Order World War LiVe here.

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea this was a live album. Obviously I could hear the audience on the album (and who could miss Colin Young’s banter between songs?), but I’d only taken a cursory look at the album cover (on my tiny phone) and completely missed that the capitalized “V” was actually part of the word “LiVe.”

Additionally, the quality of the recording and performance is so good that you have to forgive me for believing that World War LiVe was a studio effort. Now, it could have been greatly enhanced in the studio, we know that gets done, but there are parts of this album that give the impression of what Butt-Head, from Beavis and Butt-Head, would sound like if he had ditched Beavis and somehow found a modicum of success with a band and as a musician.

Despite the clowning around (announcing that he’s gotta take a piss, asking if the fans want to hear a certain song and then denying it, telling them to slow down their singing, etc.), Twitching Tongues’ lyrics are anything but light. Dealing with infidelity, an adulterous mother, suicide, and other heavy topics, this band has come forth bearing the grunge torch, both in lyrical content and in tone.

And then there are definite punk roots to be heard as well, especially on standout track “Preacher Man,” on which Colin sounds an awful lot like Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould in parts. But then there’s the death growls and the sludgy riffs scattered throughout the album. Yes, Twitching Tongues is a huge mess of genres, but they blend them all to perfection. Even hitting the thrash metal genre with a nice touch on “Feed Your Disease,” which features a nice homage to “Raining Blood” in its intro.

The track itself is a riffing crusher, like a tank rolling over your skull. The nice thing about it is that it doesn’t just chug away from beginning to end; there are plenty of shifts in the delivery, keeping the track fresh, but it’s always heavy. Young’s Tommy Victor-like (Prong) vocals are completely engaging and give us plenty of grit with a great tone.

“Insincerely Yours” can be found on Twitching Tongues’ newly released Disharmony, which can be ordered here.

And don’t forget to catch Twitching Tongues bringing their violence on a headlining tour this November. Dates below.

Twitching Tongues Tour Dates:

w/ Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace
Nov. 11 – Mesa, AZ – The Underground *
Nov. 13 – Dallas, TX – Tomcats West
Nov. 15 – Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown
Nov. 17 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth
Nov. 18 – Tampa, FL – Epic Problem
Nov. 19 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly
Nov. 20 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade/Purgatory
Nov. 21 – Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall
Nov. 22 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
Nov. 23 – Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall
Nov. 25 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison **
Nov. 26 – Montreal, QC – La Vitrola **
Nov. 27 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Downstairs
Nov. 28 – New York, NY – The Studio @ Webster Hall
Nov. 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage Lounge ***
Dec. 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo
Dec. 2 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class
Dec. 3 – Detroit, MI – The Cafe **
Dec. 4 – Chicago, IL – Double Door
*=Twitching Tongues only
**= w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace
***= w/Harms Way, Malice at the Palace

Rock Hard \m/

Twitching Tongues has announced they’ve added lead guitarist Sean Martin (ex-Hatebreed) as an official member of the band, which also includes brothers Colin Young (vocals) and Taylor Young (guitar/vocals).

Martin amicably split with Hatebreed in 2009, and joins Twitching Tongues as they prepare for the release of their upcoming third studio album, Disharmony, which will be released on October 30th, with Metal Blade Records.

Colin states:

The addition of Sean to Twitching Tongues is absolutely fucking insane to us. He is someone Taylor and I have looked up to and respected musically for over a decade. For two kids from Connecticut, this is as good as it gets.

Martin adds:

I’m excited to say that I’ll be playing guitar for Twitching Tongues in support of their new album, Disharmony. I’m looking forward to getting back on the road to do what I was born to do… summon the riff. See you all soon.

Twitching Tongues Tour Dates:

Nov 11 – Mesa, AZ – The Underground
Nov 13 – Dallas, TX – Tomcats West (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 15 – Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 17 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 18 – Tampa, FL – Epic Problem (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 19 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 20 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade/Purgatory (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 21 – Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 22 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 23 – Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 25 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 26 – Montreal, QC – La Vitrola (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 27 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Downstairs (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 28 – New York, NY – The Studio @ Webster Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage Lounge (w/Harms Way, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 2 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 3 – Detroit, MI – The Cafe (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 4 – Chicago, IL – Double Door (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)

Rock Hard \m/

Fans will quickly know that “Eyes Adjust” and “World War V” are classics from the band’s critically heralded 2013 full-length In Love There Is No Law. The new video also comes just as Twitching Tongues is gearing up for the release of their new album, Disharmony, out October 30th, on Metal Blade Records.

