Twilight – III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb

Moore Metal Than You’d Expect

When you think black metal, you certainly do not link it to Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. Well, that has now changed. Moore’s guilty pleasure is now a full-blown love affair. Meet Twilight. This metal super group doesn’t just have alt-noise-grandfather Thurston Moore. It also includes noted Chicago-based producer Sanford Parker, Stravros Giannopoulos from the Atlas Moth, Wrest (AKA Jef Whitehead) from Leviathan and Imperial (AKA Neill Jameson) from Krieg on vocals. The end result of this collaboration, III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb, is incredible.

Admittedly, black metal is generally a tough sub-genre to get into. It’s not all that catchy and the music is necessarily brutal, supported by intense lyrics. This record contains all of that; there is no skimping. From the outset, III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb throws a hammer in your face. “Lungs,” the first track on the record, is a loud noise-filled metal song with everything that makes Moore’s style legendary. Noisy, ambient and loud, with Imperial’s vocals churning the angriest things in your ears.

On the second track, “Wretched Son,” the album gets dark. Really dark. The opening riff seethes and although it’s dark and noisy, it’s somehow catchy in a way that only Moore can be. Imperial is going crazy on this track. It’s a barnburner. Wrest, the band’s drummer/guitarist/bassist/keyboardist is doing some great work here, keeping the train moving.

The third track “Swarming Funeral” gives the album legs. Its ambient opening is so clearly Moore’s influence, but with that added doom/black metal feel it creates a dark, brooding atmosphere that you don’t hear in a lot of music these days. This album came straight out of the dreams of alt-metal kids from around the globe. The addition of Thurston Moore to the rest of the doom/black metal super group is the most interesting part of this record. Sadly, the group disbanded around the same time the album was released. However, III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb may introduce new fans to black metal, and they will not be disappointed.