$uicideboy$ "New World Depression" (2024)

 

Slick Southern Rap duo $uicideboy$ return afresh. Having built a cult fan base from the ground up, New World Depression marks another benchmark, their highest billboard charting to date! Impressive, but not reflective of the albums substance. Spending weeks with these cuts, Ive felt the sparkle fade gradually. Now accustom with their dreary tuneful sing-raps, slanted Southern cadences and difficult topicality, their routine of snappy beats and weighty rhymes fizzles into just that, a routine.

The closing stretch catches my ear. Covering U.N.L.V's classic Drag Em N Tha River makes for a memorable shift in tone. Stabbing string jabs and a jarring piano riff mixes up the mood. Its proceeded by the records darkest and best track. Us Vs Them ushers in criminal melodies mustering a tone for stealthy mischief as the pair rap devious carefree threats. The Thin Grey Line indulges in a similar mysteria, the beat conjuring conspiratorial vibes for the duo to exchange their sharpest flows.

Mostly dabbling with moody, glum instrumentals, brief moments of insightful lyricism fall between the cracks of boisterous showboating wordplay. Relatable messaging of struggles and drug abuse dull as a result. Previously their words soared. Its either familiarity or the routine I alluded too but New World Depression simply entertains before fading from consciousness. Competent record, but lacking a fresh spark.

Rating: 6/10

City Morgue "My Bloody America" (2023)

 

Still one to check in with, City Morgue return recycling a familiar flavor of feisty aggression. Fusing Trap with Horrorcore and touches of Metal, the duo deploy harsh percussion aesthetics again. Rattling hi-hats and distorted base kicks thump no longer a novelty. Meeting spooky samples and lean distortion guitars, beat production paints ghoulish, nightmare scenarios for their unapologetic lyrics to reign a boisterous noise. Priding its content on death, hate, gunplay and machismo, a lack of depth is hardly a surprise. Most verses simply load in vile obscenities on aggravated flows spat hard.

Among its various leanings, a sense of something curious lingers but never arrives. Despite being a rather dull thirty minutes, the record has a certain foul charisma fit for horror but lacks substance. Its instrumentals fail to lean into its intriguing elements. Only Wicked elevated this unsettled energy to a catchy level. A banger among mediocrity. Its short looping melody illuminates when all instruments fire together. I still think this duo have something great to offer but currently I'm just not feeling it.

Rating: 4/10

$uicideboy$ "Shameless $uicide" (2023)

 

Recently Ive brought myself up to speed with this duo's trio of full length efforts. Its been a mixed bag of tricks, reeking with potential yet lacking a firm stride. Unsure of where to navigate next, its seems Ive lucked out! This latest EP, dropped two months back, struck indulgent vibes. Their difficult subject matter lures suffering into mellow relief through dreamy instruments drifting over the steady slam of crunking drums.

 Ruby & Scrim bring their best, strong vocal tunes with sway, elevating their unapologetic raps into breezy melodies. Its a wild wrestle, a mastery of struggle yielded to a cathartic escape through expression. Something retro and summery also lurks among this gritty percussion. Flirting with cheesy, stark synths and cloudy electronic melodies, they conjure a laid back allure among the dark topical chaos.

At the mid point things turn nasty, leaning into violence with gun sounds and grizzly beats, peering into the bleak. The bass bangs with deep sub resonating underneath bussing drum patterns, an apt chemistry to house such grimness. The pair, along with guest for the record Shakewell, lean into nasty gangster braggadocio to great effect!

Some of their sharpest raps arrive among these two shorter cuts, before the moods mellow out again. For me, the melodic sung raps shone brightest. The change in pace works but that's where the magic sparks. I really enjoyed this. When each song clicks, it suits my preference for a cohesive collection of songs over randomized playlists.

Rating: 6/10

$uicideboy$ "I Want To Die In New Orleans" (2018)

 

$uicideboy$ rock a rapid release schedule that signifies a different approach to distribution. Since 2014 over forty or so EPs and mixtapes have emerged. It creates a daunting task in search of there best material, yet its where their most popular songs reside. I'm unsure of the significance the album format offers but this debut arrives with a clear concept to tie in their notoriety with home state Louisiana. Interlaced with locational references, tales and affirmations, the radio and news snippet interludes grounds a grizzly reality, illuminating the harshness of growing up in the south.

