Evil Twin

Imagine if you will, a highway intersection with a four-way stop. Approaching this intersection are four vans; one with the Rolling Stones, another with the Sex Pistols, another with Jimi Hendrix, and the last carrying the motley cast of the film Pirates of the Caribbean. Each van is speeding toward the intersection faster and faster, all at the same velocity and the same distance apart. Nobody stops and a fantastic, cataclysmic, fiery crash ensues. From this mangled, howling, twisted wreckage emerges something new... a new band, GMT, staggers forth, an amalgamation of all these tremendous influences (and more), unleashing their new album, "Evil Twin", upon a complacent and unsuspecting world!Following their amazing debut album, "Bitter & Twisted", I wondered if guitarist/vocalist Bernie Tormé, bassist John McCoy, and drummer Robin Guy could possibly top that initial effort. It would be a tall order, even for these self-styled pirates of rock and roll. However, Evil Twin brilliantly surpasses its predecessor, maintaining all its raw, savage aggression while throwing in a few new and surprising twists to their arsenal of sound and leaving the listener bludgeoned, bleeding, and totally satisfied!The music on "Evil Twin" is outstanding and a full-out assault on pedestrian, by-the-numbers rock and metal. Bernie Tormé is certainly one of the greatest and most overlooked rock guitarists of our time, deftly pounding out power chords, intricate riffs that weave like a demented and drunken snake charmer, and wringing from his tortured guitar screaming, writhing solos full of passion and in-your-face attitude. His style is raw and casual, not over-produced and polished to bland "perfection", providing him with a sound as unique to him as Ritchie Blackmore's or Jimi Hendrix's are to them. In short, the man is one of a long, lost breed of rock and roller--a genuine guitar legend! His vocal style is also a joy to the ears. Not as polished or technically proficient as a Ronnie James Dio or a Bruce Dickinson, his vocal delivery is loose and casual, full of personality and sarcasm, and a helluva lot of fun to listen to!And while the "T" in this outfit shines like a true rock star, let's not forget that there is also a "G" and an "M" to deal with as well. Mssrs. Guy and McCoy sure won't let you! John McCoy's bass is as beastly and monstrous as ever, as big and loud as Godzilla and easily twice as mean. Warped and distorted all to hell, it relentlessly pounds out its rhythms on your head and is unmistakable in its one-of-a-kind sound. Raucous, loud, and heavier than hell, nobody wallops a bass like McCoy. Drummer Robin Guy completes the rhythm section, attacking his kit without mercy and driving each song like a hammer drives a nail! He is a complete monster and fills out this group with a hard-hitting natural feel that makes it seem as if he was born to it.Picking favorites from an album like "Evil Twin" is nigh impossible, but there are a few that shone brightly for very specific reasons. "Punko Rocco" opens the festivities like a locomotive steaming along at full speed. Full of vicious punk attitude and heavy metal styling, it even features Twisted Sister's Dee Snider snarling along on guest vocals! The title track rips along like a double-edged razor; catchy and filled with hooks, it plays over a surprising performance on tabla drums which give the song a unique profile and immediate character. Another fascinating twist came with "Jonny Sitar" which features--you guessed it--a sitar played by the ever-versatile Tormé. Sounding a bit like a lost gem from David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust days (only with more bollocks), the song is laid back, deliciously spacey in places, and has the dreamy atmosphere of an opium den while maintaining the trademark GMT edge. Another favorite of mine is an extended, nine-minute plus blues jam called "Perfumed Garden". This is warped, mutant blues that reach in and touch you deeply--a flurry of sustained and bent electric notes steeped in melancholy, reverb, and feedback. Bernie's vocals and guitar playing channel the spirits of Hendrix and T-Bone Walker. It feels, as Robert Johnson once sang, like "blues falling down like hail... blues falling down like hail." The band's sense of humor is on display for "The Humors of Mr. McCoy", a poke at the erstwhile bassist that features a wild roller coaster ride of a riff that twists around your head like an angry viper. Explosive and fun, it closes the album in fine fashion!"Evil Twin" is a savage, brutal rock and roll smash-up that will have rock fans smiling. Absolutely chock full of broken glass, barbed wire, and twisted metal, GMT has provided a show-no-quarter/take-no-prisoners album that is easily the equal of their debut, and is maybe even better. If their first album, "Bitter & Twisted", sucker punched you in the gut, then Evil Twin will shove your face in the dirt and kick you in the goolies! This album is the real deal--a must-have for any rock and roller worth his or her salt--GET A COPY NOW! Because in the bland, mundane landscape of the modern rock scene, rife with bleak apathy, cynical mediocrity, and criminal hypocrisy, GMT are a bright and shining beacon boldly showing the way!Cheers!Brent A. SoileauDeep Purple Hub