Twitching Tongues Tour Dates:

Nov 11 – Mesa, AZ – The Underground
Nov 13 – Dallas, TX – Tomcats West (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 15 – Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 17 – Orlando, FL – Backbooth (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 18 – Tampa, FL – Epic Problem (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 19 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 20 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade/Purgatory (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 21 – Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 22 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 23 – Amityville, NY – Amityville Music Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 25 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 26 – Montreal, QC – La Vitrola (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 27 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Downstairs (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 28 – New York, NY – The Studio @ Webster Hall (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Nov 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage Lounge (w/Harms Way, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 01 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 02 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 03 – Detroit, MI – The Cafe (w/Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)
Dec 04 – Chicago, IL – Double Door (w/Harms Way, Homewrecker, Malice at the Palace)

Rock Hard \m/

Disharmony will be released on October 30th, just in time to warm up your speakers for Halloween.

Led by brothers Colin Young (vocals) and Taylor Young (guitars/vocals; also of grindcore band Nails), Twitching Tongues has carved out a prominent place in Los Angeles’ burgeoning music scene over the last several years. With two albums, Sleep Therapy (2012) and In Love There Is No Law (2013), under their belts and extensive worldwide touring, the band has quickly managed to become one of the underground’s most discussed bands and are on the cusp of a major breakout with the release of Disharmony this fall.

Colin Young states:

This record represents every single thing we have done and have worked towards these past five years… It is a new beginning for this band, and it feels incredible to finally share it with all of you.

Pre-order Disharmony right here and follow the band on Facebook for additional updates.

Disharmony Track List:

1. Disharmony
2. Insincerely Yours
3. Asylum Avenue
4. Love Conquers None
5. Insatiable Sin
6. Cannibal
7. Sacrifice Me
8. Arrival
9. The End of Love
10. Cruci-Fiction

Rock Hard \m/

Twitching Tongues recently played at the 10th anniversary edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France, where they played the title track, “Disharmony,” from their forthcoming album. You can watch the live performance of the song in the player above, although the sound quality isn’t the greatest.

Over e-mail from London, England, vocalist Colin Young commented:

When your band’s existence is pretty much solely based on live videos from Dynamo fest in the ’90s, playing something like Hellfest is pretty fucking cool. Especially getting to play ‘Disharmony’ live for the third or fourth time ever.

Twitching Tongues continues their tour of Europe tonight in Belgium. The remaining dates are listed below. New music and album details will be released in the coming weeks.

Twitching Tongues Tour Dates:

w/ Disgrace
06/25 Mol, BE JH Tydeeh
06/26 Münster, DE Cafe Lorenz
06/27 Berlin, DE Cassiopeia
06/28 Dresden, DE Chemiefabrik
06/29 Wien, AT Das Bach
06/30 Salzburg, AT Rockhouse Bar
07/01 Stuttgart, DE Juha West

Rock Hard \m/

Twitching Tongues – 2014

It is common for fans of heavier music to say, “They are much better live.” I can name a handful of bands that bring much more to their live show than what can be maintained in a recording studio. This is normal because when a band plays live they force out their best songs from all of their albums, and bring along an enjoyable experience with a frantic performance. Twitching Tongues is definitely a name that comes to my mind when thinking of great live shows and this is why they recorded an entire set and made it a CD, vinyl, and digital download. It is now accessible to hear the raw sound of their set on their new release, World War Live.

Do me a favor. Find the studio version of song “Eyes Adjust,” from their latest full length LP, In Love There Is No Law, and blast it as loud as you can. Take a listen to the same track on World War Live and you will find out that they are similar in sound, aggression, and vocal pitch. That’s right, Twitching Tongues is one of those bands where their singer does not sound exhausted or short on his voice live. Even on the incredibly quick monologued “In Love There Is No Law,” Colin Young nails every note. This has been a problem for other live albums from hardcore bands, but vocals do not fall short on World War Live.

The production and mixing also holds together well. “Sleep” is a song that changes pace sporadically multiple times during its course. From chaotic double drum pounds to doom grooves and to thrash riffs, never is one instrument overpowering the rest. One thing I wish I could hear was more of the crowd during the actual songs. Although present in some parts, the crowd is mainly heard before a song plays or a few times in chants. The setlist is also another thing to get excited over, featuring six songs from In Love There Is No Law and the most brutal songs from before that record as well.

Twitching Tongues, World War Live will be released on August 12th. Pre-orders can be made at: allinmerch.com

Verdit: 4/5 Skulls

World War Live is a solid live album, showcasing how talented Twitching Tongues really is. Even if you find yourself stumbling upon this band having never heard any of their material, this live album brings out their best songs in their most raw form.