LaRussell – “Something’s in the Water” review

This is the 32nd extended play & Roc Nation Records debut from Vallejo, California emcee LaRussell. For the past 8 years, the man originally known under the moniker Tota has been steadily hustlin’ in the west coast underground by putting out his last 31 EPs along with 5 full-length albums & 7 mixtapes as of me writing this. Personal favorites include the Hit-Boy produced Rent Due, the sequel Rent Paid, the Mike & Keys-produced Party on the Westside & Black Boy Fly. However, he’s having Lil Jon fully producing Something’s in the Water.

“I’m From the Bay” after the “United Bay of America” gets things started with a hyphy beat talking about coming from the northern parts of the sunshine state whereas “Wigglin’” succeeding the titular skit goes for a bit of a g-funk vibe almost counting money until his face turns blue. The synthesizers continue to seep their way through expressing a desire to do “More for Me” & after the Marshawn Lynch skit, “Wake Shit Up” reaches the halfway point talking about his involvement in bringing this crunk shit back.

After the “Chuy Gomez” skit, Kalan.FrFr joins LaRussell to moderately recall a “Hot Summer Night” out in the west coast while “Get Off Me” does a better job at maintaining the hyphy vibes talking about how saucy he is. “I Got Flavor” instrumentally keeps throwing it back to ‘06 when “Blow the Whistle” became amongst Too $hort’s most celebrated singles once again boasting his distinctiveness, but then “You’ve Reached LaRussell’s Phone” turns out to be the 5th & final skit.

“How Far Can You Go?” winds down the final minutes of Something’s in the Water posing that very question to the world & further elaborating the reality of those who don’t put in any effort never knowing if they’ll achieve any art of success until Malachi appears on the outro, helping the leader of the Good Compenny collective in making the kind of music that would make a “Thug Cry” & having a heart full of regret soon as the doves start soaring in the air even if his feature wasn’t much better than Kalan’s.

Something’s in the Water marks a full circle moment after LaRussell was listening to “Tell Me When to Go”by E-40 featuring Keak da Sneak or the previously mentioned $hort Dog single “Blow the Whistle” on the radio 2 decades ago, getting Lil Jon to snap out of that whole guided meditation phase he was in the middle of a couple years ago & nostalgically celebrating his hometown for a hyphy-lenient Roc Nation debut although neither of the guests stuck out in addition to the amount of skits being unnecessary.

Score: 4/5

GENA – “The Pleasure is Yours” review

GENA a.k.a. God Energy, Naturally Amazing is an alternative R&B/neo-soul duo consisting of Dallas, Texas singer/songwriter Liv.e alongside Detroit, Michigan producer & multi-instrumentalist Karriem Riggins. Getting to know each other through a mutual collaborator, their kinetic synergies have resulted in them teaming up loosely naming themselves after Tisha Campbell’s character on the Warner Bros.-owned sitcom Martin & sparking excitement for a full-length studio debut amongst everyone who’s familiar with either artists’ work.

“Who’s Got a Problem with GENA?” comes out the gate by singing an irresistibly funky instrumental asking if anyone has smoke with her or Karriem whereas “Theybetterbegladihavetherapy” goes for a bit of a jazzier direction pleading for her boundaries to be respected. “Left the Club Like “Really N***a!?”” lyrically tears a deceitful man up into complete shreds just before “You’ve Outdone Yourself Today, Huh?” sings about keeping your head up over a vocal sample.

As for “Unspokerrn”, we have Liv.e taking some heavy inspiration from none other than the Queen of Neo-Soul herself Erykah Badu trying to figure out how she & her partner got to the point they’re at in their relationship currently leading into “TGD” singing about everyone knowing the way shit goes around her hood & the women’s preference of doing it. “readymade” slickly makes it clear to her lover that she doesn’t want to regret standing beside him while “Douwannabwitastar!?” ends the 1st leg of The Promise is Yours jazzily asking if anyone wants to be with someone famous.

“This is So Crazy” gets the 2nd half going for a more futuristic direction in general & has it’s moments that somewhat remind me of the late Prince vibes while the 3rd & final single “Lead It Up” hopping over a smooth beat singing about making a man out of this person if it were up to her. The jazz influences are brought back in full effect on the 2nd single describing “HOWWEFLOW”, but then “DoobieDooWew” a lot like “Unspokerrn” is another example of Liv.e & Karriem embodying the spirit of Erykah Badu’s materially both vocally & instrumentally.

Wrapping up the LP’s final moments, the lead single “Circlesz” was a great alternative R&B/neo-soul lead single to kick off The Pleasure is Yours’ rollout assuring her romantic interest that she’ll follow him around & take her time with him while the summery “Dream a Twinkle” yearns to make it far with the person she’s been dating. “Thatsmyluvr” sings about her partner being heaven sent blending some crooning background vocals with jazz horns prior to “omo iya ati baba” closing the album thanking God for giving us life & calling for parents to protect their children.

Liv.e has had done some dope features for Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE within the past several years, so the idea of her linking up with one of the 313’s most renowned percussionists in Karriem Riggins based off all 3 teasers resulted in colliding each of their jazz-inspired styles for a playfully improvisational alternative R&B & neo-soul LP with some elements of psychedelic soul incorporated to a lesser extent that I would say rivals Jill Scott’s independent comeback To Whom This May Concern only a couple weeks earlier in ranking amongst the greatest R&B of 2026 not even a quarter way through the year.

Score: 4.5/5

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Tha God Fahim – “Slam Dump 2” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim with his 2nd extended play of the month & his 72nd overall. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records & being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, the Mike Shabb-produced Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth, Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. Last time I covered him was when Slam Dump & the self-produced Ultimate Rapper 5000 Guillotine towards the end of 2025, running it back with Drega33 for a Slam Dump sequel.

“Behold It” sets it all off with a soulful opener talking about not letting life slip away whereas “Il Find” featuring Jay NiCE continues the chipmunk soul vibes so they can discuss keeping the streets on smash regularly. “Freedom N Knowledge” goes for a smoother vibe instrumentally suggesting not reach for his belt when his discography speaks for itself leading into “Broken Hope” jazzily talking about every dog having it’s day.

The song “Became Great” chops up more soul samples to push towards Slam Dump 2’s final moments admitting that he had to let go of people he used to go to school with while “1up” featuring Jay NiCE reunites the pair 1 last time stripping the drums so they can talk about being on a power level with no estimate. “Venomous” spends the final couple minutes ripping a chipmunk soul instrumental explaining that he had to learn how to adjust to the diabolic world we’re living in & that it’s never too much.

I have no doubts that Season 2 of the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap series will be resuming sooner than later, so it isn’t really too much of a shocker that Tha God Fahim would drop off Slam Dump 2 on the same day Nature Sounds reissued Tha Dark Shogunn Saga 2 for streaming ahead of it’s 10-year anniversary when next January rolls around. Drega33’s production maintains the predominant chipmunk soul sound that we heard on the predecessor a few months earlier & Lethal Weapon 4, occasionally taking some inspiration from drumless & jazz rap rather than continuing the lo-fi boom bap direction Solar Lottery primarily embraced.

Score: 4/5

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Babytron – “Out on Bond Again” review

New surprise mixtape & the 12th overall from Detroit emcee Babytron. Coming up as a member of the ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also branched out on an impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But the last couple years was probably his biggest yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone following the release of Luka Trončić until signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming that same fall. Bin Reaper 3 ended the trilogy with a 2-disc effort, the bootleg Style EP wound up being disappointing & the full-length LP 6 made up for it as did Megatron 2. His collab mixtape Mario & Luigi with Certified Trapper wasn’t all that great either, Tronicles was cool, Luka Trončić 2 did a solid job of recapturing the energy of the original & now he’s Out on Bond Again only 24 hours away from former 3-time WWE women’s world champion AJ Lee ending Becky Lynch’s 2nd reign as WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion at Elimination Chamber XVI.

The title track sets it all off with a Detroit trap beat talking about recently getting caught with a controlled substance in Atlanta, Georgia whereas “Barkin’” includes a line about juggalos, alluding to the fact that Motown Rage fronted by his dad Mr. Sadistic was signed to Psychopathic Records almost 2 decades earlier. “2026” references former The Crash Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon & NXT Tag Team Champion Cinta de Oro leading into “JJ” talking about being a self-made millionaire.

