Blind Buy Surprise Albums Pt. 7: Twisted Tower Dire: Crest of the Martyrs

According to much of the mainstream music press, the grunge wave of the early 1990's killed heavy metal. Obviously this is not true. Plenty of bands still exist today that play traditional-sounding heavy metal. Twisted Tower Dire is one of these such bands. I was on the lookout for power metal bands at one time, along with some other random stuff and placed a large order with CD Universe. This album was one of about thirteen albums I purchased at that time. It is also my favorite such album from that group, which included the likes of Manticora, Hibria, Angra, Portal, Gorguts, Arsis, Cirith Ungol, and more.

Twisted Tower Dire plays traditional metal with some occasional U.S. power metal influences thrown in. The music is generally upbeat with faster tempos and extremely catchy choruses. The band seems mostly influenced by classic metal acts such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, and other bands that proudly waved the metal flag in the 1980's. This band is a throwback in the true sense of the term, but are not limited to replicating the same sounds from that era.

This album is a fast, fun, and exciting listening experience from start to finish. Featuring great vocals, infectious songs, terrific riffs, and blazing guitar solos, it is unfortunate that more people are not aware of the band.