TWISTED TOWER DIRE is one of those bands that has shot to the forefront of my perception over the past few months, much like HEATHENDOM and WHILE HEAVEN WEPT. They play no-frills, straightforward Power Metal in the style of many other US bands. The songs are full of galloping riffs and insanely catchy choruses; the songs are almost entirely played in a major key.

I think that one of the things that I noticed first about "Make It Dark" is how energetic the band sounds. The sound is very full and all of the instruments can be heard clearly. This is the first album with new singer Jonny Aune, who was in the band VIPER. Their previous vocalist, Tony Taylor, tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident last year. Aune does a very good job even though is style is different. He has more of a rockish style as opposed to the balls-to-the-wall metal style of Taylor, although neither one is superior; both singers are fantastic in their own right.

My favorite song is probably "The Stone" which features an extended back-and-forth solo section and not far behind it is the title track, which is not really that dark at all but still is a lot of fun. The album closes out with an epic, "Beyond the Gate," which I discovered after some research is a reworking of a song of the same name found on a 1997 demo. Unlike some epics which build up from slow to fast, from soft to heavy, "Beyond the Gate" feels more like a regular song that happens to be over 8 minutes long. Aune really outdoes himself, making a statement that he belongs as the singer for TWISTED TOWER DIRE and hopefully he will remain there for a long time to come.

Even though it does not quite come to the level of "Netherworlds" or "Crest of the Martyrs," "Make it Dark" is a fine addition to their catalogue. Metal fans who are sick of cookie-cutter Power Metal bands like HAMMERFALL and SONATA ARCTICA would be wise to look into TWISTED TOWER DIRE. Fans of JUDAS PRIEST and JAG PANZER will enjoy the hell out of this release. Let's hope that they are able to follow former label-mates WHILE HEAVEN WEPT by landing on a major label for their next release.