Sadly, my experience has been a dull one. On this debut record, both the gritty horrorcore beats and harrowing rhymes lack a sharp potency they land with on later projects. The sullen moody aesthetics and unabashed honesty with difficult subject matter remain in tack. Their vision is evident, a distinct individuality reaching out yet those infectious sung hooks and energized flows are yet to be honed and harnessed.

The record feels tied closer to its cultural roots with many southern tropes lining the instrumental design. Vocally, the pair drift into lazily spoken registers. Dull, softly delivered monotone raps distract from the subject matter itself, unenthused in nature but sometimes seeming conceptually relevant in a defeatist sense of overwhelming struggles. Despite analysis, the stars did not align for this listener. Clearly the foundations have been laid. In this manifestation, their expressions failed illumination.

Rating: 4/10

$uicideboy$ "Long Term Effects Of Suffering" (2021)

 

Following up on Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, this prior sophomore record has solidified my warmth for this duo. Where the last album swayed in quality, Long Term Effects Of Suffering hits focused! A dreary, creepy crawly mood permeates as slick aesthetics provide the groove and enjoyment. Glued together by themes of personal pains, the sullen, bleak, rain soaked atmosphere sits front and center.

A few tracks offer a slight respite. 5 Grand At 8 To 1, New Profile Pic & Forget It drift into warmer tones with tonal echos of Jazz Hop emerging under its trendy Trap percussion. Then there is Bleach, leaning face first into the flames, embracing the burn, a gritty banger to say the least. Whats left explores a broody melancholy, reminiscent of Emo Rap when wearisome acoustic guitars and glum pianos emerge.

Consistently across its lean thirty minute duration do the percussive arrangements delight. Noticeably apparent on this outing, its snare kick grooves are elongated. Occasionally lethargic and sparse as shuffling hi-hats offer erratic pitch shifting patterns in the space between. Done right here, it challenges the usual 4/4 loop of Hip Hop beats. The cohesion with instrumentals is fantastic despite a strong contrast.

Stars of the show, Ruby Da Cherry and Scrim, offer brutal honesty with their personal struggles laid bare. Its a topicality expected, however consistency really elevated the message. Shared experiences offer relief, forge connection and its hard for their openness not to endear. Last time the stints of braggadocio broke up the flow. This time they forged a fine album that you want to play from front to back each time.

Rating: 7/10

Redzed "Bohemian Psycho" (2019)

 

Hailing from the Slavic regions of Europe, this young Czech's distinct accent embeds sharp flavors on top his nasal pitch. Loaded with obscenities and violence, his rapid fire shout raps drop sharp and vicious, making quite the impression. As one in a roster of many Trap Metal artists in rotation on Spotify, his maniacal flow caught my ear.

Tight, snappy and obnoxious in presence, the harsh delivery and brutal tone lured me in for more. Sadly, it seems Redzed is somewhat of a one trick pony here, emulating the same cadence for most of the record. In intervals, the pace softens with songs leaning into half sung hooks, looking for a catchy knack that seems out of reach. His pitch and range unable to muster charismatic charm previously bestowed among his venom spitting, ferocious raps.

So to do the instrumentals stiffen. Its somewhat typical Horrorcore theming leans heavily on hard bass kicks, jittery Trap hi-hats and harsh snares strikes. The groves are competent yet narrow in scope as each song circles the previous one. So to did the comprehensible lyrical content seem slim. A race to the bottom! Violent, foul, over the top braggadocio laced with cuss words and graphic obscenities.

Bohemian Psycho was fun for a minute but lacked a reason to stick around once its merits were proven. The closing Bleed For Me / Drumin' Hard had a touch more excitement. The inclusion of distortion guitars and what sounded like a drum jam session had some personality not heard elsewhere on the record. Ultimately Redzed's wild energy on the mic has a punch but lacks a depth to flesh out this record.

Rating: 3/10

$uicideboy$ "Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation" (2022)

 Hailing from New Orleans, this independent Rap duo made quite the impression. Muddying between Horrorcore and Cloud Rap, their dark leaning beats and heavy subject matter had its familiarity while introducing new ideas to digest. Its mostly the flows of Scrim and Ruby da Cherry who consistently captivate. Their distinctive navel voices and tight rapid flows hit rhythmically with snappy timing. Endeared by creativity, the shuffling of pace and pitch keeps things exciting. Best of all, the pair have an ear for melody, transitioning into catchy sing raps frequently that nail the mood of a song.

