Whitechapel – “Hymns in Dissonance” review

Whitechapel is a deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennesse consisting of drummer Brandon Zackey, lead guitarist Ben Savage, rhythm guitarist Alex Wade, the 3rd guitarist Zach Householder, bassist Gabe Crisp & frontman Phil Bozeman. They would later fit right in with Metal Blade Records following their debut The Somatic Defilement by putting out This is Exile, A New Era of Corruption, self-titled, Our Endless War & Mark of the Blade. Their last couple The Valley & Kin have proven to be their most acclaimed, returning after 6 years for the band’s 9th full-length studio LP.

“Prisoner 666” opens with this hellish deathcore intro bearing the number of the beast whereas the title track further integrates brutal palm-muted & tremolo-picked riffing, blast beat-focused drumming & guttural vocals with groovy breakdown sections coming to consume all the seas. “Diabolic Slumber” talks about life being a lie & suggesting that everyone meets their demise just before the lead single “A Visceral Reach” throws it back to The Somatic Defilement era.

After the “Ex Infernis” instrumental cut, “Hate Cult Ritual” begins the 2nd half revealing themselves as disciples of hate as well as rage & murder leading into “The Abysmal Gospel” talks about having a silver tongue continuing to fuse death metal & metalcore together. “Bedlam” reassures everyone listening that they’ll never be reborn descending towards the mouth of failure & doubt while “Mammoth God” talks about his greed growing strong. “Nothing’s Coming for Any of Us” ends with 1 more deathcore track revolving around nothing being real.

It’s really a sequel to This is Exile, but the band residing in the same city that made former 3-time WWE women’s world champion & 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair returns to their heavier roots prominently shown throughout their earlier material on Hymns in Dissonance following the story of a cultist who’s gathering worthy people to join his cult including moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter. Some of the characteristics that made The Somatic Defilement so special notably seep their way throughout the dynamic, brutal musicality backing the compelling lyrical story.

Score: 4/5

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Ill Tone – “The Outcome” review

Ill Tone is a producer from Buffalo, New York known for his collaborations amongst the iconic underground labels Griselda Records, Drumwork Music Group & Black Soprano Family Records. His resume beyond that whole realm further includes the likes of Krayzie Bone & Project Pat, signing to B$F to put out an official debut album of his own through the local indie enterprise staying increasingly consistent with the output a week after Duffel Bag Hottie put out his new EP Shut Down the Dance Floor by recording his vocals through a prison phone.

After the Westside Gunn intro, the first song “Impossible” by Conway the Machine along with Jae Skeese & Rome Streetz fuses rap rock & boom bap doing what others thought couldn’t be done whereas the title track by Benny the Butcher ruggedly talks about his flow being unmatched when it is. “Supper Immaculate” by AZ & Elcamino doesn’t disappoint with its name since both of them kill it over some magnificent sampling & “Pick a Side” by Conway after the Ghostface Killah interlude talks about being either with them or against them.

Following the “Journey” skit, Benny gets another solo cut with “36oz & a Mercedes” discusses not being as humble as everyone else backed by this crooning soul sample just before “Raw Cain” by Elcamino reflects on the way things used to be for him back then. “The Mood” by Flee Lord & Gully talks about them holding it down for several blocks even if they don’t rule the world leading into “I See” by Elcamino & Player K soulfully promising the player shit coming with them when their time comes.

“Supreme Balla” by Elcamino & Smoke DZA brings a jazzy boom bap vibe to the table as both of them admitting that these weak MCs out here be pissing them off acting like they the shit when they’re gonna call them as they see them while “Punctuality” by The Black Abstract, Chase Fetti & Jae Skeese maintains the jazzily dusty flare talking about missing your future if you dwell on the past. “B.T.L.” by Elcamino, O.T. the Real & Stove God Cook$ ends with pure lyrical pressure from all 3 of them with some fresh ass sampling behind them.

Starring the deluxe run, “My Side of the Story” by Rick Hyde & Sule unites the pair to talk about the blood, sweat & tears that’ve led them to glory & no longer being ignored while “Colosseum Rap” by Elcamino & Fuego Base explains that this is for the men trying to get the bread & not for the suckas. The final bonus track “Kenny Solomon” by Jae Skeese & YoungstaCTP gets on some mobster shit instrumentally bridging the gap.

