Note: Patreon supporters received access to this review on September 13th, 2024.

This album was released on August 30th this year. I was pretty excited when I found out about this collaboration. Both of these guys are important fixtures in the underground scene that I’ve tapped into. A lot of my favorite releases of the current decade have either come from these guys or associated artists, so for them to link up on a full album like this was really cool to see. At one point in the past few years Bloodmoney Perez was producing under the name Spector Gadget. I think he also used the name mofonghosst. I guess they decided to go with his more well-known stage name so that people wouldn’t be confused about who’s involved, or maybe Bloodmoney just decided that he doesn’t like those names anymore. Anyway, I kinda had a feeling that this would end up being not only one of the better releases of the year, but one of my favorite albums from either of these artists period. I’m happy to report that my gut did not mislead me.

The album begins with the title track, EMBLEMS, which may actually be my favorite song here to be honest. I love how they really started this shit off with such a bang. It’s one of the most energetic tracks on the project, and it immediately demanded my attention. The way Headtrip flowed on this shit is crazy. His breath control and cadence sound absolutely relentless. It really makes me wonder how the hell they created this song because he effortlessly raps on beat before the percussion even comes in. Headtrip comes swingin’ straight out the gate, and the first verse is amazing. His flow is just so mesmerizing to me.

Stitchin' up the busted seams in my, “Trust me, I’m aight!” suit
While you combin’ this motivation desert with a fine toothed
Tryna find out why you grind through the night 'til the sky blue
Don’t know why, but you’re dyin’ to
We call it planned obsolescence, they call it a design fluke
Don’t overlook the asterisk after “fireproof”

One of my favorite lines in the first verse is about how Lt. Headtrip’s music requires multiple listens to fully appreciate, which is definitely something I’ve noticed with past releases.

If it don’t make sense the first listen, it’s ‘cause I didn’t write it to
They call me "Headtrip" for a reason, need I remind you?

I guess I’ve never really considered the connection between his name and the traits and skills he exhibits in his music. Anyway, the first verse is fantastic, and I even like the hook a lot despite its simplicity. The energetic, explosive production helps to keep things interesting. The second verse is somehow even more dense than the first one.

Antisocial constructs, postmodern apocalypse
The dissolution of knowledge due to group self consciousness
Curious how your most esteemed philosophers are all misogynists
“Human nature’s an oxymoron,” says the crusading anthropologist
Hormones in your chocolate milk, spermicidal condiments
Product placement in your talking points, conversational partnerships
Commoners in the slaughterhouse, overlords in your parliaments
Who pledge allegiance to the flag waver tax evader sponsorships

The guitar contribution from Manuel Reyes just adds another layer of dopeness to the track. The additional vocals from Christina Pecce add a lot too. Again, it’s one of my favorites on the album. I think it’s dope as fuck. The last track on this album is technically a remix of this song done by KILLVONGARD, and I actually find this a little frustrating because I really can’t decide which version I prefer. I mean that in the best way possible though. It’s a good problem to have for sure. I’m definitely glad both versions are included because I’ll be listening to both. The main facet of the beat from KVG that stood out to me at first was the percussion. The drums just sound really goddamn great. It’s boiling hot fire. Track 2 is called Home Cooked, and I believe it was released as the second single from this album if I’m not mistaken.

Bloodmoney’s production here is awesome. The beat has kind of a dark, mechanical aesthetic that’s really cool. It’s like if an alien spaceship was somehow a musical instrument. This is what that would sound like. It’s deceptively melodic in a really cool way too though. The opening verse from Headtrip is of course fire. This line stood out to me the most…

Crashed on more couches stained with someone's fond memories than I can remember

“Stained with fond memories” is crazy. Headtrip, you’re crazy for that one. It’s not the most profound line in the verse by any means, but it definitely got the biggest reaction out of me. My jaw dropped the first time I caught it. Speaking of which, I probably didn’t even catch it until my 5th or 6th listen of the album. I live for shit like that. It seemed like some additional drums kicked in after about 47 seconds into the track, so that was a cool little detail to notice.

I'm, uh, gonna speak more directly 'cause I feel like nobody gets me
But my tongue functions independently from the rest of me
Just keepin' it together ostensibly
Rockin' the same existential stressors as yesterday, like, "Can you tell that I slept in these?"

OLD SELF’s guest verse here is awesome too. Every single feature on this album sounded really great. I think a reason why they came out so good is that none of the other rappers approach rapping and flowing the same way Lt. Headtrip does, so they always spice things up nicely. The production here is nowhere near as laid-back as the stuff on A drop in the bucket is still a drop, so this feature has a completely different vibe from that project. If I had to compare OLD SELF’s flow to someone more ubiquitous, I would say it actually reminded me of Aesop Rock.

It’s weird enough to act tough like Justin Bieber does
And still watch your steps as to not get your sneakers scuffed
Maybe I just need a hug, I do it for the love
And rock a set for compliments, and a slice from the pizza truck
Self expression, a hunger for acceptance
Pop culture reference, mom on the guest list
I don’t have change, I hope you got a cassette deck
And if you don’t get it, it’s okay, I’m not for everyone

The scratches on the hook from Samurai Banana are a really great touch, and I even liked the speech from that person named t0dd. The song’s really dope. It’s followed by another highlight called Elementary Space Madness, which was released as the lead single for the album.

I recently learned more about Yung Daddy in my interview with Headtrip. She really left a big impression on me with her verse on this track. First of all, the production from Bloodmoney here is excellent. This is easily the grooviest song on the whole album. The only thing I could think of when I first heard it was Erick Sermon & Redman to be honest. Prime Redman would absolutely scorch this beat. The opening verse from Yung Daddy is really awesome. She just oozes confidence on the mic, and it’s really captivating. She just sounds charismatic when she raps. I’m gonna use a slang term that was popular when I was younger, and say that she sounds like she has “swag.” God, I’m embarrassed just typing that out. I’m such a dork. For real though, she just sounds cool as shit here.

I approach these rap niggas with a enmity
But I don’t have the energy to make y’all niggas enemies
Trust me you know if you are or are not a friend of me
‘Cause Daddy has a tendency to keep it elementary
Yeah, that’s no hassle for you bums
Yeah, I’ll take your shit and run for no reason, just the fun
Catch you later then I pull off into the sun
Marijuana in my lungs, it ain’t did until I'm done

Her verse is great. She has a very velvety voice, and it sounds perfect with the smoothness of her flow. She killed it. Speaking of having a unique, recognizable voice, Googie of course sounds very good on the hook. The organ from Andru Dennis that comes in during this part is really cool too. This might be my favorite verse from Headtrip on the whole album. His flow is incredible here. I think I’m gonna do a Tik Tok where I’m dancing to this verse because his flow just makes me wanna move. It’s hard for me to hear this flow without swaying along to it. His cadence is like the tide coming in and out on a beach. It’s really mesmerizing. It’s also just amazing lyrically too. This is my favorite couplet in the song…

The folds in my brain matter display patterns
That take after arcane sacraments when traced backwards

To be completely honest, that might be my favorite line in the whole album. That shit is so fucking dope, man. I love it. I think I’m gonna use that couplet as an example for the rest of my life whenever people ask me what type of rap I like. It can be hard to explain to people what I’m into without just showing them, so that line will come in handy. I also really love the closing line from his verse.

Don’t mistake the transcendental ramblin' for inane banter

The song honestly grew on me more and more with repeated listens. I think it’s incredible now, and one of my favorite songs of the year. The following track is called Keeps Him Alive, and this moment kinda marks a shift in tone on the record. Elementary Space Madness is the kinda song that Ilajide would refer to as a “jammy.” In other words, it’s a very fun song that could be played at get togethers. Keeps Him Alive is very different though. This one has a noticeably darker vibe. The beat has kind of an eerie, tense atmosphere to it. I think “suspenseful” would probably be the best way to describe it. It’s still got some melodic elements to it that are really pleasant though. It sounds like the album cover. It sounds like Bloodmoney Perez went into an old abandoned house, and used anything he could find in it to make music. It’s really awesome. Headtrip murdered it too. I love his flow during this part of the verse…

Game, set, match
'Fore the first serve passed
When his aim fixed adamant and fatal
Trained to stay detached
In his service, then abandoned
When his nation deemed him adequately lethal

The more melodic elements that come in during this part are really nice. The writing is excellent as well. I was really hooked by the grim storytelling and descriptions.

His moms said, “If you ain’t findin’ meaning in life, then find a reason to die"
Still haunted by the pain in her eyes
He just grinds like meat, employers are anonymous
Likes to be discrete and keep his torture methods pocket sized
Better hope you’re not his job tonight
Otherwise it’s lullabies, shut your eyes, rockabye

One of the coolest little details in this song is the last line of the hook, which is performed with a monstrous pitch shift.

The Devil keeps the lights on, don't wait up

It’s awesome because this line sounds like it’s actually performed by a demon. That’s what makes it so cool to me. The second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion, at least from a technical standpoint.

Another day, another corpse, another dollar, he
Livin’ check to check while they bleedin’ out his salary
Every red cent he get, he guzzle, chuff, devour
Leavin’ nothin’ left to spend or save, no room to repent or blame
He offer the grisly service of offin’ the city’s vermin
But also innocents suffer his occupational hazard
More often than not his targets are filed as missing persons
He’s neurotic to an art form, go Pollock on bloody canvases

Out of all the songs on this LP, this one grew on me the most. It went from being my least favorite track to being one of the best on the album. It’s dope as hell. Track 5 is called Junkyard Innovation, and it’s another one that grew on me. It’s not a highlight for me, but I can’t really think of it as a low point either because it still adds a lot to the album. I love the kind of strange, hypnotizing production from Bloodmoney Perez here. It sounds like elevation in the form of music. However, it simultaneously sounds like it’s thousands of leagues under the sea. The verse from Headtrip is really great too. In terms of subject matter, this song actually reminded me of Cambatta‘s nXggXrla tXsla. It’s not the same, but it’s kinda similar in a way. They’re both about being inventors, so that’s why I thought of the Cambatta song. Anyway, once again, the storytelling here is really cool.