Instrumentally, the variety is decent, delving into different Southern styles with echos of Memphis Rap and the sluggish distortions of Chopped And Screwed. The sampling pull on the esoteric and obscure with odd sounds twisted into solid Rap beats. The darkest moments pull on brooding pianos and melancholic strings, the likes more suited to depressing Classical. Great to hear such an eclectic source of sounds. Of course, its loaded with darkly samples and snippets to beef up the grizzly atmosphere.

The subject matter wades through its share of typically misogynistic boisterousness. Between the showboating emerges a handful of tracks with difficult subject matter, addressing emotional ills, mental health struggles, drug abuse and urban trauma. The expressions are endearing, honest and laid bare, tackling the difficulties of life from personal darkness. Although a fantastic introduction, Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation has waned on repetitions but I've found a few songs to return too.

Rating: 6/10

Backxwash "His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering" (2022)

Traversing deeper into painful themes that have defined Backxwash's raw, hopeless expressions, this newest installment of darkness suffers familiarity. Scarcely making ground on I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses, an unhinged rattle of caustic demonic beats accompany now accustomed flows. They run formulaic as the Canadian rapper settles on her flat tone and biting cadence for another round lyrically battling her demons. Its plays as a war siren of distress, simmering in a difficult intersection of ignorance and bigotry. Select samples of pastors preaching illuminate these struggles aptly, focusing the records somewhat conceptual scope to a degree.

 His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering sums itself up well. A tale of religiosity preaching division and judgement. Although not a sole focus, it fits a discomforting darkness felt through its rough instrumental abrasion, a continual unease suited to the evils parading as morals highlighted. When on point, a potent chemistry. Yet a lack of subtle bombast, groove or sensible musical appeals bounds it tightly to a thorny bed of pain. Weaving layers of disorienting noise, soft distortions and broody bass, gospel samples and estranged companions stir a wild atmosphere. These instruments peak curiosity but lack command of simple pleasures to sway one.

Almost brilliant yet a spark is missing, or just all too familiar. An issue becoming stark in Backxwash's cadences, especially later in the record, Juju a prime example. The hard rhyme inflection and pacing of words becomes repetitive and stale, adding to a sense of stagnating style. The albums ambient feeling one retreading horrors expressed before with an interchangeable nature. One distinction apparent this outing were a select few songs hiding uplifting or beautiful instruments within its mix, burying them a dense darkness, occasionally surfacing them for false relief.

Rating: 7/10

Gravediggaz "6 Feet Deep" (1994)

 

Unwittingly, I've uncovered Hip Hop's Horrorcore origins, a treasure trove of terror led by none other than RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. United with The Undertaker, Grym Reaper, Gatekeeper and producer Prince Paul, this Rap quintet delve deep into life's dark sides. Graphic themes of death, suicide, murder, poverty and black suffering permeate. Both serious and comical, the latter gets punctuated by gruesome exacerbation of comic book horror tropes through verbal creativity. Its former sincerity makes use of thematic extremities to highlight the serious issues of street life.

I'd been aware of 6 Feet Deep's existence for decades. Despite an encouraging reputation, my playlist choices always gravitated to something else. Finally cracking the cookie, I'm overwhelmed by its fortunes. Slipping snugly into an early 90s Jazzy ruggedness, to many samples, flows and drum beats echo many favorite sounds, posing the tricky question of how it fits the tapestry. Warmer Southern tones turn up on Mommy What's A Gravedigga, 1-800 Suicide and Blood Brothers, the latter cruises on a chilling nightly tone with its shimmering pianos and danger lurking baseline.

Diary Of A Madman plays like a blueprint for what I know of Rap duo Jedi Mind Tricks, both beat and flows are uncanny. Many other songs conjure similar familiarity. A handful of verses spat akin to Ol' Dirty Bastard, and the occasional beat like Graveyard Chamber reek of Wu-Tang outtakes, perhaps leftovers from the era of RZA's Demo Tape. Recorded over the prior three years, overlaps with the nine are no surprise, yet Gravediggaz stand boldly apart with their own devilish identity.

The distinction is wild, leaning into theatrical cheesy horror tropes, grim lyrics get cut keenly into its topicality. A depth of cultural references finds its linage in the unsavory side of American cultural history. Experimenting with unhinged wordings and maniacal cadences on occasion, the music ebbs and flows between tongue in cheek humor and deadly frankness with more conventional cuts. Prince Paul's contributions certainly serve that convention, with RZA and other producers offering up the looser screws. All in all, 6 Feet Deep is an essential experience if a fan of Hip Hop's darker leanings.