Rio da Yung O.G. joins Tron for “911” produced by Danny G to spit some of that gangsta shit while “USA” talks about visiting almost every state in the country. “Tell Me” makes a reference to both former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena and former CWA Heavyweight Champion, 6-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, TNA Wrestling co-founder & AEW’s current Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett.

“Geek Time” featuring 1900Rugrat finds the 2 decently trading a handful of brief verses with one another while “Curtis Granderson” reaches the halfway point experimenting with a funkier vibe instrumentally talking about taking anyone’s money if they’re giving it away. “Goldeneye” refers to one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all-time while “iCarly” featuring BLP Kosher displays their chemistry with each other over a Pi’erre Bourne beat, including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson’s fight against former WWE United States Champion Logan Paul’s brother Jake.

Jorjiana appears on the single “Carhartt” talking about their experiences of being Michiganders but once “Offset” combines a cloudy backdrop & some 808s explaining that one’s life would be the cost of fucking with the Dog $hit Militia at large, “Say No to Drugs” hops over an uncanny Jakesand instrumental talking about people living in the past because of discontent regarding their lives in the present day & suggesting those who ain’t benching enough to get their weight up.

“Rice Street” featuring Scatz trades the mic back-&-forth with each other for the entirety of a singular verse referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker alongside WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane while “Wondering” asks himself who’ll be there when shit gets sticky. “IDK?” ends the tape with him confessing to the uncertainty regarding of how he’ll pass.

The original Out of Bond extended play is widely considered by many Babytron fans to be the weakest entry across his entire discography & the sequel makes some slight improvements above it’s predecessor although I wouldn’t put it in the same category as Luka Trončić or the Bin Reaper trilogy. There are only a couple guests that I could’ve done without, but I’d love to hear Danny G or Jakesand produce an entire body of work for him since I feel like they’re the ones doing the Detroit sound best presently & I appreciate that it’s a bit shorter than some of Tron’s latest output.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “Chinatown Chicken Tour” review

Here we have the 18th EP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 8 more albums as well as his last 17 EPs & a mixtape. Most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income trilogy produced by Giallo Point, the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc, the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected, the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa, White Girl Wasted and finally the Lee Scott-produced Ortolan & Armagnac. Coming off the moderately received Golden Parachute a few months earlier, Sumgii’s being brought in to fully produce the Chinatown Chicken Tour.

“Muse” begins with a psychedelically dark boom bap instrumental talking about knocking muhfuckas off horses with an entire kilo of ketamine whereas “Marsellus Wallace” asks for God to have mercy on him & his squad because they’ve never broken a promise. Phaze What’s appearance on “Flakey Flakey” is truly the only feature that I could’ve done without despite the the lo-fi beat or the lyrics about cooking cocaine a kitchen with a pastry chef beside him.

The late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall gets referenced on “Buttermilk” just before “Edan” featuring Jehst reaches the halfway point talking about dirty money being persy to them as opposed to others considering it to be a lot.

“Capital” featuring Dream McLean after the “Kate Fried Chicken” interlude finds the 2 spending 109 seconds advising to never disrespect either one of them while “Mandy & Rosé” featuring Tha God Fahim strips the drums completely so they can talk about maintaining their composure rather than getting caught in their emotions. “Guinea Fowl” featuring Lee Scott returns to the boom bap making way for them both dropping hardcore verses without a hook & “Dru Ha” spends the last couple minutes saluting Duck Down Music Inc.’s co-founder of the same name.

Sumgii has had a hand in producing some of the greatest UK hip hop that I’ve heard within the past 15 years, so the idea of him doing an entire extended play with Sonnyjim was only a matter of time & it wound up being the most I’ve enjoyed a project from the latter since No Vi$ible Means of Income 3 almost a year & a half ago. Sonny’s luxurious penmanship & the Potent Funk Records co-founder’s atmospheric boom bap production make a great pairing for less than a half hour with the guest list being near-flawless.

