (see the end of Land of Illusions on the first album for an example). Here there is none of that. The songs are on the whole too short and uninspired to fit such a section in. I would not even really be able to tell them apart if Aune didn't repeat the chorus a bunch of times to remind me. It's really a step back for a band that IMO had not a single bad song in there last three albums.

Hell Fucking Yes - 95%

GuntherTheUndying, May 25th, 2011

Twisted Tower Dire partakes in the shadowy society that is United States power metal (or USPM), the gritty and savage blueprint often associated with Jag Panzer or Sacred Oath. These guys have quite the enthusiastic following, and I will gladly say I'm standing on the bandwagon's nose after experiencing the metallic rhapsody that is "Make it Dark." This is one of the most electric acts of relevance you ever find throughout the surging fields of influence caused by old-school metal bands like Iron Maiden or Jag Panzer, now shooting through the heavens with molten flames containing all that is metal. "Make it Dark" is a monumental offering with pristine power and a blasé attitude which soars like an eagle, referencing the importance and resourcefulness of unadulterated power metal from start to finish. Nothing stops Twisted Tower Dire from making "Make it Dark" a lunar masterpiece.

So instead of going totally progressive or outlandish, Twisted Tower Dire goes balls-deep into classic power metal running on adrenaline-charged riffs and choruses that stick like chewed gum on a shoe. That really is the whole album, but it's a phenomenal experience. I can't even begin to say how the galloping riffs and ripping solos twist and turn in a fast-paced frenzy, shaped for melody and fierceness while the vocalist's high-flying, versatile falsettos overlap the metallic bombardment. "Make it Dark" is ear-candy: fun, accessible heavy metal that appeals to a variety of folks and tastes, but Twisted Tower Dire are masters of this old-school method. Seriously, these guys know their stuff. More importantly, this band has so much passion and life in their music that it practically feels like a live show. The energy is indescribable; Twisted Tower Dire depends on heavy metal like plants need the sun, and it certainly shows.

The album begins with "Mystera" and "Snow Leopard," two zapping numbers suffocated in dazzling leads and choruses that are practically audio heroin. The title track and "The Stone" are a duo of zingers dumping a cornucopia of fun, addictive riffs and vocal lines over the steel-covered front, again making me drool. "White Shadow" runs on a giant-killing chorus utilizing clean guitars weaved magnificently into the band's galloping crusade; I can't stop singing along, seriously. The simple formula is thrown to the wolves during "Beyond the Gates," a closing number that stretches beyond the eight-minute mark and idolizes a collection of fierce riffs and melodies baptized in the atomic ecstasy that Twisted Tower Dire has mastered throughout "Make it Dark." Overall, it's a rush of heavy metal bliss.

So whenever you overhear someone blowing Hammerfall's horn or senselessly gloating over an ocean of mediocre power metal bands, punch him/her in the face and make them listen to Twisted Tower Dire. They will thank you once their wounds heal, and you can treat yourself to a well-deserved drink with a smile on your face, because you know one more person in our stupid world is now worshiping this amazing group. "Make it Dark" is far from the substandard garbage that mesmerizes the masses while this incredible band goes under the radar, and only a fool would waste time getting into Twisted Tower Dire or "Make it Dark," so immediately give these dudes a shot; no regrets will be found after the fact.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com