Rating: 8/10

Ho99o9 "Skin" (2022)

 

In my camp of awe inspiring, adrenaline pumping music, a spot is reserved for the gritty punk duo known as Ho99o9. Their crossover of Horrorcore, Hardcore Punk and rebellious persona has been enthralling in recent years. Skin, their sophomore album wedged between many mini albums and EPs, has sadly failed to reinvigorate the wild energy they usually conjure effortlessly. Opening with a brief offering of Thrash guitars, manic percussion and unhinged screams, a couple of tracks get the blood flowing with the best the record has to offer coming from Corey Taylor of Slipknot.

His timeless scream is a great fit as the one working chemistry from a few collaborations. Jasiah inducts the group into the adjacent Trap Metal scene with tropes and tones perhaps heard best by City Morgue. Those harsh hitting, volume peaking bass drum aesthetics crop up on other songs to little avail. That sentiment extends to much of what Ho99o9 aim for on Skin. Not looking to circle back on previous successes, the many chemistries they forge just fail to vibe with me sadly.

With a lack of songs sparking the right words to describe the experience, I simply fall back to a sense that the pair looked for unsettled atmospheres, moments of mania and a dystoian grittiness less dependent on Metal and Hardcore guitars. These tracks also feel like a jumble of ideas, rarely resting in one place for long and jumping into a variety of odd temperaments along the way. Whatever the vision was, it failed me in feeling cohesive. I'm left quite disappointed but hopeful they'll get back on track.

Rating: 4/10

Clipping "Visions Of Bodies Being Burned" (2020)

 

Its album number four by Clipping, an experimental Hip Hop trio doing remarkable things with their mashing up of Industrial and Noise with Horrorcore Rap and spoken rhymed monologues. So far I've developed a great appreciation for the artistry and craft but lacked an emotional connection. The same is true again with another fifty two minutes that seem to emphasize the same response from me. There is a difference this outing though, more of what I connect with. That's mostly a banging beat to elevate the obscurity of these minimalist noisescapes that house the rhymes.

Clipping's unsettling and grim take on urban life and crime has its apt tone again. Either expressed through rhyme or Industrial dissonance, Say The Name brings it to current events with a gripping power to address the death of George Floyd. The most notable track however is found in the lurching paranoia of Check The Lock. The John Carpenter-esque melodies and haunting bells are an illuminating compliment to the click, clack and rattling of sparse and distant industrious world building noises.

Alongside the lyrical talent of Daveed Diggs, who's sharp as a blade with his despairing narratives, a host of features fall short of adding something memorable to the mix. I was delighted to see the inclusion of Ho99o9 but even their shout raps felt at odds with the abrasive instrumental below the pair. Beyond these points of remark, much of what I've written about Clipping before remains true, its mostly a jarring experience of conflicting instrumentation that paints physical discomfort.

 Its best exemplified by slabs of white noise between tracks and the maddening Eaten Alive, its loose percussive performance seems perfectly dialed up to maximum confusion as its dislocated pace grows with the clattering of kitchen utensils. When Diggs drops out we are treated to a couple minutes of completely unhinged sound. Its a novelty, one this band are capable of channeling into convention with thumping base and a sensible kick snare groove but it too is sparing on this outing, with much of the record being chalked into that particular confrontational space again.

Rating: 6/10

Ho99o9 "Blur" (2020)

 

  As one of the more exciting acts to follow, the regularity of new material is always welcome. Hot off the heals of Cyber Warfare, the duo offer up another keenly themed mini album to digest. Blur is intermittent with snippets and samples of what sounds like eighties and nineties media hysteria over the emergence of loud and aggressive music in the form of Hardcore and Heavy Metal. The fear and rhetoric feels relevant to their twisted hybrid of dark Hip Hop and Hardcore Punk, ironically the music these talking heads were commenting on is meager and tame in comparison.

These thirty four minutes split along ten tracks feel like a call back to Mutant Freakx and their earlier releases. The bulk of music focuses on slower tempos, twisted and sinister atmospheres built from unhinged beats. Vocally the raps and hooks revel in ambiguity and discernible performances, occasionally lashing out with mean tonged aggressive verse of the Trap Metal variety. Each track is like being dipped into a different dimension of eerie unease as its slowly burns away.