Score: 4/5

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DJ Sam Seed – “The Unaligned” review

This is the solo debut extended play from London, England, United Kingdom producer & disc jockey DJ Sam Seed. Someone’s who caught my attention in the last couple years after producing the “Chardikala (Chardi Color)” interlude off Chino XL’s 6th album Darkness & Other Colors in November 2024 as well as “Rafiki Books” off Vinnie Paz’ 9th album God Sent Vengeance almost 6 months afterwards. He would sign to the Croydon underground imprint Hidden Hobby Records this past summer & has compiled The Unaligned as a way of properly introducing himself.

“Live on the Road” by Blade & Kool Keith opens up with both MCs over a rap rock beat explaining that each of them knows who they are whereas “Digging My Grave” by Eskar & Ill Bill finds the pair talking about doing things their way. “Whole New Chapter” by Kurious & Only1OnlySon works in a soul sample so they can show off their lyrical fluencies leading into “Freedom or Death” by Ill Sykes, Lord Goat & Ruste Juxx suggesting not to waste your breath since those are our only 2 choices.

Ghostface Killah joins bood & Montener the Menace on my personal favorite song “Wu Who?” blending hardcore & industrial hip hop just before “Drive You Insane” by Cymarshall Law, Farma G & Hypnopottomas continues the sampling talking about troubles & pain plaguing the world as we know it. “False Narrative” by Lord Goat & Scorzayzee hops over a piano to boast their respectively scientific scriptures prior A-F-R-O & Jr. Disprol sending it all off by having them set the “Microphone on Fire”.

Noticing that rappers from the both UK & the United States remain largely unaligned even when they share the same artistic ideals & many local producers around DJ Sam Seed’s neck of the woods landing international placements to this day, he amasses a guest list of veterans from both counties who prioritize integrity over fame paying homage to older hip hop icons & established talent from the current underground scene whilst showcasing younger emerging artists who haven’t been given a platform until now. The Unaligned represents unity, the long enduring sound of global underground hip hop through the decades & a symbol of what can be achieved when those who are unaligned with the mainstream band together for a greater good.

Score: 3.5/5

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Supastition – “According to…” review

Here we have the 5th studio LP from Greenville, North Carolina veteran Supastistion. Making his full-length debut in 2003 after 7 Years of Bad Luck his debut mixtape Under the Table was welcomed to more mixed feedback & the sophomore effort Chain Lettersrecaptured the acclaim of his debut EP The Deadline under Soulspazm Records. Splitting Image following Leave of Absence gave us 2 different sides of him on wax while Gold Standard preceding The Blackboard & Honest Living came independently through his own label Reform School Music after I had graduated high school. Over a decade later, According to… produced by RJD2 succeeding Sacrifice as well as Every Last Word & All That Was Left Unsaid had me excited at the idea of possibly being a career highlight for Kam Moye that would reaffirm his longevity.

“Back Talk” begins with a bit of a hardcore industrial hip hop vibe letting him talk his shit whereas “1 Last Time” takes the boom bap route instrumentally to acknowledge that a moment like this might not ever come again. “Machines Like Us” moves forward by talking about never sleeping & working us until the day he dies just before “Wins & Losses” featuring J-Live finds the 2 explaining that they have everything to gain & nothing to lose.

J-Live sticks around for “Expiration Date” talking about how timeless their lyrical freshness will remain leading into the funky “Reset (Better Friends)” venting over his recent desires of getting a new group of homies. “Beasts Per Minute” on the other hand lively kicks off the 2nd half referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

“The Mourning After” recalls the hardships he’s faced within the last couple years while “Bittersweet” hops over a boom bap instrumental telling a woman he’s no longer seeing that he hopes the world ends on her wedding day. “Carte Blanche” ruggedly dismisses any fool who think’s he’s on the same pedestal as them artistically & once “Rent Money” featuring STS jazzily talks about stressing over having a low amount of money, “A Beautiful Ending” concludes by proclaiming that we need to live every day like it’s our last.

Chain Letters has been my personal favorite entry in Supastition’s underappreciated discography for the longest time, but my hopes for According to…were significantly raised when I learned RJD2 was fully producing it because Deadringer sticks out amongst the greatest releases in Definitive Jux’s entire catalog & those expectations were exceeded needless to say. Both artists merge their distinct styles to push creative boundaries while staying rooted in classic hip hop sensibilities & deliver something that feels unexpectedly familiar.

Score: 4.5/5

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DJ Chase B – “Be Very Afraid” review

DJ Chase B is a 35 year old DJ, producer & songwriter from Houston, Texas known for being a longtime in-house producer/DJ for Cactus Jack Records. He also dropped a few stand-alone singles under Columbia Records at some point during the late 2010s/early 2020s like “Mayday” by Sheck Wes & Young Thug or “Cafeteria” by Don Toliver & Gunna, departing in 2022 & continuing to tease a curated solo debut with that “Ring Ring” track he dropped by Don Toliver & Huncho Jack few summers ago. He finally announced Be Very Afraid formally last weekend & Cactus Jack’s ready to put it out without a major label distributor.

After the titular intro, “Satellite” by SoFaygo samples “KELEBU” by Rema for a Mania outtake asking for his partner not to turn her back on him whereas “Rain” by Sheck Wes talks about pulling up with his squad being the only thing he needs. “Facts” by Big Sean & Travis Scott flips “1 Love” by Cleo Sol looking to capture a W if it’s a big one leading into “365” produced by Cardo experimenting with the Detroit sound even if Babyface Ray & GT’s verses clear Zona Man’s.

“Back in My Bag” by Dougie F might be one of the weaker cuts here mediocrely talking about being in his zone once again & after the compositional “Seoul Glow” intermission, “Off at 7” by Sheck Wes talks about being only a couple hours away from having his lover by his side. “Street Sweeper” by Swae Lee was more enjoyable than “Flammable” suggesting he’d call this a comeback despite never actually leaving while “Ring Ring” was a tolerable pop rap single with secondary influences of trap & contemporary R&B.

HVN gets a song of his own with “Options”, rounding out 3rd with another snoozer talking about turning his lifestyle into a hobby while “1st Round Pick” by SoFaygo & Wallie the Sensei tells the women they’re romantically involved with to quit acting like they can’t stand either one of them when they’re actually looking forward to the day they become their bitches. “Indie**” by bribandz wraps up Be Very Afraid talking about chasing a legacy rather than clout & money endlessly coming her way.

It’s already been hinted that DJ Chase B intends to make a whole entire series out of Be Very Afraid & although every artist presently signed to Cactus Jack Records making an appearance on his was a given, I still found myself on the fence with it a lot more than I had initially anticipated to. Both of the instrumental cuts caught me by surprise since I didn’t think he would drop them without having a performer over them & the guest list is alright, but it can feel dated at times.

Score: 2.5/5

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Gorillaz – “पर्वत” review

Gorillaz is a virtual band from London, England, United Kingdom masterminded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Their eponymous 2001 debut produced by Dan the Automator as well as their 2005 sophomore effort Demon Days produced by Danger Mouse & lastly the self-produced Plastic Beach have all become classics in their own rights, even though The Fall & Humanz would leave audiences divided. The Now Now was more moderately received & Song Machine was hailed as their best in a decade, coming off their Cracker Island to declare their independence from Parlophone Records & Warner Records with their 9th album.

Black Thought appears on “The Moon Cave” after a primarily compositional intro desiring for a better bond if forever actually comes whereas “The Happy Dictator” blends synthpop, neo-psychedelia, new wave, art pop, psychedelic pop, zolo to sing about false promises of happiness. “The Hardest Thing” fuses art pop, psychedelic pop, electropop, neo-psychedelia, progressive pop & bedroom pop to explore themes of loss & heartbreak leading into “Orange County” featuring Kara Jackson singing about losing somebody through separation crossing over art pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, pop reggae, psychedelic pop & bedroom pop.

“The God of Lying” by Joe Talbot made for a decent neo-psychedelia, art pop, psychedelic pop, pop reggae, dub & trip hop single singing about grief & political division just before “The Empty Dream Machine” featuring Black Thought reunites the pair so they can discuss being chastened men. “The Manifesto” by Proof & Trueno however comes through with a 2-parter pulling from experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, psychedelic pop, hardcore hip hop, art pop & Latin rap to talk about morality.

We have Gorillaz confronting “The Plastic Guru” only to call him out because or his impure intentions while “Delirium” sings about calling for change after a more powerful force coming from the outside bringing fear & destruction emerges. “Damascus” by Yasiin Bey was actually a finalized outtake conceived during the Plastic Beach sessions combining dabke, experimental hip hop, electropop, electro hop & neo-psychedelia celebrating refugees as new arrivals while “The Shadowy Light” sings about obliviousness to the truth.

“Casablanca” winds down the last several minutes of The Mountain staring into an abyss & having the feeling that a tunnel to suburbia will be opening sooner rather than later while “The Sweet Prince” emotionally remembers Damon’s father Keith who passed away a couple years earlier. “The Sad God” featuring Black Thought finishes with both of them sharing the microphone 1 last time talking about each of them giving their lives in paradise only for there to be nothing left.

Being a fan of Gorillaz ever since I was in elementary school, पर्वत surpasses Song Machine for their best offering in the 2020s & couldn’t have been a better way to begin this new era of independence for them. The production leans towards a prominent neo-psychedelic art pop & electropop direction with lesser influences of synthpop, Hindustani classical music, hip hop, psychedelic pop, new wave, zolo, pop reggae, dub, trip hop, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, Latin rap, dabke & electro hop honoring those in the band’s lives who can’t be with us down to the slew of posthumous guest appearances.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” review

Rob Zombie is a 61 year old singer/songwriter, producer, filmmaker & actor from Haverhill, Massachusetts originally known for being the frontman of White Zombie. The band’s most iconic single “More Human Than Human” would become amongst the greatest industrial/groove metal tracks of all-time, disbanding in the summer of 1998 following Rob’s iconic solo debut Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International under Geffen Records. I should also mention that House of 1,000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects are both classic horror films despite 3 from Hell disappointing me. The Sinister Urge & Educated Horseswere both ok, but I did enjoy the Roadrunner Records-backed Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls & the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool as a sequel to his debut. Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor would come out through Rob’s own label Zodiac Swan Records & it was cool, although The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & his Nuclear Blast Records debut The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy both produced by his engineer Zeuss were both much more enjoyable. So when I heard they were going for a 3-peat with Rob’s 8th album, of course I was excited for it.

“F.T.W. ‘84 (Fuck the World ‘84)” begins with this heavy intro singing about taking it back 4 decades earlier because of the times we’re living in presently whereas “Tarantula” proclaims to be a God amongst the Theraphosidae family of spiders. The 3rd & final single “(I’m a) Rock “N” Roller” blends industrial & groove metal for a homage to the late David Bowie single “Moonage Daydream” leading into “Heathen Days” throwing some thrash metal undertones in the mix singing about the days when chaos & war were constantly at our backs.

After the “Who Am I?” interlude, “Black Rat Coffin” continues the industrial metal vibes comparing the human race to a bunch of mice fading away inside of a casket just before Rob portrays a pirate by the name of “Sir Lord Acid Wolfman”. We get a fusion of industrial & trash metal on the lead single “Punks & Demons” ending the 1st leg encouraging those 2 kinds of people to keep bleeding on while “The Devilman” puts us inside the shoes of an entity who was meant to desecrate the shadows of the holy land.

“Out of Sight” pushes the 2nd half forward singing about wanting to be left alone as well as time eternally running out for everyone & all of us going down but after “Revolution Motherfucker” shows a more rebellious side to Rob getting wasted off the booze as much as he wants, “Welcome to the Electric Age” issues a stark warning regarding all the changes to our government & society at large within the past 13 months going on 14.

To wrap up The Great Satan’s final act, “The Black Scorpion” combines elements of thrash & industrial for a brief 93 seconds experiencing another nervous breakdown & praying for death until the final song explains his perspective of society being “Unclean Animals” in the grand scheme of things continuing the parallels between people & rats that we heard earlier. “Grave Discontent” however spends the last minute hooking up a synthesizer & some live drums.

Although I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoy The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy a lot more than most people do, The Great Satan surpasses both of them in becoming the greatest full-length Rob Zombie has done with Zeuss to date. The overall sound is much like White Zombie’s revered coda Astro-Creep: 2000: Songs of Love, Destruction & Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head in that it’s predominantly based around the industrial & groove subgenres of metal music, taking it back to Rob’s roots over 4 decades later.

Score: 4.5/5

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