I invented a cyber organic engine that fed off its own ambitions
And taught it that it was special, but not to be egotistic
A corporeal carburetor, a broken heart for the pistons
Perpetual motion driven by untenable motives within
I felt like an awful parent, but also an awesome wizard
I witnessed it grow sentient and question it's own limits, we almost did it
But then it grew too triumphant and lagged, now that's scrap

The hook doesn’t really stand out much to me, but it serves its purpose as it bookends the track. I think the song’s really dope. The album was already fire, but I actually think the second half is even better. No Time to Spare features SKECH185 with a godly performance. I absolutely love how he opened up this track. I feel like he has mastered the art of vocal delivery. He just sounds so incredible every time I hear him. It’s one of those situations where I feel like he could say anything and I would think it sounds hard as fuck. However, in his case, there actually aren’t many artists who can write nearly as well as him either. He absolutely slaughtered this verse. It’s easily one of the best features of the year.

Time’s a motherfucker we wrestle with until the finish line
Perhaps because in our minds we’re still just some kids who rhyme
This for all those who spoke up and didn’t lie
Yolked up but didn’t cry, choked up with shit inside
Woke up and didn’t die
Party broke up, we signify
Refocus and switch the grind
Became more clandestine for hiding places in different signs
Age is a treasure, the dim have it misidentified
'Cause they didn’t know a thousand folds would give a blade a different shine
And some who never did shit will tell you to pick a side
Then decide to switch the path to feel like the shit this time

Goddamn. I love the reference to Bloodmoney Perez’s Time Is a Motherfucker album, and, as Headtrip pointed out in our interview, the line about a thousand folds giving a blade a different shine is so beautiful. That shit is incredible. That’s only half the track though. Headtrip follows that verse up with his own mind-bending performance, and the result is one of the best songs of 2024.

Somebody once told me that time was a predator who stalks us relentless until our lifespan’s complete
See, I rather believe that time’s a companion who reminds us to cherish every moment, each by nature fleeting

His flow and rhyme schemes feel different here than some of the other tracks. This is maybe one of the most lyrical verses on the whole project. Headtrip really packed a lot in here. It’s a very lyrically dense performance that I probably listened to over 10 times in a row just to get a better understanding. I couldn’t really follow the story on my first listen because it’s so wordy and there’s so much going on. It’s amazingly written though. I think the complexity was probably intentional now that I think of it. I had to google the word “byzantine” at one point when trying to decipher the lyricism, and it was kind of a head trip 😏 because I can use that word to describe the verse itself. I think “byzantine” probably has a negative connotation though, so I won’t use it here. “Intricate” would probably be more appropriate. As I told him in the interview, you can tell he studied linguistics just by the way he raps. He killed it. I also love those subtle tones that emerge in the background during his verse. I don’t know what instrument is making that sound, but it’s cool as shit. The song’s dope as fuck. It transitions really nicely into Shoulda Known Better, which I think is my favorite song. Everything about this one just worked for me. I love it. The instrumental has a really bizarre melody that I love, and I really appreciate the more personal, emotionally-tense lyrical content. This was my favorite line from Headtrip’s verse.

I loved you, that’s why I said, "Fuck you," not "Goodbye"

The closing lines about him not being able to leave his ego behind are really awesome too. This song has my favorite feature on the whole album, and a big reason why is because Headtrip set him up perfectly. The way Bloodmoney Perez comes in on this track is so fucking incredible to me. He sounds so goddamn good. I guess I hadn’t realized that it had been so long since I’d heard Bloodmoney Perez rap, so it was really nice to hear him again here. I think the reason this is my favorite song on the album is simply because of the juxtaposition in their vocal deliveries. Headtrip has a really lowkey performance here. He sounds really despondent, which is awesome when combined with the devastating lyricism. On the other hand, Bloodmoney sounds like a fuckin’ beast when he comes in. I love the way he just comes in with “PICK APART THE FAMILY POX.” I’d love to see people’s first reactions to his verse because I’m sure a lot of people perked up when he started rapping.

Pick apart the family pox
Curse on your house, I hope all of your offspring rot
Did my best to reverse the plot
What’s the best point of cross hair spots?
I’ll crawl for shots
I heard my name on the card for funeral plots
But here I am
Resurrected man
Full of holy hell and goddamn
Grand fails and tee ball grand slams
Split the difference, pick an instance
I’ve probably scared a dozen, what’s the litmus?

I also just really love the way the instrumental switches up for his performance. The energy increases to match his explosiveness, and the melody that comes in just sounds so sad, but it’s beautiful. Bloodmoney might have my favorite feature of 2024. I can’t express how much I loved it. This shit is dope as fuck. Track 8 is called Precious Minerals, and it’s less than two minutes long. Due to the way it’s structured, it kinda feels like an interlude. I don’t mean that in a bad way though. There’s not really a verse here—Headtrip instead spits several hooks that really mix with the dreamy instrumental well. Listening to this song is kinda like when you’re only half awake but you’re still kinda dreaming. The way Headtrip raps here is like what I’m thinking during those moments.

I can see the symbols from here
Such great heights, it’s all so clear
I can finally read the legend
And I can feel the gravity now

I haven’t really decided yet what I think the emblems/symbols represent. I really dig the metaphor though even without knowing exactly what it is. Just the fact that it’s there is cool as hell to me. My favorite line is “I can finally read the legend.” I know it’ll be even doper once I think of my own meaning to apply. The song’s dope as hell. The penultimate track is another highlight called New Age Crusaders. I love this one. The beat sounds scary as hell. If I was listening to this while exploring the location depicted on the album cover, I’d probably be shitting bricks. As the title indicates, Headtrip uses this song as an opportunity to explore the subject of colonizers.

She thought it appropriation, he taught her to hold her lizard tongue
Her culture was broken and ancient, that's where he got his inspiration from
He saw a ghost in her that he’d hoped to turn a profit off of
Raid the immaculate sepulcher, we got an invaders' sanctioned business to run
His mission statement was written in piss on pavement with his
Dick left hangin’ in the wind in case he wanted to make changes on a whim
His interests ranged from indigenous customs to pitiless destruction
In the name of academia, all praise the marauder's media

The entire first verse is a really awesome. This is an incredibly detailed verse about the white man’s tendency to make things worse. I recently asked Grand Mega Flowers of SECRET HOUSE AGAINST ALBUM REVIEWS whether he engages in supplementary media for an album that he plans on covering before or after he reviews it. Him and I agreed that we usually like to do our reviews independent from other people’s reviews and interviews, mainly so that we don’t end up accidentally biting other people’s observations. With that said, I actually did watch FreeMusicEmpire‘s interview with Lt. Headtrip & Bloodmoney Perez about this album in particular before writing this. When discussing this song, Headtrip talked about how it’s important for the white people to be the ones sharing this message. I completely agree. Some dumb white dude named Chet is more likely to listen to his white cousin telling him that cultural appropriation is a real thing than a non-white person. Also, if you’re participating in our culture, that’s even more reason to learn and teach about how you can avoid being a vulture. This is a much appreciated song. Headtrip honestly does a better job than I could of highlighting just how fucked up and far the manipulative practices of Whiteness have gone.

A systematized history of sickness, got a monopoly on the prescriptions
You're stripped of your traditions, but it's still kickin' inside your innards
The sponsored definition of wicked reflects your current condition
Seek salvation, white savior privilege
Who builds and burns your bridges for you? Physiological inhibitions
While they arm you against your neighbors and sell ‘em the same equipment
Suckers for security, projected protective restrictions
Adjust or become extinguished; decisions, decisions

I love the song. I think it’s dope as hell. The closing track is a highlight called Back Catalogue. Along with the opening track, I think this is perhaps the most explosive moment on the project. Damn. Okay, as I was just listening to the song again I kinda learned something about the album. Headtrip kinda addresses the emblem metaphor in the verse here.

I’m talkin’ emblems—deliberate patterns
You can judge a city by the conditions of its encampments
January 6th was a Civil War reenactment
Or a dress rehearsal dependin’ on how this pans out

Those lines kinda put the whole album in perspective. The aggressive, energetic production and vocal performance make this one of the most exciting tracks on the project. I love the hook on this one too. The electric guitar melody during that part sounds really great to me, and I just love the lyrics.

Tryna satiate ravenous minds
Hungry by nature, naturally primed
Tryna navigate in turbulent times
Hungry by nature, never satisfied

Headtrip addresses a lot of different shit on this song, including the idea of a “white savior” in Hip Hop, as well as bi-erasure. I have close friends in my circle who are very guilty of bi-erasure, and to be completely honest I haven’t done enough to push back on it. Headtrip addressing it here influenced me to stop tolerating that shit, so that’s pretty cool. Anyway, I really love how they ended this album with such a bang. This shit is really fiery. It’s dope as hell.

This is an amazing album, and easily one of the best I’ve heard all year. As I told Headtrip in our interview, I was really excited when I heard about this collaboration, and it ended up giving me exactly what I needed. To be honest, this is actually my favorite album from either of these guys now. I think Headtrip’s rapping ability is incredibly refined at this point in his career, and Bloodmoney is an incredible talent on full display here. It’s really cool that they both contributed production to a lot of these songs. From what I understand, Bloodmoney produced everything, and then Headtrip added some adjustments to certain tracks. There are some other additional contributions from artists such as Brian Perez & Northern Draw as well. The cover art for this album is very fitting in my opinion. It sounds like an old abandoned home filled with obscure ancient art. I think they knocked this record outta the park. If you’re into alternative Hip Hop—anything that doesn’t sound basic and predictable—you do not want to miss this record. It may not be for you, but it’s definitely worth giving a listen because I promise you will at least find it interesting. I think it’s phenomenal. Check it out. This shit is dope as fuck.

Favorite Song: Shoulda Known Better
Least Favorite Song: Junkyard Innovation

92

Grade: A

https://focushiphop.com/2024/09/18/lt-headtrip-bloodmoney-perez-emblems-album-review/

#AndruDennis #BloodmoneyPerez #BrianPerez #BritaEnflo #ChristinaPecce #GarethKenzitt #Googie #HashAdams #JeffMarkey #JeremeyPoparad #KimMajor #LtHeadtrip #ManuelReyes #NorthernDraw #OldSelf #SamuraiBanana #Skech185 #SpectorGadget #t0dd

NOTE: PATREON SUPPORTERS RECEIVED ACCESS TO THIS REVIEW ON AUGUST 30TH, 2024.

This album was released on August 30th this year. I think I’ve been following Sasco for a while on social media, but I hadn’t heard any of his music until I checked out a single from this latest album here. I was really blown away by what I heard, so this instantly became one of my more anticipated records of the year. I still don’t really know much about Sasco to be completely honest. I just know he’s a producer from the United States. I couldn’t tell you which state. The shockingly high quality of the single I heard was all I needed to be interested enough to check this out as soon as I had the chance though. The star-studded feature list was also very enticing. This definitely ended up being one of the coolest releases of the year for me. I had a feeling I would want to do a review for it, and by the time I finished the album I knew I had to tell y’all about it.

The album begins with a highlight called Doubles featuring Big Flowers. I really love the chill, serene production here, and Big Flowers sounds really great over it. They killed this shit. When I realized the title of this track was referring to the Trini food known as doubles, I got pretty excited. It’s bittersweet though because now I’ve been jonesing for doubles ever since I heard this.

Trouble or not
I'm at a doubles spot lookin' for a couple more reasons to keep goin'

The atmospheric production along with Big Flowers’ stellar vocal performance really makes this one of my favorite songs on the project. It’s hard for me to understand a lot of the lyrics, but it just sounds really goddamn cool, and the lyrics I can make out always stand out in a really cool way. The song’s dope as hell. Track 2 is another major highlight called Cacti, and it features Rap Man Gavin. This shit is fucking incredible. The jazzy, dynamic production along with Gavin’s impeccable flow, top tier vocal delivery, and spectacular writing make this one of my favorite songs of the year.

I feed those curious minds misinformation regarding the galactic free-throw line
Fee-fi-fo humming in the iris of the giant's eye
Watching impending violence arrive in the mind's quiet time
It goes, "why, why, why?"

He absolutely snapped on this shit. The production is cool as fuck too. Like I said, it’s very dynamic. It has shifting tones and patterns to keep things from getting stale. I really love the way it ends in particular. The song’s dope as fuck. Track 3 is the first instrumental track called Overshoot. This song in particular is one of my favorite instrumentals on the project. It’s very melodic and kind of watery-sounding to me. I feel like Water[s] era Mick Jenkins would’ve fit over this beat perfectly. It has kind of an Electronic sound to it. I could definitely imagine Flying Lotus using similar sounds in his music. It sounds like a rainforest in the form of music. I really love it. The following track is yet another highlight called Leaks, and this one features Hester Valentine.

https://youtu.be/VS1mTkcHdPY?si=wQdB9-xhnuxc5M8t

He’s really grown on me a ton since I first became aware of his music. I haven’t heard every single thing he’s put out, but every time I check something out I like it more than the last thing I checked out. It seems like he’s just constantly improving rapidly. I think the song Lebron Meme is my favorite track I’ve heard from him so far. Check that out if you haven’t heard it yet. Anyway, this song here is phenomenal. I really love Hester over this kind of dark, Electronic beat. The instrumental makes me think of the Money Pit stage from Soul Calibur 2 for some reason. Well, the first half at least. The second half is a lot brighter and more uplifting-sounding. I love both parts of the instrumental, and I’m really glad Hester spit a verse over each one. He killed this shit.

black make the stick sing like Dua Lipa, the oohs and ahs, a sweeper
Who at odds with the god?
I mark success by rolled eyes and balled fists, I'm a petty preacher
Hester a devil when the levels rise, electrified through your home speaker
I give y'all the source with no issue, who really competin'?
Einstein said insanity's checking the numbers on streamers

That shit is so fuckin’ hard, man. Gotdamn. The whole track is boiling hot fire. It honestly grew on me even more after multiple listens. I think it’s dope as fuck. Track 5 is another instrumental called Paralysis. I really fuck with this one too. It grew on me a lot with multiple listens. The bassline is what really sold me on this track. I also really love how this song evolves over its three minute runtime. The song feels like it’s divided into multiple sections, but they all fit together sonically. It’s another really chill, melodic beat that I really fuck with. It segues really smoothly into Make Yourself Useful!, which is the single I was referring to in the preamble to this review.

https://youtu.be/D4E8dy4km_s?si=oUprDEaYuJzqMiNm

Joshua Virtue absolutely slaughtered this track, man. They went so crazy on this shit. This is easily one of the best songs of the year. Everything about Joshua Virtue’s performance here gets a chef’s kiss from me.

I- I- I got too much dope shit going on today to masturbate
I got whack rappers to taxiderm, put you in a plexiglass case
I gotta start a GoFundMe to help the homie cut his tits off like Christina Applegate
That hot date Saturday might have to wait
It's a tricky flip, slipped up fiddlesticks, you ain't slick
Might have to dunk your 97's in a rain puddle to remind y'all moneys fake
Y'all rap game watergate ass, go jump in a lake, to slip in a grate
Go destabilize your molecular weight and add a couple nutrients to the clay

I am planning on revisiting RAMA before checking out the latest project from them, so I’m looking forward to that. The second verse from shemar was excellent as well. I love how the production evolves for his part of the song.

At any moment all that unlearning, factory reset, I'm back to square one
Thighs in the palm of my hand, I'm back to square one
Extremes not clandestine, tongue slips, I'm back to square one
Oscillate between absurd, observatory plain-speak
Exchange good sleep, bad dreams, equilibrium

The song transitions very nicely into the following track, Frostbite, which is a pretty cool instrumental. I think it starts off slow, and it never really fully captures my attention. It kinda feels more like an atmospheric interlude that’s meant to be played in the background. I kinda like it, but I’m not really sure that it’s something I’d ever have the desire to play again, ya know? With that said, it fits in pretty well with the rest of the album, and removing it makes the listening experience a little janky. Track 8 is called 38 Summers, and it features SKECH185. This shit is pretty dang incredible. The beat on its own wouldn’t be that interesting to me, but when SKECH185’s explosive performance is thrown into the mix it really shines in my opinion. SKECH185 just sounds really great over this one. The verse is spectacular, and the hook / outro is really awesome as well.

I got my time, I got my place
I got my camp, I got my Raid
I paid respects, I got my props
Be mindful when in my face
In other words, I did what I was supposed to
In other words, I always showed respect
In other words, don't try sonning me
In other words, you're gonna have to deal with the results
I got my time, I got my place
I got my camp, I got my Raid
I paid respects, I got my props
Be mindful when in my face
In other words, it's always love
In other words, until you come outta pocket
In other words, we're grown men
In other words, I shouldn't have to say "stop it"

The more I listen to the song, the more the instrumental grows on me. I think the track is dope as hell. It’s followed by another instrumental track called Intransitive, and this beat is actually pretty goddamn great. It’s really cool. It sounds slightly Hudson Mohawke-esque to me. I say that as someone who has really only heard the work with Pusha T though. Certain sounds also made me think of Shlohmo a little bit. The whole track is just under two and a half minutes long, but there are so many parts to it that it feels even longer and more complete. The way it switches up after about 50 seconds also kinda gave me some Vale-Smith vibes. The song’s really dope. It’s followed by another instrumental called Corrosion. This one has a pretty different vibe from that of the preceding track. I like this one even more to be honest. The percussion feels much more hard-hitting. The beat just feels a bit heavier, while somehow maintaining that same ethereal atmosphere that was present on the preceding track. This shit is dope as hell. It transitions really smoothly into track 11, which is called, Lost Cause Champion, and features Cousin Oven & miles cooke. I was not familiar with Cousin Oven at all prior to hearing this project, and I’m still not totally sure what they do. I’m guessing that’s them speaking at the end of the track. If not, then I suppose they probably helped with the instrumental in some way. Anyway, the first half of this song is a really cool instrumental stretch that reminds me of Rosy Timms’ interludes on Tetsuo & Youth. It also kinda reminds me of the beat to Life by Lute. I love how sunny it sounds. The second half of this song is just as, if not more fire. The production gets a lot more chaotic, and miles cooke absolutely slaughters this shit. I can’t wait to hear more shit from him in the future. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Pulled the plug that kept the system operatin'
Lost cause champion came to clarify the cadence
Sacrificial lambs waiting for a haven in the house of the enemy
Lupus brought a great awakening
Made a wrong turn on the way to Paris—what's that thing about the old days?
Cracked another cold one in the backdraft, they start appearing out of nowhere
I threw an Etta James record on, blacked out, I don't even know what the fuck happened

It’s not only the writing, but also just miles cooke’s flow and delivery. His unique voice stands out a lot, so he just sounds really good here to me. The song’s actually one of my favorites on the record to be honest. I think it’s dope as fuck. Track 12 is called Time Immemorial, and it features Burnin’ Macaw & baegull. This was my first time hearing music from either of these artists. I know I’d seen baegull’s name floating around social media for a while, but I don’t think I’d ever heard of Burnin’ Macaw before. Anyway, the production on this track is pretty amazing to me. I absolutely love the percussion loop here, and the soft melody that eventually comes in sounds really sweet and warm. The last part of the song is significantly darker and more aggressive, and it has kind of an antithetical tone to that of the first part sonically. In a cool way though. Not a bad way. Anyway, the rapping on this song grew on me a lot. I always liked it, but now, after taking some time to digest it, I love it. I think it took some time for the vocals to grow on me. Whoever that is on the second verse stood out as sounding better on the mic to me at first, but now I think they both sound really great. I also think both of their flows sound really nice over this beat. The song grew on me a lot. I think it’s dope as hell. Track 13 is called Avoidance. Once again, I kinda got Vale-Smith vibes here. The fast-paced percussion along with the bright, melodic tones just make it sound like it’s in the same family tree, ya know? This is definitely one of the most Electronic-sounding songs on the project. The percussion is the main aspect of it that stands out to me in all honesty. I know I fuck with this track, but to a fluctuating extent. I think maybe it could’ve been pared by about 30 seconds. There are a few moments after about one minute where my attention is briefly lost. Thankfully it’s always recaptured eventually. Overall, I think it’s a very good song. The penultimate track is called Cave Painting, and it features Sunmundi, Big Flowers, and Nakama. This is the last song on the album with any features, and it’s amazing. Sunmundi is so fucking good, man. This dude is special. As soon as he started spitting I was hooked.

No more hypotheticals
I'm in the corner of my mind's eye lookin' for the right formula to balance out these chemicals
The OG wrong turn was finding out the first apple was edible
Even when I'm tired the aim of my eyes is like reticles

This might be the best song on the album lowkey. Everyone here went crazy. Big Flowers sounds so good on that second verse. I love the way the production evolves during their performance.

You know it pays to be patient
Flattering times when you stainin' the matrix
Remainin' elated as much as I'm jaded
Conflating your worth with the wait of the world
I note it, but I hate it
Wish I could just see you outside in the broad daylight
We so full of ancient
Cave painting

In a recent entry of my Patreon-exclusive Listening Log series, I said that Nakama.’s off-kilter flow was hindering the music’s replay value for me on the KINDLING_ EP. That is not an issue at all here though. In fact, I actually would say that Nakama. has the most accessible flow on this entire song. It’s really catchy. I’m looking forward to checking out the LP from earlier this year that Nakama. released. I’ll be listening to that soon. Anyway, as I said, this is one of the best songs on the album to me. I think it’s dope as fuck. The closing track is called In Vain, and it’s pretty dope. I think it works really well as an outro for the album. With all that said, I wouldn’t consider it a highlight at all. If the album was sequenced differently, I don’t think this song would stand out as much as it does. This album isn’t sequenced differently though, so I’m not gonna criticize the project for doing that well. It’s a dope outro.

This album is dope as hell. It’s perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the year for me to be honest. Again, I didn’t really know anything about Sasco, and I still don’t. This artist was not on my radar at all, so the fact that this ended up being one of the best albums I’ve heard all year is really awesome. I think if I had to compare it to another album that has come out in the last five years, I would say it’s adjacent to Steel Tipped Dove’s Call Me When You’re Outside project. It’s not really the same, but the consistently atmospheric production along with the heavy-hitting underground features peppered throughout the tracklist kinda scratches a similar itch. Speaking of the features, I don’t know what the process of collaborating with these artists was like, but whatever Sasco told them to do worked really well because every single one of them came through with a stellar performance. I’d probably point to multiple moments on this project when people ask me about the best features of the year. The dynamic production is genuinely entertaining too, and that’s perhaps the most important factor in this project. There’s not a single wack or mediocre beat. This shit is fire. Check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments below. I think it’s exceptional.

Favorite Song: Cave Painting
Least Favorite Song: Frostbite

88

Grade: A-

https://focushiphop.com/2024/09/02/sasco-the-hottest-year-on-record-album-review/

#baegull #BigFlowers #burninMacaw #CousinOven #HesterValentine #JoshuaVirtue #milesCooke #Nakama_ #RapManGavin #Sasco #shemar #Skech185 #Sunmundi

NOTE: PATREON SUPPORTERS RECEIVED ACCESS TO THIS REVIEW ON AUGUST 11TH, 2024.

This EP was released on July 18th this year. Fatboi Sharif is quickly becoming another one of my favorite rappers, especially of the 2020’s. It’s clear that he puts a lot of thought and care into his work, and it pays off in the quality of the music. Every single album I’ve heard has been exceptional, and the smaller releases have been really good too. Earlier this year he released an EP called Something About Shirley, which was very good. It took some time to grow on me, but I like it a lot now. However, when this EP right here was announced, I was pretty goddamn excited. I am a big fan of Duncecap’s production, and it’s just exciting to see him producing for other artists. I knew from the snippets and previews I had heard from the project that I was going to love this shit. This is the best EP I’ve heard so far this year.

The project begins with Fetus, which is easily the longest track on the whole EP.

https://youtu.be/Vu-8Oac3zIk?si=n51JOyy7-n86VxTz

It’s fire, and it works as a really cool way to start the project. The sequencing and length really help the song stand out as one of the most memorable tracks. Dunce’s production here is so fucking cool. It sounds really cinematic, and Sharif’s vocal performance over it is awesome too.

Monsters in the closet possessed by the sound waves of the ceiling fan
Stand on it
Hopefully the bullet shells don't have my name on it

The way he kinda growls certain lines sounds cool as fuck. The song gets way more chaotic as it progresses, and it’s like hearing a movie. The final thirty seconds of this song is one of my favorite moments on the whole project to be honest. It’s so chaotic and unsettling, but in the coolest way possible. It’s just fascinating to listen to in my opinion. I love it. The following track is called The Hours, and it features SKECH185. The production on this track is, once again, cool as fuck. I think this beat is fucking incredible to be honest. I really liked it on my first listen, but it grew on me even more as I spent more time with it. The first verse from Sharif was great, but the verse from SKECH185 is what really pushed the song to the next level for me. This is another one of my favorite collaborations of the year. I’ve been compiling all my favorite features of 2024 in a playlist, and this one definitely got added. SKECH185 was amazing here. The song’s dope as fuck. It’s followed by another major highlight called Boundaries of Regret. This is my favorite song on the project. Honestly, it might be my favorite song I’ve ever heard from Sharif. This shit is absolutely insane. I don’t know what kind of vocal effect they used on Sharif’s voice, but he sounds like a supervillain. The production is awesome too. I can’t even really make out most of what Sharif is saying due to the chaotic soundscape. It just sounds cool as fuck. It’s under two minutes long too, which is also crazy. It takes a special artist to make something this impactful in such a short timeframe. The song’s incredible. The penultimate track is called Poor Man’s Poetry. This song definitely has my least favorite instrumental on the project, but it’s still pretty cool. It’s certainly more interesting than a lot of the best beats on most other MC’s albums. What really makes this song entertaining is just the performance from Fatboi Sharif himself. I love his ad-libs at the beginning of the track; they reminded me of prime Busta Rhymes. The verse is really dope too. Again, it was difficult to hear the lyrics, but the performance was still really enjoyable. My main gripe with this song is just that I think the instrumental outro lasts a little too long. That’s a major nitpick though, it’s not really a huge deal. The song’s still really dope. The closing song is the title track, Psychedelics Wrote the Bible.

https://youtu.be/WfmkZ_u95_U?si=b1pBFdoWea8nmQz-

I think I heard this song before listening to the full project because I watched the music video when it came out. I love this song. This is definitely another one of my favorites on the project. The production here is so fucking cool. It sounds like it incorporates a sample from an old cartoon soundtrack or something. It’s awesome. Sharif fits over it beautifully too.

A tribal conquest
Bitches brewery, anti-funeral
So it was written, psychedelics wrote the Bible
Bonnie & Clyde hear nothing
Showcase the shell cases through the stomach
We argued over if God is a woman

I think I definitely misquoted some of those lines, but I did my best to transcribe them as accurately as I could. Anyway, this is another one of the coolest songs I’ve heard from Sharif in my opinion. I love this song. It’s dope as fuck.

This EP is really amazing. Honestly, I think this is the best project I’ve heard from either of these artists. Duncecap’s production is just awesome to listen to, and there’s not another artist that could have brought that out of him better than Sharif in my opinion, who fits over these instrumentals perfectly. I feel like this project features some of the craziest, most chaotic material I’ve heard from either of them, so it was really fun to listen to this one. This shit is crazy. It’s definitely one of the best projects I’ve heard in 2024 so far, and I can’t wait to see what both of them do next, whether it’s together or separately. I can’t wait to spend even more time with this project and digest it even further. This shit is dope as fuck.

Favorite Song: Boundaries of Regret
Least Favorite Song: Poor Man’s Poetry

94

Grade: A

https://focushiphop.com/2024/08/14/fatboi-sharif-duncecap-psychedelics-wrote-the-bible-ep-review/

#Duncecap #FatboiSharif #Skech185

Note: Patreon supporters received access to this review on July 29th, 2024.

This album was released on May 10th this year. Sleep Sinatra released my album of the year for 2023, and he’s become one of my favorite rappers of all time since I started keeping up with his releases in 2020. When Sleep was promoting this album, there was a lot of discussion about this being his most avant-garde release yet. Unless I’m mistaken, I think this was my first time hearing a project with production from bloomcycle, A.K.A. Big Flowers. However, I have definitely heard beats that they have posted snippets of on social media before, and they’re honestly always fire. I had only heard a few though, so I still didn’t really know what to expect until I heard the EP of B-sides called YoolaG’z, which was flames. Since I thought that EP was so dope, I was basically expecting this to be another one of my favorite Sleep Sinatra albums, and that’s pretty much exactly what ended up being the case.

The album begins with Reincarnation. Aside from a couple exceptions, most of the tracks on this album are pretty brief, and this one in particular is one of the shortest. I really like this one, but I guess it just took a while for me to warm up to it as an intro. I think I was expecting something different for the opening track. “Different” in terms of maybe the tempo or at least the energy level. The beat, while very great, is the type of thing I would expect to hear on an interlude, so it was cool to hear Sleep actually rap over something like that. As far as Sleep Sinatra’s actual performance on the mic goes, it should come as no surprise that I love this shit. I am starting to wonder if Sleep is capable of doing anything that I think is wack. It’s getting to the point where I’m wondering why every other rap fan I know is not freaking the fuck out over this dude. He’s really my favorite rapper right now. The dude already gives me pretty much everything I love in an MC, and he just keeps getting better. I’ve realized that a big part of it is the voice. He just sounds so good when he raps to me. I think when I first started listening to him, the one thing I felt the need to make note of was the fact that he actually had interesting shit to say, and he wasn’t saying the same shit as everyone else. That was all the way back when I checked out Sleeper Effect, and that aspect of his music hasn’t changed a bit. One thing that did stand out to me on my first listen of this album when I heard this song was how perfect the mix on Sleep’s voice sounds. It sounds pristine. Televangel handled the mixing and mastering on this project, and did a really stellar job. I couldn’t have asked for better mixing here. Even when Sleep’s mixing is intentionally a little off-kilter, it never bothers me. In fact, I always think it sounds good. I had a conversation with a friend recently about the vocal mixing on Blood in My Eye. If you compare the way Sleep’s voice sounds on that song and Reincarnation, the difference is night and day. I think it sounds cool as fuck on Blood in My Eye, and it actually adds to my enjoyment of the music, but I know some people don’t feel the same way. I don’t think anyone will have an issue with the way the vocals are sounding here though. It sounds like he’s rapping in front of me. Anyway, I feel like I should cut to the chase; as soon as Sleep started spitting, I was on the edge of my seat listening closely to each and every line.

Survival been imperative to belief
I been buildin' up tools, even my therapist a G
The narrative's complete, it's terror when I seen the future clean
Foresight in the sense of your mind's eye, unique

He always finds a way to slip in at least one line in a verse that really makes me think. It doesn’t even have to be deep when I say he makes me think. I just mean he creates activity in my brain. There are certain MCs who will spit something and it has zero effect on me because I just do not care about what they have to say. With Sleep it’s like every line gives me something to chew on. I really love the way the verse on this track ends.

I'm destined for more
Devil try to take it all, now I'm settlin' scores
Essence restored, the message is you've been here before

It’s one of those situations where I just wanna pause the music and think about certain lines I just heard in the context of my own life. That last line in particular really just makes me think. I guess it’s a very spiritual line of thinking that a line like that evokes, so that’s kinda where it took me. Another line that stood out to me was the following…

They stay stagnant, I'm takin' my plays and makin' kills
Bring home what I eat, and proceed to try and heal
Jaded by my belief, been grief-stricken at will

During my first year at my current university, I became friends with a musician who introduced to me this idea of certain artists sounding “bruised” in their music. I believe I have a slightly different understanding of the concept from what he was trying to instill, but it basically boils down to a sense of perseverance that you get from some people. Some artists have endured especially turbulent circumstances, and they may not have come out unscathed, but they survived, and it’s reflected in the music. I think my friend was referring more to a particular sound, but for me it’s easier to recognize something like that from a lyrical standpoint. That’s what I thought of when I heard these lines. Anyway, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this track as an intro to the rest of the album at first. As far as structure goes, this song is incredibly straightforward. It’s a beat and a verse. However, the beat and verse in question are far from basic. There’s a lot going on here. I’ve been trying to think of a way to describe bloomcycle’s production, and I think the term that came to mind was “unconventionally attractive.” Basically what I’m trying to say is that it’s fire, and there’s not a lot of stuff that sounds like it. It’s a really fucking cool vibe honestly. I love it. It really grew on me as I became more acclimated to the project. I always liked it, but now I’d consider it a highlight on the album. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight called Memoriam, Pt. 1. Reincarnation was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unique, eccentric production on this album. This beat is somehow even more peculiar and intriguing. I really love it to be honest. It sounds cool as shit. At certain moments throughout the track there’s this relatively high-pitched, melodic sound that kind of uncovers itself. I think it might be a synth. If everything sounded like music, it’s what a lightsaber being unsheathed would sound like. I don’t know if that’ll make sense to anyone aside from me, but I’m sticking with it. This is honestly one of my favorite beats on the album. The song is only 70 seconds long, and it’s the shortest track on the project. On my first listen of the album, it was basically over before I even had time to form a concrete opinion. I was just like, “woah, what is happening?” and then the next track started. It’s definitely a song that makes you wanna hit the rewind button. The first thing that stood out to me about Sleep’s performance here was his flow. That might be another reason why I love his music so much; it never feels like he’s recycling a cadence. He always switches it up. I’ve listened to certain artists where it seems like they are only capable of one flow, and it’s not necessarily a fatal flaw, but sometimes stuff like that decreases my longevity as a hardcore fan because I get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. Anyway, I’m kinda rambling now. The point is, his flow is dope on this track.

Peeped your bluff
No absolution when you speak corrupt
So if you goin' through it, gotta keep it up
Livin' life by the grooves in the wax when the needle touch

The bars just get crazier as the song progresses. I probably should’ve mentioned this earlier, but the official Bandcamp blurb describes this project as “an album meant to explore the cycle of identity, death, and rebirth as we carry on through time.” That one sentence framed my understanding of the record. It kinda guided me in what to expect and take note of lyrically.

Pourin' my truth over ice, exploring the hidden cuts
Past trauma, had to dig it up, so I could move on, can't get enough
Too prolonged, hearing ghost songs, so I wrote them down when I awoke
Blacked out at a wake at about 8, losing my mother's touch

Sleep is another one of those dudes who’s able to pack so much into one line. I can’t get this much enjoyment in 70 seconds out of just any rapper. There’s something very precise about this song and album in particular. Going back to the Bandcamp description, it refers to the album as “dense with intention,” and that’s something that I definitely picked up on. This album was worked on for a long time before it was finally released, and I could tell. It just sounds like it was meticulously crafted despite having an at times chaotic soundscape. This is the perfect example of an album that takes multiple listens to fully digest and process. I couldn’t make sense of this track after hearing it once. It’s too much to take in on just one listen. I mean, I knew I fucked with it, but I didn’t know why. It’s fire though. I think it’s dope as hell. Track 3 is called Forensics. I love it. The beat here is so good. It’s jazzy, intricate, and detailed. This is gonna sound like another completely random thought, but I pictured a bed of nails in my head when I heard this. I guess sometimes I perceive instrumentals like Rorschach tests. That happened a lot with this album. This beat in particular sounds kind of hypnotizing. I love it. Sleep’s lyricism is of course fire as always. It just gets better and better, man. As soon as I heard the first couplet, I already knew this was gonna be fire.

Inner dialogues spillin' out
From the dark side of the mud where no feelings sprout

The verse is so fucking good, and the off-kilter, jazzy instrumental is the perfect backdrop. I love it. It’s followed by Origins, which features SKECH185 & PremRock. I think this is one of the most important moments on the album, and definitely a standout collaboration for 2024. This shit is amazing. It was during this track that I realized of what the off-kilter, yet melodic production on this album reminds me. At first I was just thinking “video game soundtrack,” but I realized the particular game I was envisioning was Earthbound specifically. Something about the instrumentals sound like they have this innocence to them. They basically communicate a whole story to me. This beat in particular sounds kind of whimsical, yet incredibly sad at the same time. I can picture myself standing on a hilltop listening to the instrumental with tears streaming down my face as I reflect on past trauma. It’s the perfect beat for lamentation. It sounds like barely holding onto innocence in the face of devastation. The lyricism explored here reinforces that vibe for me too. The title, Origins, is another aspect that kinda framed my understanding of this song. I feel like Sleep really went in about what influenced him to become the person he is today. They all did.

Reflections of a lifetime's rhythm
Through crime I analyze pain and intuition
Took pen' chances and I started penning visions
Prophetic how the profit built up consistent
But still gotta go and get it
Upholding the pictures of reality through broken lenses
I was a knotty headed street kid, a codefendant
Just tryna tell you how it goes, son, I hope you listen

I love the verse, and the way SKECH185 comes in right behind him is awesome. I love the way it ends too.

Autumn '93, a van was pickin' up little black girls on the way home
My older sister was given a knife as a keepsake
Because she was pretty for a darkskinned girl
Let the vultures tell it
Just because it once was doesn't mean it has to keep with the culture

His verse is incredible, but what’s crazy is that perhaps the most impactful part of the whole song is just when he’s talking over the beat about something he encountered.

See, some friends of mine were doing this podcast, and one cat was just talking about how he always knew older guys who’d mess with young women, and like how that was cool, and everybody was going, “just ’cause you knew it happening, doesn’t mean we keep it happening, and just because you saw it doesn’t mean it was okay,” and he kept just going, “…but, people used to do that.”

I feel like part of what makes this hit so hard for me is that it’s completely believable. That sounds exactly like a real conversation that I would expect to hear on a podcast, and it’s something that would probably stir some strange emotions in me. I don’t even know how to approach that conversation without help from someone to formulate my thoughts, so I’m just gonna leave it alone. I did want to make sure I noted it in this review though because it’s fascinating to me. I know I said it was the most memorable part of the song for me, but to be honest PremRock might’ve had the best verse. He absolutely slaughtered this shit. His writing is incredible here, man. The last four bars are just devastating. It’s amazing. Again, this is one of the best collaborations of the year for sure. I actually don’t think I could’ve asked for a better outcome with everyone involved. It’s dope as fuck. The following track is called Choice Theory. The beat on this one sounds a lot less melancholic than that of the preceding track in my opinion. It has kind of a warm, comforting atmosphere to it. It makes me think of maternal love. It sounds like a soft, pink blanket. Sleep’s performance over it is of course fantastic. I love every line, but I especially love the way the verse ends. I’ve never really tripped on psychedelics, but I have kind of a fascination with it, so it’s always an interesting subject in rap for me.

The world is what you make it, I engaged in the dangerous
Found solace in the sacred, worth is innovation
Slow it down with patience, overviewing creation
Realized the power inside was understated
Munchin' 8ths and seein' a new paradigm
For every pinnacle I'm grabbing gear to be prepared to climb
Highest peaks, mind release, and I'm still alive
Tried to bury me deep, the peace is what I'm here to find

Sleep’s writing is just… Well, it’s probably clear how I feel by now. Needless to say, I love this shit. One other thing I wanna make sure I mention is that I really loved the additional percussion that came in after about 30 seconds. It’s a subtle detail that didn’t even register on my first listen, but it really adds a lot to the song in my opinion. It’s fire overall. The following track is another one of the most memorable moments on the album for me. It’s called Cut Weight, and it features Milc. The instrumental on this one kinda blew my fuckin’ mind when I heard it. This was me when it came on…

This beat is seriously insane to me. I still kinda don’t know how bloomcycle made this work. The first Teller Bank$ album I ever heard was called The Grotesque & Beautiful, and that title really stuck with me. That’s kinda how I feel about this instrumental. It’s like a lighthearted, friendly, inviting sound that has been looped into kind of an ominous atmosphere. It’s like when you see a creepy animatronic or a clown or maybe an old white van with a suspiciously friendly middle aged man as its owner. It gives you the impression that it’s trying to lure you in so that it can destroy you. On the surface it sounds cheerful and fun, but upon further inspection it becomes eerie as fuck. Kinda like the music video for Ain’t It Funny by Danny Brown. It does sound a little Vaporwave-adjacent to me. I typically don’t like Vaporwave that much, but this is too crazy for me to not love. Anyway, the first verse from Milc is really nice. I like the way he rhymed here a lot. The way the instrumental kinda transforms for Sleep’s part of the song is really cool too. This is the one track where I really would love to know what the creation process was like. I’m wondering whether or not the instrumental sounded like it does now when the verses were initially written and performed, and I’d also be curious to know who laid their verse first. This song is crazy. It’s maybe the craziest moment on the whole album to me. It’s just insane. Bonkers. I love it. Anyway, it’s followed by another major highlight called Lucy.

https://youtu.be/xrafpu86r_4?si=Stx8gTkv8pTX3kO3

This song contains what is perhaps the most traditional-sounding instrumental on the record. It sounds like a journey in the form of music, or the soundtrack to a journey rather. In fact, one of my main conclusions from this album is that bloomcycle would be excellent at making film soundtracks. I guess it doesn’t have to be a film. It could be any story. Anyway, there’s a lot of emotion packed into this beat. It sounds kinda dreamy. It makes me feel like I’m flying through the night sky, above the clouds gliding past stars. I feel like Sleep was able to match the tone of the production really well too. I also like how he kinda waited for a while and let the instrumental play a little bit before he started rhyming over it.

Only seen my uncle cry twice, but he laughed a lot
How we circumvent pain for the active plot
Refuse the heart for the gains 'til the path is blocked
Now every relation strained from the baggage brought

I don’t know if I said this already, but this is one of my favorites on the album. I love everything about it. Track 8 is called Exhaust, and it actually features a verse from Big Flowers. Once again, the production here kinda sounds like the soundtrack to a journey. This instrumental sounds like something that would play specifically at the outset of the story. I love it. The opening verse from Sleep is of course excellent.

Frequencies unmeasured, a wave setter
Every creation is straight embers
Ain't it funny how ventin' the pain can bring pleasure?
I'm accepting my gains, work my lane 'til it's weathered
Through the obstacles came many ways to make it clever
Stayin' sharp had to sever off all the weaker parts
Yet still keep my heart even when them demons dart
Rollin' up to ease it, find meaning in the deepest dark
This all subjective, portraits of the self throughout your essence
Time skips when the pen moves reflective

I really like the hook, and the verse from Big Flowers definitely grew on me as I spent time with the record. One thing that I always loved is the way their verse starts though. The way they come in just sounds so cool. The flow didn’t immediately grab me, but once I caught on to how beautiful the writing is I grew to enjoy it.

Flowers gon' wither at the grave if we immortal or not
Yeah, so I'm forgoing the plot
I'm forgiving it all, I'm not forsaken with my god
Told my mama I'm locked in even though my memory's shot
I be clocked in so much, it's like the memory lost

It’s a really nice verse. I fuck with the song. It’s followed by All This Grief, which features Old Grape God. This is another track that stands out, mostly due to the production style. The beat here is a lot spookier than pretty much anything else on the album. The opening verse from Old Grape God is pretty cool; I really appreciate how expressive his voice sounds.

I ain't finna waste my time or yours
I'm here to get you open, every last pore
Tryna shake you to your motherfuckin' core

Sleep of course sounds amazing over this instrumental. I love how dark he got with the lyricism here.

Ghosts haunt the speakers, seen the ether when I'm rockin'
Sink deeper, life a stone cold teacher, it stuns me often
You're still remaining strong, no other options
Flowers at the gravesite will tell you if the love's forgotten

It’s a fire verse. This song didn’t blow me away like most of the others, but I obviously still really enjoyed it. It’s dope. Track 10 is called Soul in a Box, and it was originally featured on the YoolaG’z EP of B-sides.

https://youtu.be/i0ZEMv-ej7s?si=0rfyeNTxx1L9Pi7L

This is another one that grew on me immensely with repeated listens. I love the vibe of this beat. It sounds like the daze you enter when you finally take a giant bong rip of some indica after a long tolerance break. It’s a really pretty beat. It sounds just as pretty as Big Flowers’ visual art.

I saw a single feather fall
My interpretation is to rise above even through the pain
Been findin' graces, align amazement with perfect timing
Divine in places, I've nurtured grinding
I'm wide awake, Sleep been further climbing
Defining strength through the words I'm rhyming
Know that I'ma hold the weight 'til the Earth inclining

The hook on this track is dope too. I think the reason this one had to grow on me is that it feels very slow compared to a lot of the other tracks, so it felt like a bit of a sonic lull at first. I grew to appreciate it as I listened more closely though. It’s a really dope song. EvP Battles has a very entrancing beat to me, and it features an artist named Yo OG with whom I was previously unfamiliar. To be honest, I think my favorite moment in the whole track is just the transition between Sleep & OG’s verses. The instrumental drops out and we’re just left with the echo of the transitional sample before the beat comes back in and OG starts rapping. It sounds cool as hell. I of course enjoyed Sleep’s performance, but I was particularly curious about this Yo OG person. I had never heard of them, and their name seemed cool. I tend to prefer stage names that are more googleable, but that name in particular for whatever reason benefits from the simplicity in my opinion. Thankfully, I ended up really enjoying his verse.

I had knowledge and wisdom, but no understanding of what's going on, so I'm still wondering how I got here
I just got this strange feeling
It's familiar, but I'm not really fond of it, but I for damn sure be following
Voices upstairs in the crib yellin' out the door, makin' me conjure these thoughts and feelings
Sometimes I'm not privy to the force
Spit a sound into the atmosphere and hope it's universal
And at the end of the day, the reality is I gotta get this bread
And ain't nothing guaranteed, but there's marbles spinnin' in my head while we in the funk of it
'Cause we all God in this

It’s definitely the kind of verse that I had to run back multiple times to fully appreciate. I see that he was featured on an episode of Reel Notes with Cinemasai, so I’ll definitely be checking that out for more info about him. Overall, the song is dope as hell. Track 3 is Memoriam, Pt. 2, and it features another artist with whom I was previously unfamiliar named desde. For this track we return to the exact same beat that was used on part one, which I feel like is a ballsy move. Something about using the same beat on two tracks on the same album seems risky. I mean, they are kinda two parts of the same song, but still. I think it was a bold move, and it paid off. Sleep killed the first verse.

I'm still worth all my weight in gold
I just need a shine and a patient soul
With some peace of mind, I could take control
Better free my mind before it takes its toll

The second verse from desde is pretty cool. I wasn’t crazy about her vocal delivery, but I dug the lyricism a lot, and I can get behind the flow. Sonically, she actually reminded me of Jessica Care Moore’s intro and outro on Nastradamus. That album is a notorious dud, but I actually always loved Jessica Care Moore’s parts on there personally, so I meant that comparison as a compliment. Overall, this is a really dope track. The penultimate song is a major highlight called Killing Time.

https://youtu.be/HINJwqPEZaA?si=7Mq2ISeNHul7BFz5

I guess this one has another relatively traditional-sounding instrumental. I love it. It’s perhaps the prettiest beat on the whole project. It’s the type of thing that I would enjoy even if there was no rapping over it. It just sounds really heavenly. Through the process of writing about each track on this album, I came to appreciate the sequencing even more. This sound really works well for the last leg of the album. I’ve mentioned the production sounding like a journey or story throughout this review. This particular one sounds like what would play after the main conflict is resolved. The way the percussion comes in after about 30 seconds is so awesome. Sleep of course killed the verse.

Even in times so bleak I keep building
Got children to teach and grief to reach the ceiling
Dutch master spillin', the path makin' an incline
Sleep ain't even reachin' his peak, and yet he still shine
Goin' 'cause he don't feel emotions when it's kill time

The song’s pretty brief, but I actually think that works to its benefit. Not that it would’ve gotten stale if it was extended a bit, but it just really hits you hard and then moves on, and I kinda fuck with that. The song’s amazing. However, I think my favorite song on the whole album is the closing track, Tombs. This song might have the best instrumental I’ve heard in 2024. This beat is fucking incredible. That vocal sample is so fucking beautiful, man. This is lowkey one of the most beautifully haunting beats I think I’ve ever heard. It sounds like my own ghost singing to me. I love it. The best thing about it is that the momentum just builds and builds the more the loop plays. It’s really entrancing, and it makes me wanna move. I always catch myself swaying to the music when it comes on. Needless to say, I loved the first verse from Sleep on this song.

Stopped passing down the trauma through realizing what's wrong
My mind in a song, my soul barren, it's been gettin' fire drawn
Heart beatin' on my sleeve, bleedin', just leadin' me along
Chiefin' 'til I'm bombed through seasons findin' meanin' in the flaw
Disrupted by life frequent, at war through peace and I'm calm
No reason for qualms, we'll all end up underneath the lawn
Whether you king fish or a prawn, no lines is gettin' drawn
Gotta let it grow, that's how the doe survives from the fawn

The second verse is performed by shemar, to whom I was first introduced when he produced Sunmundi’s amazing Nature of My Nature EP. He’s definitely one of the most exciting artists that I’ve discovered in the past 12 months. The transition between the two verses is phenomenal, and I loved shemar’s performance.

Death ain't an end no more, I ain't scared
Stitchin' first name transmutations, inheriting shadow birthright
Was never about individual tangibles, I'm livin'
What needs explanation ain't my responsibility
Catharsis not a solution to wounds, but we still embrace
With a salient taste of repetition
Lockin' eyes with an old flame
With the sun coursin' through my veins, it's nothin'
I feel nothin', but thanks

I think it was probably very intentional that this is the last verse on the whole album, and I think it wraps things up really nicely. The way the instrumental kinda gets muffled for the last part of the song sounds amazing too. This song just sounds so incredible to me. It’s like bloomcycle somehow communicated the sense of passing away and entering heaven with an instrumental. The shit is unbelievable.

