THE DEVIL'S HALL OF FAME

In my humble opinion there isn't much that stands out on the debut album of Beyond Twlight. The music is progressive metal, never really taking any long strides outside of the confines of the genre. They're basically splashing around in safe, familiar water. One thing that is quite striking about it though is the extremely slow tempo of the songs. While most bands of the same genre push the limits of fast sweeping and double bass drum blasting, these guys have really gone to some length to go (in a slow-motion voice, please) sloooooow.

The songs are dark, omnious things, with some great instrumental moments. But there is really just one thing that stands out clearly with this release. The vocal work of Jorn Lande. Yes, yes, I know that people always go on about the vocal ability of this man, but on this album he makes such a remarkable display of virtuoso singing ability that it's impossible not to give it a section of its own.

Being a singer myself who has studied music and vocal techniques of all sorts, I always listen to the vocalists of bands with a more critical ear than for the other instrumentalists. It's unbelievably rare to find a good singer who stretches his/her limits both physically and creatively, yet this is exactly what Jorn does on this album. There are so many absurd vocal parts and arrangements throughout the album as Jorn howls, growls and roars his way through the songs, never losing credibility or intensity. This feat alone is impressive, but that he manages to pull it off in such a manner that it sounds fantastic as well is just beyond words. I can't think of any singer in modern metal that can match the vision, power and skill Jorn provides on this record.

This is an ok album with a few standout tracks and catchy melodies, but mostly it should be considered a source of inspiration and awe for singers everywhere.

3/5