Veni Vidi Vici is the third album from Swedish power metal band Twins Crew and since they’re from Sweden, you know the routine…you have to check this out. Looking for blistering solos, soaring vocals, and heavy rhythms? They’re all here in large quantities; you’ll want to check it out.
Once you listen to Twins Crew, it really comes as no surprise that they hail from Sweden, a country that continues to provide great metal bands. As the name might imply, the band itself actually contains twins, guitar playing brothers Dennis and David Janglöv, who started the band in 2007 after they graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood. The goal from the start was to create a sound incorporating elements of power metal greats Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Helloween. The early days saw the band release two ep’s and their first album Judgement Night in 2010, which was well received by the metal community. Following tours in and out of Sweden playing with bands like Loudness and Paul Dianno, the band returned to the studio in 2012 to record their second album The Northern Crusade. Nicio Dimarino who had earlier engineered the band’s first album joined as keyboard player shortly after recording was finished. For Veni Vidi Vici, the band had mastering done by Mike Lind at Masterplant (Body Count, Dio).
Veni Vidi Vici opens up with some atmospheric keyboards and Latin chanting, so being a newcomer to the band, I didn’t find this very surprising. Listening to a band for the first time without knowing anything about them is often my approach, so I’m not immediately biased and that is what I did with Twins Crew. The opening guitar riff for the title track “Veni Vidi Vici” told me immediately this was going to be power metal. All the elements one would want in power metal are here in this song. Soaring vocals and great backing vocals as well, keyboards providing some great accent and a thumping bass and drum section to keep the songs moving and fill out the sound and then some great guitar solos some of which did have a bit of a Ritchie Blackmore feel, which is always appreciated. As strange as it sounds I could easily see a fist pumping crowd at a concert shouting along with “Veni Vidi Vici”, which in itself is a testament to the strength of the song.
“Show No Mercy” picks up the pace quite a bit and from the opening riff the song is much faster in tempo than the title track. Musicianship is solid throughout the album, and having twin guitar players who are both graduates of the Guitar Institute of Technology certainly comes in handy when you need a solo or two to fill in a song. In one respect, that could be a blessing or curse as I find many Dragonforce songs seem to be just vehicles for guitar solos, but in this case the band shows some restraint and while the solos are without a doubt very impressive they fit within the context of the songs.
If there were a check list for power metal elements, I would think Twins Crew have managed to hit every one throughout the album. While not overly obvious, I find myself also hearing elements of 80’s hair metal in songs like “Stand Your Ground” where there is a certain Dokken and Stryper like feel throughout parts of the song. Songs like “Sky is Falling” and “Out of Time” do fall more toward the Dragonforce sound on the overall spectrum, especially with their overall speed and intricate guitar parts, which if the whole album was this way, would be too much to take, in small doses adds to the variety on the album. I will say that in both of those songs, I was eagerly awaiting the solos and I could anticipate within the songs when they would show up, which is kind of cool. You listen along, just waiting for that certain break after which you know a solo will erupt and when they are as good as ones on this album, it’s a fun experience.
The album closes with “Ghost of the Seven Seas”, which advises one to “always be yourself…unless you can be a pirate…then always be a pirate!” The song itself has intricate guitar lines and some great shout and respond vocal sections along with the keyboards playing a more prominent role. Again the twin guitar attack in the song is very well done in the solos and the harmony sections where they play in unison and with the keyboards.
If you’re a fan of metal, this is one of those albums that seems appropriate for any listening occasion and Twins Crew are laying an early claim for a spot on the year end top album lists.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by John Jackson
“Veni Vidi Vici” track listing
01. Divide Et Impera
02. Veni Vidi Vici
03. Show No Mercy
04. Stand Your Ground
05. Praise Hell
06. Sky Is Falling
07. Burn The Witch
08. Out Of Time
09. Forever Free
10. Under My Command
11. Ghost Of The Seven Seas
Musicians:
David Janglöv– Guitar
Fredrik Hammar – Bass
Dennis Janglöv – Guitar
Andreas Larsson – Vocals
Uno Eriksson – Drums
Nicko Dimarino – Keyboards
Record Label: Beyond the Storm Productions, Feb. 2016
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission