Metal Underground.com

Readers of our “Unearthing…” column may remember a young band named Twisted State of Mind, who despite the young age of their members have a fantastic live presence and some really good tunes. They’ve recently released a new three song single, "Bury the Bitch," which aims to show everyone that they belong up on the stage with any other act on the British metal scene. So do these mini-moshers deserve to be taken as seriously as they want? "Bury the Bitch" would certainly suggest so.

The opening title track is nothing short of high voltage rock and roll, not far removed from the likes of Motorhead or Girlschool, coupled with a very catchy chorus and brilliantly placed harmonizing. For a song clocking in at just over four minutes, there’s so much going on and will definitely appeal to those who like their heavy metal to contain riffs and lots of them. It marries the old school hard rock of the seventies and early eighties to modern thinking, fitting in nicely between Saxon and Slipknot. As the title suggests, the lyrics are reminiscent of the Guns N Roses song, "Used to Love Her," but with an even more direct approach, pulling no punches in its delivery of vitriolic romance. Many bands will work all their careers to write a song as good as this, and Twisted State of Mind did it early.

"Reflections" is an unmistakable power ballad, undoubtedly inspired by the music and movies of the eighties. It’s a great montage song and brings a more eclectic range of rock influences, such as the blues like soul of Skid Row and Ratt, as well as echoing the Goo Goo Dolls' classic hit, "Iris." It’s a good song that will appeal perhaps more to nostalgia driven older rockers than metal fans their own age, but "Reflections" is a perfect title as the band shows off a style of ballad and emotion that many other young groups would do well to remember.

The single closes with the song, "I Will Be Gone," which like the opening song, is a healthy mesh of two different styles of rock, bringing back the balls-out rock and catchy almost Runaways-tinged chorus, only this time with a more death metal orientation, similar in a sense to the "Low" era of Testament. It’s designed to be an anthem just like “Reflections” and carries this well, being a track which sticks in ones head for some time, yet it’s just as hard hitting as "Bury the Bitch," if not more so.

In Twisted State of Mind, Britain has three very talented young musicians who have already honed their music into an excellent sound that will keep audiences coming back for more. "Bury the Bitch" is a solid effort from this young band which has only bright things ahead, providing the group can stay on course and focus on its ever deserving place in the English rock scene.