Showcasing the distinct sound of B$F that has drawn acclaim from critics & fans alike, Ill Tone’s full-length debut studio LP will easily stand until December as one of if not the best producer album that has come out in 2025 because the hard-hitting verses from a near-flawless list of guests over the Buffalo beatsmith’s dynamic production balancing boom bap, drumless, chipmunk soul, jazz rap & rap rock remain consistently aggressive from start to finish.

Score: 4/5

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Harto Falión – “The Hurtless” review

Here we have from the 20th EP from Woodbridge, Virginia recording artist & producer Harto Falión. Originally known as Trip Dixon, he would later make a bigger name for himself after joining the Surf Gang totaling his discography to 3 albums along with 3 mixtapes & 19 solo EPs in addition to Hall00 Hart’s eponymous debut. He’s been locking in with Evilgiane as of late, continuing the acclaim of im_my_best_friend & .BloOdY-gEeKeR* by putting out The Hurtless.

“Dreams turned Nightmares” is this cloudy intro feeling like he’s in the middle of a nightmare most of the time whereas the guitar-trap fusion “Don’t believe ‘em” talks about turning the horrors in his head into a musical. “Unloveable” brushes off any time he has for the bullshit & referring to love as a drug over a plugg instrumental, but then “Keep! Out!” co-produced by Harrison psychedelically likens life to a Ferris wheel asking to be left alone.

Harto discusses getting his hands dirty being the only way he’s feeling everything on the chaotic “pH” & after an intermission, “i really don’t give a fuhck” goes for a woozier vibe talking about giving 0 fucks whatsoever. “Like Lain” has a cloudy drill tone to it airing out those who falsely claim they real just before “Life’s Corny” talks about the world as we know it today going to shit.

“Different places still feel familiar” discusses walking on the sky until I space out, everything still feeling the same to him everywhere he goes & taking his own route as opposed to going the fast lane like everyone else while “Long story short.” completes The Hurtless by getting stupid high, feeling departed as of recently & being unable to sit still since the nights are getting longer the way he’s seeing it.

The Surf Gang has been constantly elevating Trip for the past 4 years now & The Hurtless could be my new favorite of the 8 projects they’ve done with each other. Evilgiane steps out of his comfort zone expanding his sound from cloud rap to plugg, experimental hip hop, drum & bass, indietronica and emo rap on top of Harto keeping up elevating his pen-game.

Score: 4.5/5

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6 – “Homebody” review

6 is a 34 year old producer from Bowie, Maryland notable for being the longtime in-house producer for Logic & his independent label Bobby Boy Records. They’ve known each other at least since 2009, putting out a debut mixtape of his own called the 6ixtape celebrating its 2-year anniversary this spring. Taking himself to the next level though, he’s bringing a whole list of performers on board to compile an official full-length studio debut album peaking interest for any Logic fans who love the work they’ve done with each other up until this point.

The first song “Why Should I?” by Guapdad 4000 & Juicy J after the intro was my favorite single of the 3 asking why should they give a fuck over a vibrant trap instrumental whereas “Roundabout” by Pardyalone & Phil Adé spaciously talks about being sick of these bitches in their living room. “Firmament” by Buddy, Blu & KYLE finds the trio suggesting that everyone listening to continue balling leading into “293” by D.R.A.M. & Guapdad showing a romantic side to them.

“WMD” by Logic heads for a jazzy boom bap direction with the beat getting in his shit-talking bag for a bit & after the interlude, the title track finishes the first leg of Homebody with a nearly 2-minute instrumental cut. “A Lot Like” by Bobby Boy Records artist Travis Stacey stylistically departs from hip hop in favor of rock music & pulling it off better than I would’ve expected, but then “Messi” by Jazz Cartier & TOBi keeps it on lock with a spacey trap heater.

Cousin Stizz & Felix team up on “Foreign” kinda throwing it back to The Neptunes in the early 2000s sonically while “What Do You Say?” by ChloTheGod heads for more of a neo-soul direction. “Raw” by Buddy, Blu, Joey Valence & Brae and KYLE fully embraces the boom bap sound to bring it hardcore while “Palace” by AQ & TK Rhodes smoothly gets back on the melodic tip. “Bright Lights” by KYLE & Skizzy Mars ahead of the outro finishes 6’s debut with a decently stripped back closer.

