Aesthetic contradictions within the metal scene are not an uncommon sight these days. Bands whose image says one thing while their music does something entirely different vex and confuse people on a daily basis. But then there’s Twin Temple. A band favoured by a certain core of fans, whose image is a perfect representation of their sound but has nothing to do with heavy metal in the slightest.
No distorted guitars, no screaming, and no blast beats that sound like a workman using a pneumatic drill outside your house at three in the morning. Twin Temple look like they belong to a time long since passed and do their damnedest to sound like it too.
Using the same devilish strategy as acts like Ghost and (for the most part) Sleep Token, Twin Temple get their message across, not by unintelligible shrieking and playing face-melting riffs at a million miles an hour, but by drawing you in with style and individuality. On the surface, harmless enough, but underneath the lipstick and bouffant hair lies a message sent straight from below. Fear not though, society, as modern Satanism has nothing to do with goats, daggers, blood and chickens but is more about challenging oppression, and the celebration of free will. And sex. Lots and lots of sex.
For their second full length studio album, God is Dead (Pentagrammaton Records), the self-appointed high priests of Satanic Doo-wop, multitalented married couple Alexandra and Zachary James, keep to the same formula as their debut record, recording the album in mono for that extra touch of authenticity. Opening with a Black Sabbath style thunderstorm, any thoughts of demonic tritones are immediately extinguished as opener “Burn Your Bible” hits its stride with a chorus from the same school as “Please Mr Postman” by The Marvelettes and a middle eight not too far away from “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals.
“(Fallin’ For A) Fallen Angel” boasts a slow fifties swing complete with “ooh-ooh” backing vocals, the song really allowing Alexandra to show off her pipes while the quite brilliant “Let’s Have A Satanic Orgy” opens like a Scooby-Doo episode before turning into something you’d expect from an early Tim Burton film. “Two Sinners” follows and doesn’t skimp on the “sha-na, sha-na” style backing and features a Shangri-La’s style “Leader of the Pack” spoken word section.
Fun Fact: If you close your eyes to “Black Magick” and concentrate hard enough, you can almost see John Travolta carrying Olivia Newton John to a high school football field ritual sacrifice performed by The Fonz and the cast of The Wanderers. Showing off her playful side, Alexandra delivers a cheeky, gravel-throated performance on “Spellbreaker”, while “Be A Slut (Do What You Want)” sounds like it could have been included in the 2016 retro comedy horror movie The Love Witch.
Closing out the record like an evil version of The Righteous Brothers, the title track and its bouncy “I’m so happy with God dead” coda are absolutely guaranteed to bring a smile to satisfied Satanic faces.
Clocking in at less than half an hour and hitting all the right retro notes, God is Dead is a delightfully bewitching follow-up, spreading the message of Satanism with humour, hooks, and inclusivity. So does this mean that Satan in 2023 is “woke”? Yes, it probably does. And if you have a problem with that then it’s probably best you return your robes and take it up with the beast themselves.
Buy the album here:
https://www.twintemple.com/
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK