The Gutter Twins – Saturnalia
Reviewed by Witz

Textured, moody rock. Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan's long-awaited collaboration disc cranks out dark, textured alt-rock with creepy imagery and soaring builds. Well-matched vocals blend to perfect effect and play off each other for stark contrast. Occasional heavy-handed use of theatrical sound effects disrupt otherwise near-perfect melodies, and while seeds of each lead's previous careers are evident throughout, the whole is woven together to make for a meaty, complex album. FCC: 3, 12

**1) Twining harmonics and a solid cello line provide the frame for driving tempo build to a slightly thwarted payoff. (4:34)
2) Solid. Dual lead vocals growl and wail. (4:57)
3) FCC (“bitch”): Repetitive refrain, strained rhymes detract from great menacing vocals. (4:22)
4) Comparatively mellow track, somewhat late 60s folkish with nice, meandering guitar line. (3:02)
5) Standard rock guitar riff with Lanegan lead vocals. (4:37)
*6) Nearly full minute long lead-in of chaotic strings melody solidifies into rich orchestral background. (5:24)
7) Bluesy vocals and guitar. (3:48)
8) Plodding intro gives way to detached vocals with light drums-- Queens of Stone Age-y. (3:21)
9) Least remarkable track, vocals too restrained for lyrics/subject matter (4:25)
10) Effective "long dead animal is on the trail" refrain (3:50)
*11) Drum machine/synth tries, but fails to derail excellent duet, with building urgency. (4:48)
**12) FCC (“bitch”): Twisted and twisting, deeply satisfying, most notably Dulli's near-falsetto "Give me five minutes" (5:22)