Meant to push himself out of his comfort zone, Logic’s longtime collaborator truly is a homebody by nature & the urge to step out & show the world more to who who he is finally reveals itself with a debut album that I personally find myself a little mixed on his. The versatile production revolving around trap, jazz rap, boom bap, R&B, rock is very tasteful since his talents behind the boards have always been there. My biggest complaint about it though is the inconsistency amongst the guests.

Score: 2.5/5

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Mike Shabb – “Shabb Van Gogh” review

This is the sophomore effort from Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out 6 EPs & his last couple of mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Hood Olympics & Sewaside III were both solid in their own rights, returning 10 months later with Shabb Van Gogh.

“breakadawn” is this self-produced jazz rap intro asking how you know so much about him when he ain’t ever been around you whereas “merry go round” takes the lo-fi boom bap route instrumentally to dirty dance harder than the late Patrick Swayze did. “underground legend” soulfully with co-production from Nicholas Craven addresses his legacy since his popularity keeps increasing while “Jank” hooks up these bare pianos showing a serious side to him dealing with pain.

As for “Krump”, we have Mike bringing the soul samples back in the fold to speak in Ebonics for a little over 2 minutes prior to “can’t wait” after the “brand new sound” interlude continuing to show off his sampling techniques talking about feeling important these days. “nothing is the same” maintains the soulfulness except he’s going drumless to discuss everything always changing, but then “crews pop” featuring Niontay unites the pair to talk about nobody fucking with them.

“splash bros” featuring Trapmat Savior has to be my favorite collaboration of the 2 making me hope they got a Splash Bros EP from them coming out like the Moncler Boyz did while “Van Gogh” talks about others getting pissed over his girl playing his music. “Disco Duck II” is a highly enjoyable sequel to the Hood Olympics standout & “Rope” strips the drums for the final moments calling the most wanted dead men.

Preparing himself for Hood Olympics 2 in a couple months from now, one of Montréal’s finest in recent memory comes off the 3rd & final installment of the Sewaside trilogy that came out last spring with an album that I find myself enjoying more than Northwave. Regardless if I found myself enjoying the other more than the first one, Mikea artistic growth in the last 7 years on the mic & as a producer is widely put on display for almost an half hour.

Score: 4/5

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Lady Gaga – “Mayhem” review

Lady Gaga is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, actress & Haus Labs founder from New York City breaking out into stardom in 2008 off her full-length debut The Fame after signing to Konvict Kulture & Interscope Records. Her debut EP The Fame Monster & the sophomore effort Born This Way later inspiring the name of the Born This Way Foundation marked her final offering for Konvict, remaining on Interscope for Artpop along with Joanne & Chromatica. Her previous LP Harlequin was better than Joker 2: Folie a Deux itself, coming off the disappointing film for her 7th studio album.

“Disease” draws from electropop, dance-pop, midtempo bass, French electro & futurepop singing about making sinners into believers whereas “Abracadabra” works in elements of dance-pop, electro house, electropop, acid house, hardbag & French electro facing the challenge of life, the challenge of the night & finding the magic in it all. “Garden of Eden” produced by Gesaffstein maintains the dance pop vibes mirroring Adam & Eve’s biblical paradise prior to “Perfect Celebrity” serving as the theme song of the current WWE Women’s Champion & former NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s upcoming WrestleMania XLI match against 14-time WWE women’s champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair making some stunning commentary on the manufacturing of those types of celebrities.

Moving on from there, “Vanish Into You” sings about wanting to merge into a singular identity of her partner’s in order to insulate herself from the worldly emotions just before the synth-funk “Killah” pushes herself out of her comfort zone swing herself as a killer both in a literal & metaphorical state. “Zombieboy” remembers her late friend Rick Gernest who passed away in the summer of 2018 with celebration of the nights when fun leads to feeling like a zombie the next morning, but then “LoveDrug” basically comparing the feeling of love to an addictive substance.

