What do you get when you combine the Doo-Wop of the 1940’s and 50’s with the Satanic imagery reminiscent of Ghost’s first two albums? Well you end up with Twin Temple. In fact, they’ve opened for Ghost quite a few times.
Consisting of couple Alexandra and Zachary Jones, the duo contrasts gothic and Satanic lyrics and performance against the backdrop of a sound straight from the 50’s. They released their first full length album in 2018, and on Friday the 13th in October of last year, they dropped their latest record, “God is Dead.” They are currently on tour in support of the album with special guests Creeper through mid-November. They also have multiple dates opening for Till Lindemann of Rammstein.
Nearly a year later, here is a song by song breakdown of “God is Dead.”
Photo credit: Travis Shinn
Burn Your Bible
Kicking off the album with thunder and lightning and church bells, one wouldn’t think this would be a love song. However, that will be a consistent theme throughout this record, although more of a gothic style of love song than what you’d hear on the radio.
With lyrics such as “I want you to set my soul alight, I want you to burn your bible with me tonight,” this is the type of love seen more from the Addams Family than a Hallmark movie, again a very common theme throughout the album.
(Fallin’ For A) Fallen Angel
With a bit of soul thrown in, the second song on the record tells the story of getting feelings for a particularly devilish sort of person, the “fallen angel.”
“Gonna light a match and burn the church down with you,” the black metal fans here will be very proud.
Let’s Have A Satanic Orgy
The most popular song off the record with over 2.7 million streams, the title is pretty self-explanatory on the subject matter. Musically, this one reminds me of “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and it’s clear that he is a strong inspiration for the Jones’.
Two Sinners
In a bit of a stark contrast from the previous track, “Two Sinners” is quite a bit more jangly in tone, having more of a Motown type of sound. Similar to “(Fallin’ For A) Fallen Angel,” this one tells the story of two dark lovers being together until the very end.
Black Magick
Taking a lyrical turn from the Morticia and Gomez Addams type of affection we’ve been used to, this song is specifically about a person who invokes fear in those around her. Supposedly in a suburban neighborhood, a witch type figure lives among the normalcy of the American Dream.
“You’ll know my house when you walk down the block, And you get a funny feeling that the place might be haunted, My ex boy’s body’s buried in the back and even my white picket fence is painted.” This opening verse, especially the last line, really play into how in America, there is a culture of individualism yet those who stray from the norm are looked on as outcasts.
Spellbreaker
Branching off of “Black Magick,” “Spellbreaker” goes deeper onto who this black sheep of a main character is. Bucking the idea of a “nice Christian housewife” type, the chorus of the song goes “Don’t you mess with me, Spellbreaker, Can’t bewitch this girl, I want blood, not diamonds and pearls, Spellbreaker, I’m the baddest witch in the world.”
There is a meme of two houses right next to each other near a beach. One is painted bright pink like a Barbie doll house. The other, pure black. I just imagine that type of house when thinking about the Spellbreaker character.
Be a Slut
Again, another somewhat self-explanatory title. If Scene Queen were around in the 1950’s, this is what she would sound like. Beneath the surface however, the song is more about doing what you want against societal expectations and not letting anyone else control you or your body. Specifically the government and men, but that’s another topic for another day.
God Is Dead
To close off the record is the self-titled song. This track goes back to the dark, gothic love we saw in the first half of the album. In the fiery passion of these two Satanic lovers, it is just them, no God around.
I think having this as the closer really ties the whole album together. It is about not letting anyone get in the way of how you show love and affection, even if it’s not the most conventional. Moreover, the whole album is about expressing yourself how you see fit, even if you have the only all-black house on the block of cookie cutter McMansions.
