After hearing Forbidden Evil I was most excited to check out this sophomore effort. By all accounts, Twisted Into Form features better songwriting, production, and was even more complex than its predecessor. And given this was from 1990, right in the epicenter of the prog thrash movement, I figured this would go into my all-time favorites stack for the genre. Everything proved to be true from my above statement, except the conclusion. I preferred Forbidden Evil. It starts off - as one person humorously stated about another metal album - with the Federally mandated clean acoustic guitar instrumental. And of course this leads to the inevitable bludgeoning of 'Infinite'. At this point my hopes were super high, as this track just kills with riff after riff, and multiple thematic changes. After this comes 'Out of Body', and the album begins to lose its luster. I'm waiting for the quirks of the genre to show up, the make-it-up-as-we-go-along aesthetic. But it's all too... too... professional. In this way, I'm most reminded of Testament and their transition from the rough and ready Legacy to the polished New Order. From a pure ratings perspective I find Twisted Into Form about the same as Forbidden Evil, but the latter has more potential for growth in this area. Other great tracks include the lengthy 'R.I.P.' and the closer 'One Foot in Hell'. It's a great album, yes everyone is correct on that front, but it's not unique enough to stand out as a pillar. Bummer.
Ownership: CD: 2008 Nuclear Blast (Germany). Jewel case with a fine layout of lyrics and photos. Recent online acquisition.
This CD also includes a reissue of their EP entitled Raw Evil 1989 - Live at the Dynamo. On paper this looks great, as it features three tracks from their debut plus Judas Priest's masterpiece 'Victim of Changes'. Had I bought this real time after Forbidden Evil, I would have been completely disappointed. It starts with the Priest track. Quick history of 'Victim of Changes': This was a blues rock piece, going back to the early 70s, written by Judas Priest founder and original vocalist Al Atkins. It made its debut on Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) and proved to be a superb hard rock meets progressive rock number while still maintaining its blues foundation. But it was on 1979's Unleashed in the East, that the track became one of the greatest metal songs of all time. Priest amped it up from hard rock to metal, and added an incredible amount of emotional intensity. Gives one goose bumps just thinking about it. So what will a talented thrash band do with such a masterpiece? Ruin it, that's what. 'Victim of Changes' calls for subtlety and proper pacing. Forbidden rushes through it as if they have to go to the bathroom. It's a horrible rendition and they would have been far better served to cover something like 'Exciter' or 'Killing Machine'. I think only a progressive rock band could tackle 'Victim of Changes' and make it unique and exciting. The other three tracks are typical metal concert fare. With a husky voice: "This song is [about][comes from]" (unintelligible) blaaahhhhhrraa (cue high hat) - then huge racket ensues. It's not that they can't play live - they most certainly can - it's just so much gets lost in translation. The studio brings out the best of most bands like this.
1/23/21 (first listen / review / new entry)
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