In the scheme of Twiztid's career,
Heartbroken & Homicidal is like a cross between the duo's
early albums (
Mostasteless,
Freek Show), the more rock-oriented sound of
Mutant and the darker themes of
W.I.C.K.E.D. It shows a return to the ideas that gave Twiztid a fanbase in the first place, but is matured and nuanced.
Unfortunately, the album also has one of the biggest misfires in album artwork in years. The concept being that the booklet is the notebook of a madman is somewhat interesting, and at first, the idea of revealing the hidden notes with a pencil hidden in the jewel case sounds cool. However, it really fails badly. After you've scribbled on the pages enough to reveal the writing, a lot of it is still illegible thanks to the illustrations on the paper being so dark (as in, they have black ink tones, although the images of dead flies in spiderwebs is kind of off-putting, too), so the effect is kind of ruined.
Even so, this is one of the best albums Twiztid has put out, and it's worth taking a look at. Despite some of the cries of heresay from older fans who claim that the duo has "gone mainstream", they're still focusing on the same subject matter, just doing it with a more diverse musical palette than when they started. The lessons learned from years in the music industry and the focus on different elements of the duo's lyrics and sound make
Heartbroken & Homicidal a well-rounded, solid release that is sonically pleasing and lyrically stimulating.
Twiztid:
Jamie Madrox
Monoxide
Live instrumentation:
Joey V. - Guitar, bass
Stephanie Eulinberg - Drums
Jesse Clayton - Keyboards
Notable tracks:
"Spiderwebs" - Hitchcockian strings led way to rock guitars and industrial beats; the lyrical protagonist compares himself to a bug trapped in a web, and disdainfully recalls his girlfriend (the metaphorical spider) cheating on him...but which is worse, her infidelity or his obsession?
"Apple" - mixing funk with psychosis, this comes the closest to having radio potential, if there was a radio station that would ever play a song with murder as a main lyrical theme and slams against the taxes stealing from the poor.
"Circles" - another rock track, recalling
Marilyn Manson in influence.
"P.S.A." - Indian-sounding programmed drum stomps and claps and similarly foreign-influenced vocalization illustrate the perspective of a suicide victim effectively.
"I'm Stuck" - A head-bobber with dissonant vocals, synth and piano loops, and noteworthy scratching.
"Cyanide" - The guitar licks, Madrox and Monoxide's raps, female R&B singers on the chorus illustrate another tale of obsession ("your love's like cyanide").
"Set By Example" - Perhaps the best rock song on the album, with solid riffs, a driving live beat (via Stephanie Eulinberg of
Kid Rock's live band, Twisted Brown Trucker), and true-to-life lyrics ("We set by example/But most of my own examples/Are horror shows").
"All the Rest" - An R&B-type track with scratching, effective sampling and live guitar and drums which gives the listener an uplifting feeling thanks to its placement at the end of the album. In contrast to the women mentioned in other points on the album, this is about a woman who sticks with her man. It's the closest Twiztid could ever come to a "love song"; but only if you can take everything, including the pornographic reference to shuffling off to a hotel room to "Lay ya on the bed, and spread your legs, and play wit' ya pink" to be as sweet as the woman the lyrics are directed to.
