Making a gross adaptation to the old words of the English writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge on "The Rime of the Ancient Marine" (no, it's not just an IRON MAIDEN song), "Clichés, clichés, everywhere nor any trace of personality" is the idea that appears on the mind of the listeners when dealing with bands that are trying desperately to sound as if it was 1985 (maybe two years before or after it). The US quintet TWISTED TOWER DIRE can't be labeled as a Dolly clone of the past, because they are old, but "Wars in the Unknown" isn't as good as it could be.

It's that old and good melodic and powerful traditional Heavy Metal that was usual to hear on NWOBHM (a bit strange that they aren't following the steps of US Metal school) and in earlier Power Metal from Europe. Yes, their songs have energy, good technical work (although the vocals needs to improve), but lack of something special that belongs to their own. It's not bad, but it's not new. The sound quality is really very good. Piet Sielck (of IRON SAVIOR) is the one who signed the album's production, using the modern clean vision of the whole thing, but allowing the band to use an organic set of instrumental tunes (like they plugged the instruments on pedals and amps, and played).

Musically, they're good, but not different from many bands from the past that followed the same trend. And even today, if compared with some bands, they still need to improve their music, to push it to the next level (and with personality). The weight of "The Thundering", the good guitars (especially the solos and duets) of "Tear You Apart", the very good melodies on the slow paced tempos of "And the Sharks Came Then", the melodic grasp of "Riding the Fortress" and of "Eons Beyond" (both with good work from bass guitar and drums), and the catchy harmonies of "The Beast I Fear" are the ones that show how they are talented, so they can take a higher flight and dare to create their own music without being linked to the past. The 80's are over, and the present is good.

"Wars in the Unknown" is a good album, but TWISTED TOWER DIRE needs to improve a bit more.