“How Bad Do You Want Me?” questions how much her partner loves her in the midst of him dreaming about another person while “Don’t Call Tonight” goes for a warm pop rock flare suggesting not to hit her line unless the targeted individual wants to cause her harm. The irresistibly catchy “Shadow of a Man” sings about not wanting to be under the darkness tonight & to have the light shown to her while “The Beast” shows her evil alter ego telling her partner to colloquially free the beast from within him.

The track “Blade of Grass” dedicates this moment to her fiancé Michael Polansky recalling conversations of proposals in their backyard & simply wrapping a blade of grass around her finger would be her act of grace until “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars ends fusing pop soul, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock really crossing over “Shallow” off the A Star is Born soundtrack & Bruno’s work with Anderson .Paak of the duo Silk Sonic wanting to be with each other during the end of the world.

“Can’t Stop the High” starts the deluxe run mixes electro & grunge music for a harder successor to “Perfect Celebrity” while “The Dead Dance” meshes nu-disco, dance-pop, synthwave, synth-funk & electropop to sing about music’s ability to save the lives of others. The final bonus track “Kill for Love” finishes with somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Beast” in the sense of the werewolf she was speaking of is replying back to her dismissing the idea of wearing it’s disguise.

Stemming from a period of deep introspection & personal challenges, Lady Gaga celebrates her love for music by bringing together a wide variety of genres, styles & different dreams from a place of joy. The production built around dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, pop rock, synthpop, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock, synth-funk, electro house, acid house, hardbag, French electro, midtempo bass & futurepop results in the most memorable songs that’s she’s written in roughly 15 years embarking on a transgressive journey through genres reflecting her diverse musical influences & life experiences.

Score: 4/5

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Ankhlejohn – “The Michelin Man” review

Washington, D.C. emcee/producer Ankhlejohn teaming with Cookin’ Soul for his 7th mixtape. Breaking out off his Big Ghost Ltd.-produced sophomore effort Van Ghost, he’s given the underground a total of 6 full-length studio albums as well as 27 EPs & his last 6 tapes in almost a decade. Other favorites of mine in his discography include the Navy Blue-produced As Above, So Below & the Rome Streetz collaborative effort effort Genesis 1:27. I was however interested in hearing The Michelin Man after his verse on Gangrene’s comeback effort Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.

“Landlord Member” sets the tone by hooking up this gospel sample to talk about being the kind of father that actually lives with his children whereas “Rump with Me” takes the boom bap route instrumentally asking if anyone out there wants smoke with him. “The Hell Pit” goes drumless talking about everyone already knowing the deal with him for these past several years leading into “Lance Vance” featuring Premo Rice praising God for keeping their affairs in order.

As for “Deuteronomy 28”, we have Cookin’ Soul continuing to strip the drums once again making way for Ankhlejohn feeling like Onyx telling everyone to do the knowledge just before “Seed of Chucky” featuring Tony Shhnow marks the soulful collaboration I never thought I needed to hear. “Sturgeon Eggs” returns to the boom bap putting his street life on full display lyrically while “Halfway” featuring Mike Shabb sees the 2 leaving y’all shot in the mouth.

“Riga Mortis” officially starts the final moments of The Michelin Man referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin following the premiere of Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s new developmental brand Evolve revived by EVOLVE Wrestling’s original founder Gabe Sapolsky showcasing talent under the WWE ID (Independent Development) program on tubi yesterday prior to “Feel the Breeze” finishing us off on a jazzier note making his mother proud with his words.

Some of LORDY’s output in the past 7 years has been hit-or-miss & heads I know who’ve been following him for the same amount of time as me have agreed on that when engaging in conversations of his discography, but The Michelin Man easily sticks out as Anhklejohn’s finest offering of the 2020s elevating Cookin’ Soul’s production run that began last year & the D.C. artist’s finest performances in a while.

Score: 4.5/5

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Action Figure 973 – “Dark Side of the Ring” review

This is the 6th EP from Belleville, New Jersey emcee/producer Action Figure 973. Somebody whose growing discography comprised of 2 mixtapes & 5 EPs has been steadily making waves in the underground for a few years already, gearing up for the hit Vice docuseries Dark Side of the Ring’s upcoming 6th season at the end of the month 48 hours succeeding John Cena’s shocking heel turn attacking the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber XV this past weekend.

