Band: Robert Jackson Album: Twilight Theatre Label: AIF Rating: 8/10 Website: http://www.robertjackson.net BUY NOW!

Robert Jackson's "Twilight Theatre" is a two-disc story of encounters throughout history with the paranormal and supernatural. Each chapter of the story is set up like an episode of "The Twilight Zone" with Jackson introducing a specific topic on the paranormal or supernatural. The ensuing track contains a chapter of Jackson's "Twilight Zone" style story of a time traveller who experiences the paranormal event or stumbles upon the supernatural figure Jackson discussed in the prior track. Each introduction is a fascinating and educational look at mankind's fears, superstitions, and beliefs in the unknown. Jackson touches upon gypsies, druids, witches, zombies, monsters under the bed, nightmares, communications with the dead and other odd topics. His essays appear well-researched; his voice is dignified, and he speaks articulately yet with a language that is easy to understand. The music on "Twilight Theatre" is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Jackson displays his diverse musical talents with a smooth singing voice, rockin′ guitar riffs, shredding guitar solos, acoustic guitar passages, slide guitar, violin, percussion, drum programming, and effects. Many of the tracks begin with surreal musical passages created through a collage of classical instrumentation, effects, and keyboards. These bizarre intros help convey each topic's spooky or mystical mood. Some tracks begin in this creepy fashion then transition into songs with rockin′ grooves. The guitar sound is raw and fuzzy, possibly played through a tube amp to give off a classic heavy rock feel; while others sound like early punk rock, i.e. The Stooges, MC5, and even a hint of The Misfits. A friend commented on the fuzzy tones, saying they sound Stoner Rockish. Jackson's voice during some of the more punk rock sounding songs relates a David Bowie feeling. Sometimes he dons a darker tone to his voice, which combined with the rocking guitar may remind listeners of the ghoulish songs on Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride". The track about zombies and voodoo expresses this cartoonish, macabre feeling. Jackson displays a hint of hysteria when he sings, "zombies weeping, zombies creeping, in the night". The dark mantras of "Witch Witch" also convey an almost nursery rhyme type feeling. While tracks like "Witch Witch" and "Zombies Creepy" appear a shade campy or B-Movie, "Ligeia The Spirit" and "Monsters" are much darker tracks of varied instrumentation. "Monsters" contains a number of noises and voice effects, echoing the various "things that go bump in the night" during your childhood. "Ligeia the Spirit" is the chapter on communication with the dead. This funeral requiem shows Jackson at his best, projecting his voice with much hurt and bereavement. The downtrodden organ that comprises this track's rhythm perfectly captures the track's haunting, moribund tone. Overall, "Twilight Theatre" is an intriguing listen with a fascinating storyline. Jackson shows genius in his musical arrangements, instrumental variation, and penchant for expertly capturing the album's macabre tone. There were a couple topics I wished he would have explored like vampires, werewolves, and black cats. I felt the black cat would have fit better than "eye of newt". Also, I was confused about how "Genocide" fits into the supernatural. These criticisms are quite miniscule, though. All in all, "Twilight Theatre" was a great listen! Darren Cowan Back to Reviews