The band Twitching Tongues conveys a lot through its use of names and titles. The band’s most recent record, just out, is called “Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred.” It’s certainly an approach that works for some people.
This L.A.-based hardcore band varies the speed of the music and the degrees of abrasiveness nicely. Blast beats, harmonized guitars, quarter-time downshifts, intricate tangled accents and staccato-stitch riffs all make for powerful music. Touches of gutter-scrape synthesizer and sinister piano show up in surprising spots. Themes of self-destruction pop up (“Harakiri”) alongside plenty of pain and anger.
There are also some welcome theatrical visual flourishes of WWF-style. Parts of the latest album were recorded at the legendary Sound City studios, where Nirvana and Fleetwood Mac made some of their most iconic music. Fans of Slayer should take note, but fans of Danzig will be pleased as well. Twitching Tongues has crazy raw breakdowns, but its also melodic.
Twitching Tongues plays the Space Ballroom, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden, on Wednesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $14. 203-288-6400, spaceballroom.com
