Often described as a "black metal supergroup", TWILIGHT has featured in its ranks, at one point or another, members of Xasthur, Draugar, Krieg, Leviathan, Lurker of Chalice, Minsk, The Atlas Moth, Nachtmystium, Old Man Gloom, Isis & Sonic Youth. Through the band's diverse cast of musicians, they broke out of the traditional black metal blueprint, opening the style up to broader interpretation with a deft artistic vision.
The self-titled debut clearly bows to the Scandinavian genre icons of the 90ies, yet with an attempt to radicalize it even more, pushing the genre to its boundaries. Relentlessly hypnotic drum patterns, eerie sawing tremolo guitars and anguish ridden vocals - paired with a filthy, almost low-fi production, occasional sparks of beautiful melodies and vast atmospheres that make this record a terrifying, yet cathartic experience.
Sophomore, "Monument to Time End", features vastly epic tracks through a genre-crossing approach and cast. Flattered by a transparent, warm yet powerful production, the record still follows an overall black metal aesthetic, although flirts with elements of postrock, doom, industrial and all sorts of aural psychedelia. Enhanced by supreme, utterly creative performances on all instruments, and elaborate layering, this record could be seen as visionary. One might say they perform post black metal by its most literal meaning, before it became a genre.
Today, Prophecy reissues the debut and sophomore recordings from this U.S. black metal collective via a double CD hard cover Artbook, that is double-sided, containing two different stories (you read one side, then flip the book over and read the other one). 36 pages featuring expanded unseen personal photos, detailed liner notes, 5 bonus tracks, along with completely new and original cover artworks by Jef Whitehead (Leviathan/Lurker Of Chalice).
"From such a haphazard beginning: recording in apartments and hotel rooms with nothing but the intent to create something together into a coherent work-space with a (somewhat) more coherent vision, Twilight's first two records represent a strange and uneasy time in all of our lives spurred on by personal growth and personal misfortune," comments vocalist / bassist Neill Jameson (aka N. Imperial), who infamous mostly for his work with US Black Metal pioneers Krieg.
Further he states, going more into detail "With the self-titled record's boots firmly planted in the mud of black metal we didn't set out to reinvent the wheel nor create something you'd need a fucking manifesto to understand, just an expression of what black metal meant to each of us. 'Monument...' saw that intent shift as we had more tools at our disposal and less interest in fitting into a scene that was showing early signs of breaking down into the fragmented mess it's become. While neither of these records are perfect by any means they show how the smallest spark could bring us together and how that spark would turn into a fire which tempered and molded us."
Edition:
- 2CD hardcover book (18x18 cm, 36 pages) incl. 5 bonus tracks (500 copies)
Tracklist:
01. Woe Is The Contagion
02. Exact Agony, Take Life
03. Larval Liaise
04. As The March Of Worms
05. Winter Before
06. White Fire Under Black Text
07. Hopeless Etheride
08. Swollen Voices In Silence
09. Beyond Light (Beautiful And Malignant)
Bonustracks:
10. Swollen Voices In Silence (live)
11. Beyond Light (Beautiful And Malignant) (live)
CD2 Monument To Time End
01. The Cryptic Ascension
02. Fall Behind Eternity
03. 8,000 Years
04. Red Fields
05. Convulsions In Wells of Fever
06. Decaying Observer
07. The Catastrophe Exhibition
08. Negative Signal Omega
Bonustracks:
09. The Road South
10. Weathered Flames
11. The House Of Cards (Built On A Burning Bridge)