This album is amazing. I’m not surprised. I knew I was gonna love this shit. It gave me exactly what I wanted, and I don’t even think I knew I wanted it until I heard it. This is absolutely one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best albums Sleep has ever made. It’s definitely top 5. Probably top 3. I kinda don’t even know where to begin with summing up all my thoughts. I guess I should start with bloomcycle. They did an amazing job here. These beats are unbelievably cool. There’s really not a single instrumental on here that I don’t really enjoy. Literally every single one of them stood out in some fashion. As you could probably tell from a lot of the things I had to say in the body of this review, the production really sparked my imagination, which is always cool. I think there probably aren’t many artists I’ve covered more than Sleep in the past four years, so there’s not much I can say about him in general that I haven’t said before. His performance on this album in particular really moved me though, and a lot of it is due to the subject matter. I personally just find the lyrical themes of death and rebirth really interesting. The concept of rebirth is something I’ve been interested in for a while now because of a conversation I had with my friend. I told him about how I used to be really different, but I kinda became a new and improved person after my psychotic episode in 2018. He sent me a text that said something along the lines of “i been thinkin about how u said you were different before psychosis. you were reborn. ill explain later.” Ever since I got that text, I’ve been kinda fascinated by the concept. As a result, this album here ended up really resonating with me. I have no consistent gripes. The beats are amazing, the rapping is phenomenal, the features are a lot of fun, and even the sequencing is thought out and well crafted. Sleep is really an albums artist, man. He knows what he’s doing. This shit is dope as fuck. Check it out.

Favorite Song: Tombs
LEast Favorite Song: All This Grief

90

Watch the video below for some additional perspectives on the album.

https://youtu.be/B75WVfqwtj4?si=1KQPJSLfLfo9Tywx

Grade: A

https://focushiphop.com/2024/08/05/album-review-sleep-sinatra-bloomcycle-memoryummm/

#BigFlowers #bloomcycle #desde #Milc #OldGrapeGod #PremRock #shemar #Skech185 #SleepSinatra #YoOG

Stuck in the Filter: April 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

The heat persists. Intensifies, even. We’re not even to the dead center of summer, where pavement melts and sinew sloughs off of bones. And yet, we toil. Endless trudges through the slime and grime of sharply angled ducts and beveled sheet metal characterize an average workday for my filtration minions, who do my bidding without question as I sip a piña colada in these run down and ragged headquarters. Alright fine, we don’t have piña coladas here, but a sponge can dream! A sponge can dream…

What was I saying? Oh, right. After many months of constant pep talks and gentle reminders with a cattle prod, my team of hack crack sifters managed a respectable haul from our April buildup. Dive in at your own peril!

Kenstrosity’s Sooty Slab

Exhumation // Master’s Personae [April 26th, 2024 – Pulverised Records]

Indonesian blackened death duo Exhumation never would’ve made it to my queue were it not for our burgeoning Discord server. Rollicking tunes, produced with a charming rawness that tingles my spine, task themselves with the summary destruction of that same spine and waste no time getting started. From the onset of opener “In Death Vortex,” Master’s Personae eviscerates with rabid teeth gnashing through my flesh. Ghoul (guitars) and Bones (vocals) display their respective talents vomiting souls out of their body and concocting sickening infernal riffs with aplomb—and made damn sure their session musicians could do more than just keep up on bass (Sebek), drums (Aldi), and lead guitar (J. Magus). With songs that kick as much ass-tonnage as highlights “Pierce the Abyssheart,” “Chaos Feasting,” “Thine Inmost Curse,” and late bloomer “Mahapralaya,” the only thing that could possibly stand in between you and total metallic indoctrination is the record’s gritty, extra-crunchy production. For some, that might even be its greatest selling point. Either way, Master’s Personae is, at its core, just a nonstop demonic party. Ipso facto, if you like fun, you like this. If you don’t, leave the Hall!

Thus Spoke’s Chucked Choices

Alpha Wolf // Half Living Things [April 5th, 2024 – SharpTone Records]

Aussie gang Alpha Wolf have always had an “angry” sound, but until now, they remained quite firmly smack dab in the middle of modern metalcore. With Half Living Things,1 however, the band move as far as they ever have into beatdown hardcore, albeit, a very glossy, and very metalcore interpretation of it. While many, myself included, think they sound better with a little bit of intrigue, a little bit of mournful melody and atmosphere, there’s no denying that this album does contain several bone-fide bangers. Opening run “Bring Back the Noise,” “Double-Edge Demise,” and “Haunter,” are a groovy set of smacks upside the head, and later cuts “Feign,” and “A Terrible Day for Rain” echo the same menace, safely keeping your head bobbing and your mean face on. The aggression can veer into the realm of cringe at points, not least on single “Sucks 2 Suck,” which includes the wild misstep of a thuggish rap bridge courtesy of ICE-T. But on the other hand, Alpha Wolf do show they have a heart, with surprisingly sadboi “Whenever You’re Ready,” and closer “Ambivalence.” It’s all pretty angsty, but questionable decisions aside, Half Living Things is worth at least the time it takes you to hear one or two of its best tracks. I’ll always be here for a little bit of adolescent ennui anyway.

Sarcasm // Mourninghoul [April 12th, 2024 – Hammerheart Records]

Whilst still a n00b, I reviewed Sarcasm’s previous album, Stellar Stream Obscured, and, to my initial surprise, really rather liked it. It was simply a quirk of circumstance that I didn’t pick up the promo for Mourninghoul. And looking back on that week, I wish I had. This thing is just as fun, just as furious, and once again the perfect balance between odd and straightforwardly blistering. Once again, they lace creepy organs and synthwork into death doom (“Withered Memories of Souls We Mourn,” “No Solace From Above”) to add a little mystique. Once again, they display some brilliant, beautiful, melodic black(ened death) metal riffery to lead refrains (“Lifelike Sleep,” “Dying Embers of Solitude,” “Absence if Reality”), not only soaking the listener in the nostalgia of the golden years of Dissection and Necrophobic, but memorable and moving in their own right. Overall, the album is a little slower and more atmospheric than its predecessor, but in this light perhaps a little more thoughtful. One to check out for anyone who dug Stellar Stream Obscured.

Dear Hollow’s Loudness Lard

Lord Spikeheart // The Adept [April 19th, 2024 – Haekalu Records]

Lord Spikeheart is the alias of Martin Kanja, one-half of grind/noise duo Duma, whose sole self-titled LP was received warmly back in 2020 by the gone-but-unforgotten Roquentin. Now a solo act, Spikeheart fully embraces the manic in his debut full-length The Adept, a fusion of noise, industrial, trap, grind, and hip-hop and tinged with native Kenyan instruments. – guaranteed to scare off unwanted listeners. Featuring a bevy of featured artists, The Adept is as jerky and unpredictable as you might expect from its laundry list of sounds. Including all, but not limited to, Author & Punisher-level of manufactured brutality (“Sham-Ra”), layers of jagged hip-hop a la Skech185 (“Emblem Blem,” “Djangili,” “33rd Degree Access”), and outright metal guitar solos and blastbeats (“Nobody”), as well as outright bananas explosive Igorrr-esque breakcore seizures and Kenyan percussion (“TYVM”) and ominous sprawls of haunting humid ambiance over manic beats (“Rem Fodder,” “Verbose Patmos,” “4AM in the Mara”), and there is little that is predictable about The Adept. Throw on Lord Spikeheart’s incredible charisma, shocking vocals, and evocative primal songwriting, and you’ve got yourself a tastefully insane and impressively uncomfortable slab of experimentation that feels dangerous and unrelenting in the right ways.

Whores. // War. [April 16th, 2024 – The Ghost is Clear Records]

Sometimes you just need a good concussion and drool out your brains to the curb because you got dinged around so much. Atlanta four-piece Whores. will provide mightily in more ways than one. Professing a riff-heavy noise rock/sludge metal combo reminiscent of Chat Pile or Iron Monkey, each of the tracks in War.’s 34-minute runtime is a thick-ass spanker with thick-ass riffs, bad-ass cymbal abuse, and mad-ass yells, and you’d be a fool to miss this broken-tooth abuse. Groove is embedded in the marrow of each bone, and the swill of riffs and noisy leads will get your head bobbing before you can learn how to pronounce opener “Malinches.” From the outright onslaughts of “Imposter Syndrome” and “Sicko,” to the bass builds and guitar squonks of “Quitter’s Fight Song” and “Hostage Therapy” or punky rhythms of “Hieronymous Bosch was Right” and “The Death of a Stuntman,” you don’t need to get all academic to abuse the drywall, and Whores. will set their teeth behind your bruised knuckles. The message is clear: get unga-bunga with riff.

Spit on Your Grave // Arkanum [April 12th, 2024 – Self Release]

You always run a risk when you change up your sound, even slightly. Mexican death metal peddlers Spit on Your Grave are familiar with it. Formerly bringin’ the slamz and gooey brutal shit to your court with unhinged insanity, Arkanum keeps the core sound while incorporating more tempo and nimbleness, making a blazing death metal album with some Behemoth-esque experimentation that keeps the album from falling into gnarly monotony and injects a necessary regality reflected in its art. Subtle plucking motifs grace opener “The Infection” and closer “The March of the Innocents,” chanting and choirs spruce up limper portions of “Into the Devil’s Realm,” and dancy rhythms and melodeath noodling kick up “Broken Hourglass.” In spite of the levels of experimentation, the riff reigns supreme throughout, made most plain in the no-holds-barred death metal assaults of “The Heretic,” “Dark Lullaby,” and “Self Sacrifice.” It’s somewhere between Behemoth’s wicked conjuration of crowns and Hate Eternal’s blazing scorched earth campaign, and while imperfect, Spit on Your Grave’s new direction is tantalizing.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Crossed Up Casting

Nuclear Tomb // Terror Labyrinthian [April 12th, 2024 – Everlasting Spew]

Filthy, frothing, furious, Nuclear Tomb embodies all that fueled the origins of the thrash and death movements, which actively rejected the tonal shift toward “pleasing” that pop-leaning forms of heavy metal were taking at the time. So, yes, it’s unsurprising to hear a punky and driven bass identity reminiscent of the overdriven pummeling of Dan Lilker in Nuclear Assault or Stéphane Picard in Obliveon. But though thrash rings true in the speed-needing assaults of “Fatal Visions” or “Vile Humanity,” death—the gnarled yet precise riffcraft you would heard in an early Pestilence summoning—feeds ugly and foul this acts hefty ambitions. Terror Labyrinthian gives exactly what its name promises: a sense of profound encapsulation and isolation in the density that Nucleur Tomb conjures alongside a sci-fi-informed fear and terror. Its ambition is such that it can fly off the rails a touch when it gets too moody (“Dominance & Persecution”), and its level of discordance can leave tracks feeling like intangible pulps of sick and snarling riffage (“Manufacturing Consent,” “Parasitic”). Despite these minor concerns, Labyrinthian Terror shakes enough to leave a worthy, full-length mark after two promising EPs. And with members of Nuclear Tomb floating around in their small scene with oddball grinders Ixias and the avant-minded Genevieve, it’s all but a promise that what comes next will be weird, frightening, and demanding.