Drifting from that norm, Flesh And Blood has a burst of tempo and Punk energy for the albums shortest affair. With only three tracks led by distortion guitar, Dog Shit takes the cake for being a ferocious riot, unleashing ravenous energy through its dirty riffing. Its brief, housed by samples and the dingy atmosphere the album revels in. Hardcore makes a distinct break from all this with a style and format that ultimately seems like a piss take aimed at Tyler The Creator, ripping off the attributes of his fantastic music.

Compared to the last two stints, it hasn't pushed my buttons as Id like given I am more drawn to their metallic side. It has however been a enjoyable listen with a host of tracks to stuck into but my ultimate take away is the darkly atmospheres don't deliver quite the engagement after multiple spins, it becomes a slow burn as the mystique wares off having deciphered the somewhat cryptic musics facade.

Rating: 6/10

City Morgue "City Morgue Vol 2 As Good As Dead" (2019)

Following up on last years Hell Or Highwater, the young duo ZillaKami and Sosmula are at it again fronting another arsenal of overtly aggressive songs to grab your attention. Vaguely known Trap Metal, the duo represent a strain of modern Rap so harsh and aggressive it picks up the metallic nod. They actually deploy distortion guitars on a couple of tracks but the main ploy is dark and sinister sampling amplified by harsh, snappy drum grooves and over the top vocals. The pair spit their rhymes with ferocious energy, many words bordering a shout in its aggression. Unsurprisingly the lyrical content is mean and murderous but ultimately hollow.

Although the theming is of my flavor, the music lacks depth and songwriting is routine. Most the tracks aim to deploy throat grabbing lyrics for a harsh hook, often over played. The two exchange threatening verses that mostly revolve around excessive violence, gang life and boisterous show boating. It quickly turns dull as the continual aggression becomes monotone. I found my attention mostly picking up on what became annoying, like the "woah woah woah woah" hook on the track Woah. Its monotonous, repetitive and just doesn't add much to the song.

The instrumentals behind them are also a bit routine, only a few beats stand out in the slew of songs. Initially most are impressive as they reach to a particularly gritty nastiness however they are often very repetitive with the short loop filling up these mostly short songs. One notable thing that does occur is a handful of songs leaning into Emo Rap territory. Moody guitars drop in and the lyrics pivot to dreary self reflection and depressive outlooks. Very akin to Lil Peep but nowhere near his level of charm. Overall a disappointing follow up with not much to take away from.

Favorite Tracks: Draino, 16 Toes, Peeling Scabs

Rating: 4/10

Ho99o9 "Cyber Warfare" (2019)

Less than a year on from one of last years favorites Cyber Cop, the vicious Punk Rock fusing and Hip Hop grooving duo Ho99o9 return with another vivid, conceptual EP that experiments with eerie cyber space hacker aesthetic. Opening up with Master Of Pain, gothic organs conjure an unsettling hallowed horror soundtrack atmosphere for slow tempo percussion to brood and then pivot into a riotous romp of synthetic guitar riffs fit for the pit. The back and forth is fantastic but this new gothic element sets a desire for more that is left alone on this one song. With Plexiglass a smothering, repetitive, obnoxious baseline fills the void akin to something you might hear on a TV commercial. A ridiculous mania of hurling frantic screams quickly stops this in its tracks as it turns up the intensity alongside scratchy discernible noise. At this point it may be hard to stomach for many a music listener.

Shadowrun slams into the Punk energy with fast and energetic guitar riffs, burred screams and pummeling drums. Its ecstatic and highly intriguing as the distortion and production techniques mask much of the instruments in layers of unusual aesthetic. From their the good songwriting emerges as the song leads into a fantastic closing groove played twice over. The end of the song introduces a layer of technological theming as a pitch dropped voice talks of internet connections. There is a few other bits like this but they fail to be interesting in my opinion. The next few tracks brings out the mean and gritty raps, delving into gloomy, dangerous street vibes akin to similar songs heard on their Horrors Of 1999 sophomore EP.

F.O.G. wraps up the record with some serious metallic stomping and tight drum patterns not far from something heard on a Extreme Metal record with its tight double pedal working. The song gets progressively heavier and distorted synths lead up to a ridiculous climax that maybe falls a little short of its intention. Overall this record is another fantastic chapter in what I hope will produce more of this paranoid cyber theming. Its not reached quite the peaks of Cyber Cop but it has produced some remarkable songs once again. This band are very much in a stride and I find myself dead excited for whatever it is they will do next.

