In the Jewish and Christian traditions, ‘Gehenna’ signifies the ‘valley of wailing,’ essentially hell. In the Metal tradition, it’s the perfect fodder for a concept album. On October 25, TWISTED MIST, duo Folk Metal team from Reims, France, released their fifth full-length album entitled “Gehenna.” The album is inspired by Dante’s Inferno. Similar to the book that takes readers through a step-by-step journey through the underbelly of hell via the medium of an epic poem, TWISTED MIST takes us through the same journey via the medium of Folk Metal. The TWISTED MIST style presents equal measures of traditional folk performed on traditional folk instruments (flute, ocarina, bouzouki, hurdy gurdy) mixed with lethal doses of Extreme Metal performed on traditional metal instruments (distorted guitars, bottomless bass, ballistic drums, demonic vocals).

“Gehenna” comprises 11 tracks over 65 minutes. The first two tracks provide a two-part overview of the inferno; the next nine tracks are devoted to each circle of hell. The cover depicts a cloaked Virgil and Dante walking side-by-side against a backdrop of row upon row of scenes from hell. Virgil and Dante are stark white, perhaps simulating alabaster, while the background is midnight blue and black. Classy and unsettling all at once. Also, I have never ever commented on the logo of a band in any of my reviews, but the logo of TWISTED MIST is noteworthy with a contorted, grasping tree standing in as two of the three t’s. I mean, it doesn’t really capture the essence of ‘mist,’ but it sure as hell says ‘twisted.’

Like the subject matter it addresses, “Gehenna” is a bit weighty. It’s more of an album you soak in rather than one you jam to. With that said, standout tracks were both of parts of the title-track: “Gehenna, part 1” and “Gehenna, part 2.” Although they are technically two separate tracks, I took as one. The vocal harmonies on these two are incredible. I also really dug “Styx” which gets way heavy in a boots-of-lead-type of way. There is also a mean-ass break at the 3:39 mark. If you like melodic, “Alta Ripa” is hard to beat. And to round out the list, it’s hard not to go with the closing track as it sums up the entire album. So is the case with “Trahison” which combines evocative baritone vocal harmonies with razored riffs and swampy bass.

Is it ironic that a band that purports to be Pagan Folk Metal has chosen a Christian allegory as an album theme?  Okay, to be fair, the Pagan Folk Metal categorization is probably from fans and critics. Also, bands do evolve, so no foul there. I will say that I was a bit leery about Death Metal and Folk being mixed. I think Black and Folk work really well together as both are very atmospheric, but Death is more like a bludgeoning weapon. The melodic tendencies of Death, however, make the pairing surprisingly compelling. “Gehenna” by TWISTED MIST. Strongly recommended for Pagans and Judeo-Christians alike.