California two-piece Twin Temple have been making quite the name for themselves since their apparition in 2017. Being self proclaimed practicing satanists, staunch feminists and wanting to dethrone the dominance of heavy metal within “satanic” music, the husband and wife duo channel the sparkle of early American rock and roll from the 1950’s and 60’s. Their 2019 debut Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound…. Satanic Doo-Wop) was widely praised for their unique sound and strong lyricism exploring progressive issues with a satanic spirit, the band have doubled down with their new album God Is Dead creating “our most blasphemous, horny and painstakingly period-correct work to date”.
There is no need for subtlety in a Twin Temple album, the opening track and lead single ‘Burn Your Bible’ a prime example. Opening with a mild nod to Black Sabbath with thunder and church bells before breaking into their soulful tribute to the golden age. There is a wide variety of instrumentation peppered around the performance; xylophones, horns and strings bolstering the guitars, bass and drums. Alexandra James’ vocal performance is immediately enrapturing, powerful charismatic energy emanating from her performances combined with backing vocals. ‘(Fallin’ For A) Fallen Angel’ is a shimmering love song about, who else?! Satan. Crooning vocals telling the tale of being charmed by and falling for Lucifer, the subject matter fitting a alongside the rock and roll aesthetic but juxtaposing the traditional subject matter of such a song.
“God Is Dead: “our most blasphemous, horny and painstakingly period-correct work to date”.”
‘Let’s Have A Satanic Orgy’ made it’s debut all the way back in January of 2022, the added salsa energy and latin percussion helping it to stand out a bit more on the album. The rhythmic shuffle of the percussion alongside the undeniably catchy chorus that’ll have you getting strange looks from your coworkers as you sing along. The exploration continues a little on ‘Two Sinners’, having a harpsichord introduce the lead melody of the song and hooking the listener into one of the more satisfying chorus’ on the album, supported up by “sha-la-la”-ing backing vocals. ‘Black Magick’ opens like a sleuth mystery with an open ended vibraphone melody and hypnotic vocal passage, multiple harmonies layered on each other leading into the song. It’s is incredibly enjoyable, a typical catchy rock and roll structure with one hell of a saxophone solo thrown in for good measure.
The production direction is spot on, wanting to truly encapsulate the sound and feeling of the “golden age” of American rock and roll. The album is presented in mono (much like their debut) and everything is mixed and balanced like a classic record. The focus staying on the vocals with percussion sitting delicately in the background and the eccentric instrumentation comfortably sitting between. The guitars are kept very basic with limited effects, only touches of overdrive and a little reverb, but sticking with what they had at the time. Everything has a touch of vintage warmth to it, a very mild distortion that sounds like this album has been long forgotten and unearthed in a dusty basement (in a good way). Alexandra’s vocals in particular have a little more bite on them when her performance becomes more impassioned.
“A very mild distortion that sounds like this album has been long forgotten and unearthed in a dusty basement (in a good way).”
The final single released before the album launch ‘Be A Slut’ shrugs off the overt satanism, if only for one song, with a very simple message: “be a slut, do what you want”. Throwing away the judgemental shackles of society and urging the listener to embrace their sexuality and celebrate who they are. The instrumental of the song is joyous and begging to whip a live audience into an indefinite boogie. Closing the album is the title track ‘God Is Dead’, at first seemingly a slow dance lament for a fallen god, an emotional performance with a lot of grandeur in the instrumental. That is until the the climax of the song, a slight fade out convinces you the album might be over until a celebratory finale kicks in, vocals cheerfully exclaiming “I’m so happy that God’s dead” and strings accent and flourish the vocals as the album fades out.
Twin Temple once again showcase another batch of infectious satanic hymns for the global satanic worship sermons. Whilst it may seem like there is a bit of a “tongue in cheek” nature to the project, their dedication to their sound and style is highly commendable. Its really hard not to come away from God Is Dead without a smile on your face and fresh stack of satanic doo-wop earworms burying deeper into your subconscious.