Steel Druhm’s Rancid Requiems to Rotpitting

Engulfed // Unearthly Litanies of Despair [April 19th, 2024 – Me Saco Ojo]

Straight outta Turkey comes the vicious, face-melting death metal assault of Engulfed. Featuring members of Hyperdontia and Diabolizer and bearing hallmarks of both, Engulfed are a nasty savage on a war march to destroy all that lives and breathes. With a highly seasoned lineup and a lethal mission statement, Unearthly Litanies of Despair is a “not fucking around” kind of death platter full of blazing speed, thunderous blasts, and more sub-basement croaks and roars than you’d find in an illegal Balrog mining facility. All the old school legends get sound checked, with plenty of Vader, Morbid Angel, and Incantation-isms to be unearthed, but to my ears, Engulfed sounds most like brother band Diabolizer. That’s certainly not a bad thing, as anyone who heard 2021s Khalkedonian Death will attest. There’s not much subtly on display on Unearthly Litanies, and Engulfed are happy to blast away at Mach 9 for the bulk of the album’s runtime, only slowing down long enough to let slithery riffs do their tentacle things. It isn’t until the closing stanza “Occult Incantations” that they opt to get down and doomy, and though it runs way long at nearly 8 minutes, it digs up some nicely dark, gloomy textures. All in all a brutal trip to the belly of the beast feaster!

Coffin Curse // The Continuous Nothing [April 22nd, 2024 – Memento Mori]

The sophomore offering from Chile’s Coffin Curse is 100% military grade old school death with enough rot and pus to win over any genre fancier. The Continuous Nothing is really a continuous something, and that something is gnarly, thrashing death goodness in the varicose vein of Autopsy with some Deicide and Morbid Angel in the gore batter. There’s absolutely nothing new here, but the enthusiasm with which Coffin Curse comes at the classic death style is refreshing and invigorating. You’ll be smiling early into opener “Thin the Herd” due to its oh-so-righteous blend of Autopsy and vintage Morbid Angel, and it’s tough to blast “Bacchanal of the Mortal” and not want to throw your BarcaLounger out the fucking window. This is meat n’ tatters gutter death that could have come out in the late 80s or early 90s, but that doesn’t lessen its vitality and impact since these cats know how to write a ripping tune. I’m especially enamored with the disgusting vocals of Max Neira who gives even the hideous Chris Reifert a run for his scuzz-vomit money. This thing is just good, gross fun!

Tombstoner // Rot Stink Rip [April 26th, 2024 – Redefining Darkness]

Staten Island-based death thugs Tombstoner came back to kill with second album Rot Stink Rip, showcasing a whole lotta New York attitude. With a sound mixing mouth-breathing caveman brutality with New York hardcore undertones, the menu items all come with brass knuckles and steel-toed boots to your fat face (no substitutions!). This is street-level tough guy death with a Biohazard/Pantera-level IQ and anything remotely intellectual is tossed in the dumpster like a carpet-wrapped corpse. Songs like “Sealed in Blood” will rot your brain stem as it curb stomps your skull, and the beefy death grooves are ugly, stupid, and dangerous. Internal Bleeding-isms rebound off Skinless idioms amid the brainless forward momentum of the title track, and the groove-busting, barroom-bullying nastiness of primal cuts like “Metamorphosis” and “Reduced to Hate” are made for Roids Appreciation Day at Planet Meathead. The riffs are hella weighty and the overall approach is lead pipe brutality. Don’t bother spinning this if you’re one of those fancy-dancy tech types. This one is strictly for the gashouse gorillas and pimpanzees.

Saunders’ Slimy Selections

Satanic North // Satanic North [April 19th, 2024 – Reaper Entertainment]

Featuring members of Ensiferum, Finnish black metal troupe Satanic North ripped out a seething slab of old school black metal on their self-titled debut. Although the album seemed to drop with minimal fanfare or notice, having been clued into its existence, Satanic North has since provided a helluva fun time. Satanic North pull no punches and dispense with flash or bombast, adding modern beef to an endearingly old school formula that stomps hard. Harnessing the raw, punky, Venom-esque attitude of ’80s black metal, along with distinctive second-wave elements, and dashes of Darkthrone and Goatwhore, Satanic North is a varied, aggressive and utterly addictive opus. Regardless of the mode of destruction the band chooses at any given time, the songwriting quality generally maintains the rage. Grim, icy atmospheres envelope blasting, viciously executed songs, loaded with a bevy of badass riffs and pissed-off attitude. The relentless, hammering blows on opener “War,” sit comfortably alongside the crawling, sinister melodies and infectious hooks of “Village,” while expert pacing and builds highlight epic later album gem, “Kohti Kuolemaa.” Satanic North throw down some awesomely thrashy barnburners for good measure on powerhouse nuggets of black gold in the shape of “Wolf” and closer “Satanic North.” One of 2024’s underrated gems.

Iron Monkey // Spleen & Goad [April 5th, 2024 – Relapse Records]

UK veterans Iron Monkey’s 1998 opus Our Problem is a sludge classic that I’ve held in high regard for many years. Sadly, the untimely death of raw-throated vocalist Johnny Morrow, a distinctive, glass-gurgling beast behind the mic, saw the band dissolve, until reforming and crafting a solid comeback with 2017’s 9-13. Stripped own to a trio in their second coming, with long-serving guitarist Jim Rushby doing an admirable job taking over the vocal slot, Iron Monkey sound as though the piss, vinegar, and hatred still flows in their veins. Spleen & Goad offers few surprises, continuing the trend of its predecessor while maintaining the signature Iron Monkey sound. And although Iron Monkey cannot quite match the esteemed heights of their early days, this modern, well-trodden incarnation of the band still bludgeons, grooves and seethes with sledgehammer force and infectiously diseased riffs. Channeling the bluesy Sabbathian meets NOLA mode of sludge, with a side of Grief, and a shit ton of spite, the Iron Monkey lads deliver the goods again. Noisy, feedback-drenched bruisers rule the day; as swaggering, drunken grooves, surly riffs, and feral vocals drive this unhinged hate machine. Spleen & Goad is victim to some creeping bloat, however overall, it’s a stellar return and addition to their storied catalog, as rugged, bludgeoning cuts like “Misanthropizer,” “Concrete Shock,” “Rat Flag” and “Lead Transfusion” attests.

Mystikus Hugebeard’s Filthy Finding

Diabolic Oath // Oracular Hexations [April 5th, 2024 – Sentient Ruin Laboratories]

Oracular Hexations is a blast. It is a chaotic, colossally dense album of what can ostensibly be called blackened death metal, but the music is just so fucking filthy it might as well be sludge. The fun thing here is that the guitar and bass are completely fretless; the riffs aren’t hard to parse but the guitars feel almost slippery. It allows the brutal riffage of a heavy track like “Serpent Coils Suffocating the Mortal Wound” to become borderline hallucinogenic, while still hitting like a truck. The slower, oozing riffs of “Rusted Madness Tethering Misbegotten Haruspices” and “Winged Ouroboros Mutating Unto Gold” have a real viscosity to them that always reminds me of the stoner doom stylings of Conan. This album is definitely a lot, but it’s an extremely satisfying listen. The fretless imprecision paired with the music’s intensity, the delightfully disgusting guitar tone, and the vocalist’s tectonic gurgles all give Oracular Hexations a ritualistic atmosphere so thick you can practically sink into it. There’s plenty one could say about the musicianship—the drummer deserves praise for his diverse, technical performance—but trying to dial in on any one ingredient is like trying to appreciate the subtle flavor undertones of sheep stomach in a plate of haggis. Just cram the whole thing in at once, man, because this is the kind of sensory brutalization that you’ve gotta just let happen to you.

Iceberg’s Singular Surfacing

Venomous Echoes // Split Formations and Infinite Mania [April 05, 2024 – I, Voidhanger Records]

Extreme metal’s penchant for horror and destruction never ceases to amaze me. It doesn’t matter how I came across Venomous Echoes second album Split Formations and Infinite Mania, one look at that album cover and the curtain rise of squelching music within had me transfixed. Brutal Floridian death metal meets the dissonant disintegration of Portal meets the crushing weight of funeral doom and they all come together in the unrated cut of a Cronenberg flick. One-man-band Benjamin Vanweelden takes the listener inside his own personal hell as he wrestles with body dysmorphia, making for an experience not unlike recent cuts by An Isolated Mind or The Reticent. This is challenging, highly uncomfortable music, abandoning pitch and rhythm at will, bending and twisting notes and smothering the listener with oppressive atmosphere. From the sickening stomping sound effects of opener “Ocular Maltosis ov Schizophrenia” to the ultra-dissonant ostinato and DSBM wailing of closer “Split Formations and Infinite Mania,” this album is the definition of the car crash you can’t look away from. Far outside any zone of comfort is exactly where Vanweelden wants his listeners, and I have to say this makes for a sickly impressive, revolting, yet mesmerizing experience.

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