TWYTCH

FIVE SKULLS out of FIVE

Savage's Review:

Twytch is a metal/hardcore unit formed in Lowell, MA in 1998. They have created a huge buzz amongst the New England metal scene and have opened for a long list of nationals, including: Hatebreed, Powerman 5000, Sworn Enemy, Disturbed, Biohazard, Candiria, Diecast, Flotsam & Jetsam, Nile, Nonpoint, Shadows Fall, Skinlab, S.O.D., Testament, Lacuna Coil... the list goes on and on.
This six song disc opens with "Hatred," which kicks you in the ass from note one! Matt's vocals switch with ease between heartfelt cleans and gravel gargled screams as the music pummels the eardrums into submission. I can't help but look to start a pit with this one! I was pleasantly surprised to hear a guitar solo, something ol' Kirk Hammett forgot how to do on St. Anger!

Other standout tracks in the heavier realm include: "Echoes," "Know Remorse" with a vocal passage that reminded me of Megadeth's "Dawn Patrol," "Enemy" and "Swallow the Stitches." The guitars throughout this demo invoked pure evil and left me wanting more as they crept closely along the borders of the old school! The drumming shredded me like a firing squad, while the bass lines made my ears bleed!

By the end, I was left wondering how Matt's voice makes it through a whole set. His screams sounded immensely painful at times, yet very effective. Twytch serves up the blueprint for this style and should not be taken lightly. If you aren't ready to stay in the pit for their whole set, you might want to think about catching the quickest ride to the nearest venue where the latest popular boy band is lip synching!
- Jason "Savage" Mansavage

(Direct Link: http://www.masscore.com/news/reviews/EpZAFFylyuFZgfFYst.php)

I'm a hopless romantic. I've spent my adult life with one eye cocked, waiting patiently for a glimpse of that one special someone.

In the meantime, I intend to fuck anything that has a decent rack and stands in front of me too long. Of course, I also intend to do it really goddamned well.

This, in a nutshell, is Twytch. A band desperately searching for a soul, stumbling aimlessly across genre and approaches, merrily kicking ass wherever they roam. Upon hearing thier first recorded effort, I was struck by an enthusiastic, simple minded band that never really caught my fancy. When the first singles off Hatred were released, (Return to Ashes, and Hatred) I was caught off guard. Here was the same band playing a completely opposite role. The formerly hacking riffs had been compressed into ultra crunchy burst of tight, melodic, arpeggiations. Tasteful Drum trickery, varied screams, emotive vocals, and harmonies filled the tracks. I was excited when I got my copy of Hatred, wanting to hear more of these new recordings.

After listening to the two singles I was already familiar with, the rest of the album was a bit of a surprise. Every song on this album, including Hatred and Return to Ashes, traverses across more genre, influence, attitude, and atmosphere than you'll find carried at your local record store. Thrash, Black Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore, or whatever retarded sub genre you refer to your favorite band as, chances are someone in Twytch is loving and learning from it. Songs like Enemy and Echo reek of late nights, long drinks, and Pantera albums, while Return to Ashes and Swallow the Stitches bring to mind more melodic fare, In Flames, Arch Enemy, or maybe Lamb of God.

My only remorse is that while Twytch have obviously been dipping into an immense bag of influences, they've yet to pool all these great elements into a unique, solid mold. Styles are scattered about within the framework of each song, which leaves some of the material ass kicking yet unmemorable. However, with the first two tracks, the band shows examples of two incredibly well crafted songs.

It's only a matter of time before this bands wild and debaucherous exploits through the landscape of genres finds them stumbling across that perfect blend that is thier one and only love. With examples like Hatred and Return to Ashes, as well as some serious moments of glory throughout the remaining tracks, they're geared up to release a bludgeoning assault of metal mastery in years to come.



RATING: 3 stars

or

First, Second, and Third base, but no anal or polaroid pictures.

- Arrowhead

Whether it's school, work or just life in general, sometimes you just gotta outwardly vent some frustrations. When that time comes, as it does for us ALL, Twytch has got your back. This Massachusetts five-piece is about as professional as they come without the restrictions of a major label pulling "creative control" strings like you're some damn marionette. Angry, tough, and hostile with an unmistakable method to their intense sound, this outfit has a lot going for them. What's more, Twytch is brutal in their approach, but with the all the timing of a precision Italian race car. With a heavily influenced drive, all the members pull together on this effort with the untapped energy of a thousand Hatebreed fans. This six-track effort comes in at twenty-two plus minutes in length. After a few times through Hatred you feel like you've been trapped in an industrial strength cement-mixer with a half a dozen iron mallets. The thick, enriched chops on this disc are simply amazing and truly infectious. The single obligation to a specific task in the band dynamic seems to allow these guys to develop and concentrate solely on their respective part within the band. Matt McChesney's clean and strained "tough guy core" vocals are utilized with incredible proficiency all-throughout Hatred. Lyrically, the discontent on this effort manifests itself as a vitally engaging element to Twytch's energetic display of aggression. Isaias Martinez and Tony Zimmerman provide the twin riff-packed guitar assault whereas Joe Martinez's bass thunders out the low end with all the stability of a tectonic plate shift. Some percussionists just keep time, but Brian Joyce's drum talents vibrate throughout Hatred like a propeller on an aircraft carrier - the effect is jaw-dropping. As was mentioned earlier, Twytch has it all going for them especially if "Hatred" and, track six, "Swallow the Stitches" is the direction they continue to explore. Call their sound whatever you want, Twytch has all the pieces put together for an explosive career.
- Aaron McKay

Excellent
This is by far one of the best songs I have heard in my 2+ years reviewing songs on this site. You guys' influences seem very similar to my band, actually, but you come up with something totally your own at the end of the day. I love the mix of brutality and melody, and the execution is top-notch, both in terms of your playing and singing, and in terms of the production. - Kazrog, Santa Barbara, California

just a kick ass song great song. double kicks on the drums are done at just the right times to bring them out and keep them from being "too much" and the vocals are really cool. great arrangment as well and good sound quality on the track. plus a rad guitar solo that sounds great in the mix of everything. i also give the bass a lot of credit, as a bass player myself, its hard to stand out. great job to the whole band for making a really cool song. if all your songs are like this you wont be a "garage band" much longer.
- Nemesis_2509, San Antonio, Texas

"Twytch personifies dedication and execution! As people, they are undeniably one of the hardest working bands in the New England scene today! As a band, they deliver on an aggressive Nu Metal sound that will entice the masses, yet deliver on a demand that the metal community commands.....a sense of musical originality!"

www.hitthepit.com

- Founder, Derek Showerman

"Lets put it this way, even Twytch's excrement after a Mexican meal rocks harder than you. This Boston-area band, repeatedly has shown no mercy whatsoever while bleeding to a room of 30, or to a crowd of 400, in the instances I've seen them. "Hatred" is the cd, your groveling demise, the mission. File Under: You'll be in a pine box before the cd's over."

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