TWISTED TOWER DIRE - Netherworlds |
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Netherworlds is the fourth record by American metal act Twisted Tower Dire. Its predecessor was released already four years ago. The reasons for this long interval between albums were intense touring, new song writing and a singer suffering constantly from depressions. As he's not showing any serious progress, Netherworlds is the last album with front man Tony Taylor who left the band in September 2006. It's a pity that he had to quit because he was perfectly integrated into the band's retro metal sound. The opener Starshine is a classic US metal song as heard in the Eighties by bands like Agent Steel and Liege Lord. The song is fast but melodic, contains long guitar solos and has an epic flair. Maybe not every listener will make the effort to endure the often employed high siren-like vocals, but that's an interesting parallel to bands like Crimson Glory and early Fates Warning. The next song Direwolf is fast, but contains some epic moments that could make it a metal hymn. Fortress and Killing Kind have quite common and simple structures, but take advantage from a great and catchy chorus. The title song heads into a different direction and shows TTD from a more brutal and darker side. The next songs Casualty Of Cruel Times and Tales Of Submission are two more great tributes to a golden metal age, but they can't add any new ideas to the record. No One Left To Blame is another earworm and has a certain funny Freedom Call appeal. Finally the album ends with Firebird, a great epic and diverse true metal masterpiece. Everyone who's into traditional metal hasn't an excuse to avoid Netherworlds. The five TTD musicians have once again shown that they are excellent song writers and still live the metal spirit of the Eighties. Let's just hope that they will find a suitable replacement for Tony Taylor who gets my best wishes for his future. |