ALBUM REVIEW: Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred – Twitching Tongues
When 20th century moral and social philosopher Eric Hoffer said “Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life“, no-one could’ve seen the hardcore-come-alternative quintet TWITCHING TONGUES lifting it for their excellently titled fourth full-length record. Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred comes at a time where hardcore and extreme metal is at its most fruitful in years and so, it faces some stiff competition for recognition. However, if there’s one thing that instantly springs out from this quagmire of heavy, it’s a disregard of competition and the creation of something completely separate. It’s also the first outing for the band’s new recruits, drummer Cayle Sain, bassist Alec Faber and guitarist Sean Martin, alongside longtime members and brothers Taylor and Colin Young.
As a group that’s toured with the likes of HATEBREED, DYING FETUS and CODE ORANGE, it would not be unwise to enter this album with a degree of sonic expectation, and yet, opener AWOL (State of the Union) shatters all assumptions. The band lift the veil with a heavy-as-balls riff that sets the standard for the riff-centric album Gaining Purpose… reveals itself to be. Layered over the top is the rich, bellowing vocals of Colin and Taylor Young (see also: NAILS) with these haunting ALICE IN CHAINS melodies that perfectly captures the sound of trawling morosely to your noose. It’s an odd match with the music and a slightly jarring listen at points across the album but when the two hit together, it’s heavy, it’s bleak and it’s damn good. If you’re here for another drop-heavy modern hardcore record, you’ve got the wrong place. However, if you’re here to experience a refreshing alternative within the ever-expanding, innovative new wave of hardcore, come on in, the inescapable sense of dark, harrowing doom is just fine.
The ambitious, devil-may-care disregard for the conventions continues into the mid-paced Harakiri (meaning the Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment… just in case you wanted to know that). Not only does it possess the first of numerous hooky choruses across the album, it also has this awesome breakdown that escapes explanation. By some feat, it’s as fresh as it is heavy and an absolute highlight. Kill for You begins with this creepy 3/4 waltz that wouldn’t be out of place on The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. Just shy of the halfway mark, the track breaks into this SCORPIONS-esque rollicking power ballad and it’s here that the airy, spacey production shows its terrific size and weight.
As varied as Gaining Purpose… is, what remains throughout is its aggressive, painful tendencies, most felt in T.F.R, Gaining Purpose and The Sound of Pain, the former opening with a nuclear warning sample, into an uber slow chunky crawl, into a frentic d-beat before the cataclysmic call “You’re fired motherfucker” roars out the speakers. There’s just so much that goes on even before mentioning the stomping southern fried riff it ends with. Gaining Purpose is another mid-paced goliath with a riff-fest halfway through which could easily be mistaken for a new wave revival thrash band, while ending on a classic GATECREEPER-esque trudge. The Sound Of Pain on the other hand comes outta nowhere, pissed-off and eager for a fight. Despite the middle 8 straight up channeling their inner SLAYER, the band return swiftly to where they were with the crushing mosh call “To the deprived and depraved, to the rulers that reign, sooner or later, we all must hear the SOUND. OF. PAIN.” That is going to be phenomenal live.
As furious as this album can be, it doesn’t shy away from being delicate and at points, even fragile. Forgive and Remember slows it right down and hits hard with the harrowing vocals that is used almost as an instrument. It seems, however, that TWITCHING TONGUES are first to the party for heart-bleeding piano ballads on a hardcore album. The cathartic bellowing in Long Gone even begins to share a kindred spirit in Bruce Springsteen. How’s that for experimental?
Really there isn’t a weak moment on here. The mish-mash of styles and emotions poured into this really sets it apart in the fiercely experimental new wave of hardcore. Their use of despairing vocals put to an often bruising and less-often, vulnerable musical canvas is bizarre to listen to, but damn it, they’ve done it. What TWITCHING TONGUES have really achieved here is adding a wholly new flavour to the burgeoning scene it finds itself in. It would be a great shame to see a release like this go unrecognised.
Rating: 8/10
Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred is set for release on March 9th via Metal Blade Records.
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