TWIN TEMPLE

Pop culture has been blessed and cursed, depending upon who you ask, for years by musical duos who are also bound together by romantic marriage. There is the volatile Ike & Tina Turner, Sonny & Cher, and THE WHITE STRIPES, more recently. The obvious tension and drama inherent to such artistic unions built upon marital ones not surprisingly tend to lead toward passionate collisions and splashes upon the sonic canvas. The dark and dirty Los Angeles duo TWIN TEMPLE were born almost exactly a decade ago, on Halloween night, 2016. The husband-and-wife hellions Alexandra and Zachary James return now with "Doomed Lovers", an eight-song journey that's cool, dank, mysterious and uplifting all at once.

The self-appointed champions of "Satanic doo-wop" have caught the attention of notable hard music heavyweights, as they've been invited to tour with GHOST, DANZIG, BEHEMOTH and RAMMSTEIN. They most certainly are not a metal band, but their groovy music that's both 1950s-esque as well as timeless would somehow flow seamlessly within a jukebox playlist that also included artists like WHITE ZOMBIE, MARYLYN MANSON and TYPE O NEGATIVE. The opening title track finds Alexandra James's soul-soothing voice taking center stage over the robust and swelling orchestration that pulls back for spacious minimalism during the verses. The striking balance between brooding energy and an optimistic spirit brilliantly takes hold here, never letting go throughout "Doomed Lovers".

Yet another appealing dichotomy is that sound, that amazing sound that's crisp and yet warm and organic. Grammy Award-winning producer Shooter Jennings impressively encapsulated the dynamic duo's continued exploration of classic analog recording techniques. This go-around, TWIN TEMPLE include flowing and magical orchestral arrangements with the assistance of a 37-piece orchestra that never sounds excessive. "I Want Blood" and "Love You To Death" sound like satanic psychedelic interpretations of Roy Orbison in a way that might leave some listeners drooling and under their hypnotic spell.

TWIN TEMPLE has faced a considerable amount of flack due to their satanic imagery and themes, getting dropped from a notable tour and attracting the disdain of right-wing commentator Alex Jones. An eighties-style Satanic panic isn't likely around the corner, but the artistic battle for freedom of expression never truly ends. In any event, when bands like TWIN TEMPLE release albums as badass as "Doomed Lovers", some people should probably just relax a little bit, sink in with the psalms and enjoy the ride.