Review of Vivarium Album by Twin Atlantic

Review of Twin Atlantic's album Vivarium

Twin Atlantic Vivarium Album

With named influences Biffy Clyro making inroads into the mainstream and getting plays on Radio 1, Twin Atlantic might just have chosen the perfect time to release their debut mini album Vivarium. If you haven't heard of them, Twin Atlantic are a 4 piece rock band from Glasgow. Having supported Biffy Clyro and personally chosen to do so for Smashing Pumpkins, it's fair to say Twin Atlantic have the respect of their power-chord hungry peers.

Refreshingly, brilliantly named front man Sam Mctrusty opts to sing in his native Glaswegian accent which works perfectly as he sneers and spews his lyrical bile throughout . Too often, British rock singers deliver a tedious impression of their American contemporises and spoil what might have been. So it's quite humorous to come across You're turning into John Wayne, an angsty dig at the same copycats mentioned above, as well as pointing out the 'cultural pollution' that has arrived on our shores via our friends in the US of A. Big words considering the genre Twin Atlantic belong to is absolutely drowning in a sea of stars and stripes.

Caribbean War Syndrome is not a song title that's been used before and probably wont find itself being used again, but it is a song that perfectly displays Twin Atlantics overwhelming promise. The ferocious yet melodic Light Speed with its strong hooks and breakneck tempo signals an obvious intent early on. Proceedings are then capped off perfectly towards the albums close, with earlier single Audience and Audio and its repetitive chorus of 'what don't you ,why don't you, kick it/ when you get a taste for it' providing a passionate end to an already intensely energetic debut.

Why Twin Atlantic have chosen to release a mini album of 8 tracks is beyond me. With two more tracks, Vivarium could be one of the more promising debut albums of the year. It still is, but as a mini album it might not have the same impact it could easily have had. Having said that, Twin Atlantic have both the songs and the look of a band that's destined to sell a fair few records. Which side of the Atlantic those records are going be sold on is anyone's guess.

Sam Marland


Site - http://www.twinatlantic.com

Contactmusic