“Villain Eyes” sets it all off with an uncanny boom bap instrumental talking about the way he sees the game whereas “Rap is Crap” gives a nod to The West Texas Rednecks from WCW’s dying days led by the late WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Curt Hennig and calling the game cornier than WrestleMania IX.

WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund gets referenced on the jazzily drumless “Laughing at Your” just before “Mook vs. Arty” references both the late 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion & SMW Tag Team Champion New Jack and WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.

“Skip the Pleasantries” goes for a jazzier direction instrumentally talking about being stronger than record 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat just before “Jack Veneno vs. Carlos Colón” acknowledges the former NWA Worlds’s Heavyweight Champion & WWE Hall of Famer of the same name respectively. “Are You Not Entertained?” sends off the EP with a boom bap outro talking about his presence drawing results.

Focusing on topics like former ECW World Tag Team Champion Eddie Gilbert & WWE Hall of Famer The Sheik to name a couple this spring regarding the show itself, the Dark Side of the Ring EP musically takes the love Action Figure 973 has had for the professional wrestling business throughout his career & incorporates it significantly heavier into his music with a hardcore boom bap project turning up the amount of nods to it’s long & rich history.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lost Membranes – “The Empty Diaries” review

Albuquerque, New Mexico emcee, songwriter, producer & architecturalist Lost Membranes dropping his debut EP on his YouTube channel. Inspired by a multitude of artists in different genres from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan to post-punk pioneers Joy Division & the pioneering nu metal band KoЯn, he first introduced himself at the very beginning of 2022 & has put out numerous singles since then. However, he’s opening The Empty Diaries as his 1st official body of work in order to make a broader statement in the underground.

“Awakening” starts the EP by screaming in the brightest moonlight until it’s time for the almighty to show him what he has in store for him next whereas “Bleached” has this occult atmosphere that I find fitting talking about how the world got him feeling & he’ll never be the same again. “Confront” goes for a rap rock to discuss life being a daily struggle while the solemn “Discord” marches on to a war’s parade. “Paradox” ends by talking about everything coming down to the decisions he’s made.

Each song on this 5-track EP gives you an inside look into the constant grind & fights we have with the battles we face in life such as our personal struggles, our faith, our ups & downs, our hopes & dreams, having loved ones or losing loved ones & what we do to maintain our sanity through it all. A mix of hip hop as well as punk & metal music, The Empty Diaries is an emotional journey from beginning to end.  

Score: 4/5

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Duffel Bag Hottie – “Shut Down the Dance Floor” review

Buffalo, New York rapper Duffel Bag Hottie putting out his 2nd EP by rapping over a prison phone. Known as one of the earliest Black Soprano Family Records signees, he has dropped 3 full-lengths along with 5 mixtapes & an EP through the label. Ghost of Rick James stands out the most in his discography personally although I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the Max Julian includes essential tracks of their own & is surprisingly looking to Shut Down the Dance Floor.

The title track is a trap intro boasting that he’s still fly & getting an unexpected visitor from a female one day whereas “Live from USP Canaan” talks about being in the Pennsylvania high security penitentiary as we speak. “Feel that Pain” marks labelmate Fuego Base appearing as the only feature on the whole entire EP working in some sampling linking with Duff to flex they only be hitting the club when the stacks move while “Winter Time in NY” exuberantly talks about spending the coldest & darkest of the 4 temperate seasons in his home state. 

“Story Time Duff” has a dope chipmunk soul vibe referencing 10-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion, United Football League (UFL) co-owner, TKO Group Holdings board of directors member, co-founder of $7 Productions who recently landed a partnership with The Walt Disney Company & the final boss of professional wrestling himself The Rock set to appear in Toronto tomorrow night to confront the current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber XV & “Heats” ends by promising that he’ll keep us updated on what’s going on with him.

Now I have seen some criticism from people online regarding his vocals being recorded from the prison phone, but I look at it the same way the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard recorded his verse for “Conditioner” off the almighty Wu-Tang Clan’s 3rd album The W in the sense that he’s still capable of rapping as good as he did almost 7 & a half years ago. Would love to see him make another body of work on the caliber of consistency Ghost of Rick James had reached once he comes home.

Score: 3.5/5

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