Album Review: Twisted Mist - Orbios
Reviewed by Jon Wigg
Describing themselves as a French Pagan Metal band, Twisted Mind from Reims present their third album ‘Orbios’. A fascinating mix of atmospheric folk music and brutal metal including full on harsh death metal vocals, this sure isn’t a run of the mill release.
The two members - Olivier (Guitars, Bouzouki, Hurdy Gurdy, Drums and Vocals) and Nicolas (Bass, Flutes, Ocarina, Percussion and Vocals) - instil a real medieval feel during the softer sections of the album. It takes the listener to the past and lulls them into a comfortable zone, before a well timed blast of metal shocks the senses. And this is what Twisted Mind is all about - a sensory journey not to be listened to but experienced. This is not an album where you can pick out any one track to recommend. Like other forms of extreme music, black metal and rave spring to mind, this is one that creates a feeling within the listener and lets their mind wander to fill in a narrative.
Now this is definitely not going to be for everyone as it’s not easy listening, but fans of metal and/or folk music will find plenty to enjoy if they are prepared to put in the time and effort.
The use of authentic folk and medieval instruments such as the bouzouki and hurdy gurdy, really adds to the feel of the tracks. The harsh vocals are present in most tracks (‘Equinoxe’ is an instrumental and would be my standout track if I had to make a choice) but don’t intrude, instead adding a welcome contrast to the folk parts. There are also some harmonised medieval chants which bring the listener further back towards the past and history represented here.
The heaviest track on the album is ‘La Peste Soit de Ma Chair’ (translation The Plague be of my Flesh) which starts and closes with destructive metal parts and quietens with a beautiful acoustic section. ‘Vae Soli’ is also worthy of a special mention, partly for the fantastically brutal death metal second half but also for the haunting chant/whisper close.
It’s rare to find a band that is so skillfully able to blend two such disparate forms of music while leaving both perfectly intact. Others have used folk and metal over the years to great effect, such as the fantastic Skyclad and Eluveitie, but they tend towards a metal sound enhanced by the traditional music. Twisted Mist work the other way around, lifting the medieval passages with passages of death metal and it just works.
