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Viking's Choice: Twitching Tongues, 'Sacrifice Me'

Twitching Tongues.
Courtesy of the artist
Twitching Tongues.

Groove can be an ugly word in metal. But just because some bands haven't evolved beyond Pantera's (awesome) Cowboys From Hell, that doesn't mean the groove can't find nastier pastures. Twitching Tongues has been particularly adept at the moody mosh, where angst broods with Alice In Chains-inspired melodies, a sludgy Crowbar crunch and Colin Young's husky baritone.

The L.A. band's third album, Disharmony, is far heavier and more outwardly metallic than its hardcore-leaning catalog, with some thrash/death-metal riffs breaking up the prowling groove. The dramatic "Sacrifice Me" is particularly indicative of the band's shift, with a searing chorus and a sinister funk bass that floats in space. According to Young, "It doesn't sound like any other Twitching Tongues song, and it's got a spirit of its own within the record. It's for those constantly affected by the negative actions of others growing up: the freaks, the nerds, the outcasts, the bullied. Always fight back. 'They deserve every second of pain.'"

Disharmony comes out Oct. 30 on Metal Blade.

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