Rating: 7/10
Favorite Tracks: Master Of Pain, Plexiglass, Shadowrun

City Morgue "City Morgue Vol 1 Hell Or High Water" (2018)

 Hell Or High Water is the debut record by the newly formed City Morgue, a pair of young rappers taking a lot of influence from the likes of the uber-aggressive 6ix9ine, who may be the most commercially successful of these "over the top" rappers. The project caught my attention because of its ties to Metal and Industrial music. The pacey, lively instrumentals deploy FL Studio Slayer guitar tones in the meat of their beats. A gritty, lean distortion fit for their overtly hostile and vulgar flows which are filled to the brim with offense and obscenity aiming insults in all directions. The two have a wild, dangerous energy, scream rapping with a menace that'll get you moving.

On closer inspection much of the lyrics are skin deep and more about trading blows than provoking thought. City Morgue comes out the gate with a firm and consistent aesthetic. Brisk, darkly beats, rocking harsh Trap influenced kits and a barrage of sound effects, shouts, screams and back up cries bombard the listener with a restless energy. Many of the tracks kick of with maniacal laughter, a touch of madness sounding like a deranged person who just escaped from the house of horrors.

Despite leaning into these dark themes the music is mostly fun and grooving. A lot of the beats land on the pulse of the groove and make for some careless crude fun. On occasion they even land a fine hook like the "gave hop" call on top of these disorienting instrumentals that rock disjointed samples, eerie urban melodies and dirty sub-bass noise, rumbling below the kicks of the percussion. The instrumentals are tough and if your not in the mod for fowl lyricism then this can be a tough record.

The duo barely let the foot of the gas with the vulgarities and the delivery style is consistently domineering. In some moments the word slurring trend and ambiguous pronunciation comes into play, its not particularly interesting. A lot of this record is relatively mediocre but in the union of parts something quite unique forms. Potential is the word to take away from this. Improved lyricism, better hooks and songwriting would really further this attention grabbing sound. One to watch for the future.

Favorite Tracks: Arson, Gravehop187, So What

Rating: 6/10

Ho99o9 "Horrors Of 1999" (2015)

Rounding up the records Ive missed we have another short EP from American experimental duo Ho99o9. Once again their fusion of Hip Hop, Punk Rock and Horrorcore seems far more enjoyable than the reputable Dead Bodies In The Lake where I started this journey. With one skit and five short songs the duo get into dark, grisly menacing vibes and flex degrees of raps and Punk screaming vocals with all sorts of distorted, pitch shifted and reverberated inflections. The pair firmly sit at the heart of the darkly atmospheres their puzzling instrumentals conjure. Industrial pallets of gritty sampling paired with abstract, slow and stretched out percussive grooves set the tone for the act to get maniacal on the majority half of the music.

Its vivid and concise but the most fun to be had is in the two Punk tracks. No Regrets and Savage Heads bring on a drummer to muster up some lively beats for a roaring buzzed out bass guitar to power the track forward as an array of unusual synth sounds chime in, often with little melody and a helping of oddity. This is where the two liven up, shouting out catchy lyricism with ferocity. Overall it makes for a fun and haunting listen with a splash of cheesy horror vibes in the middle. Again the potential to grow as artists is far more obvious at this point in time for Ho99o9.

Rating: 5/10

Ho99o9 "Mutant Freax" (2014)

Mutant Freak is Punk Rock and Hip Hop duo Ho99o9's debut EP release. I was initially not so interested, I got the impression from the differences between Dead Bodies In The Lake and United States Of Horror that the pair where an upwards path. Occasional tracks bang with hard hitting grooves and heretic energy but a lot of their material revolves around unhinged "atmosphere" and aesthetics that culminate to a strange breed of rebellion born from their unique fusion of influences.

With Cyber Cop the two produced a very cohesive set of songs which mostly rocked from front to back. Its not what I expected but the three tracks of Mutant Freak do this too, without any apparent bangers or big beats. On this eight minute listen their dark aesthetics and sporadic mic presence finds a dynamism I didn't hear before. Their selection of gritty, night time synth samples play against loose drums as they drop darkly verses between odd vocal inflections with an interesting spark.

Split in the middle is Hated In America, a heated Punk Rock track with fast tempo drums, thrashing power chord guitars and a infectious amount of reverberation to echo and add some maniac energy to their screams. Its short but sweet and far better than I had expected. In this case the two forge engaging music that doesn't rely on head rocking tropes. Something I didn't think they did to well before.

Rating: 4/10