D12 – “D12 Forever” review

D12 is a duo from Detroit, Michigan now consisting of Kuniva & Swifty McVay. Other members included B. Flatt, Bizarre, the late Bugz, the late Dirtty Ratt, the late Eye-Kyu, their late de facto leader Proof, Killa Hawk, DJ Head, Fuzz Scoota, mR. pOrTeR & most notably Eminem. Becoming the first act to sign with Shady Records after Interscope Records helped launch it, their full-length debut Devil’s Night has become a hometown classic & the sophomore effort D12 World went for a more commercial sound, carrying the legacy forward 2 decades after Proof’s murder by dropping their 3rd album under Compound Interest Entertainment.

“My Salsa” after the “Again, Another Public Service Announcement” intro produced by Jake Bass opens up sampling “My Band” talking about giving what the world’s been missing whereas “Tear It Down” featuring B-Real & Xzibit finds the quartet linking up for a hardcore hip hop single. “Proof & Eli” lets Derty Harry shine posthumously with his son Eli Ble$$ed for a couple minutes just before “Better Dayz” talks about having faith in God when times are hard.

As for “Kill the Engineer”, we have Swift & Kuniva trading bars over a boom bap instrumental talking about an audio engineer being murdered in their studio leading into “Tenderism” featuring Method Man finds all 4 of them getting back in their hardcore bag lyrically. “Dirty Nation” flips the Funkadelic single “1 Nation Under a Groove” for an carefree g-funk anthem while “Still Hating” featuring King Iso & Tech N9ne after the “Nick’s Coffee House” skit returns to a more hardcore hip hop sound.

“Bugz ‘98” pays homage to their fallen brethren in the vein of “Bugz ‘97” off D12 World while “Even Knights Kneel” talks about kings having to meet their Gods over a rap rock beat. “Nightmare Walking” featuring Xzibit includes a touching callback to “Kurt Kobain” off Searching for Jerry Garcia during Kuniva’s verse & after “What If?” takes a few minutes to paint vivid scenarios, “Forever” ends the D12 Forever talking about representing the team for life.

Regardless of Eminem saying at the end of “Stepping Stone” that D12 was over, I have all the respect in the world for Swifty McVay & Kuniva keeping the group’s legacy alive even if it’s only them going forward. That said: If we’re gonna get a whole series out of this considering that sequel to D12 Forever is being hinted, I wouldn’t mind it & feel like fans would still appreciate it as a gift coinciding the 25 year anniversary of their debut. Jake Bass’ production reminds me of the Dirty Dozen’s earlier output, the guests are all carefully selected & the performances of both members are harder than the My Brother’s Keeper EP in comparison.

Score: 4/5

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Olivia Rodrigo – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” review

Olivia Rodrigo is a 23 year old singer/songwriter & actress from Murrieta, California who began acting for The Walt Disney Company in the late 2010s prior to focusing on a musical career & signing to Geffen Records. Her full-length debut Sour solidly explored the perils & discoveries she made when she was 17 & the sophomore effort Guts reflect the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her adolescence, looking to make a departure with her 3rd album compared to both of it’s predecessors.

The intro “Drop Dead” fuses pop rock, synthpop, new wave, big music & indie pop daydreaming over someone she’s crushing on whereas “stupid song” takes inspiration from Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux singing about wanting this guy more than anything she could write. “honeybee” continues from there assuring she has love for this person even if she can’t quite describe it while the rock-driven “maggots for brains” thematically bases itself around Miranda from Sex & the City.

“u + me = <3” nears the conclusion of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love singing about being optimistic of a new relationship beginning leading into “my way” gives off some Gwen Stefani vibes furiously calling out a woman for crossing her relationship boundaries. “purple” marks a turning point where things start to unravel just before my favorite single “the cure” experiments with pop rock, singer/songwriter, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music & chamber pop coming to terms with her flaws.

Meanwhile on “begged”, we have Olivia giving a more nuanced take of wanting more affection from her boyfriend “what’s wrong with me” featuring Robert Smith finds pair joining forces to help her realizes that this guy she’s dating is the cause of her sadness. “less” makes her last attempts at saving their relationship from collapsing & after “expectations” refuses to settle for someone with a fake job, she spends the final minutes likening her ex to “cigarette smoke” regretting the time she spent with him.

Guts was a huge improvement above Sour & you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love completely embraces Olivia Rodrigo’s full artistic potential by dropping the best music I’ve heard from her. Dan Nigro’s production almost perfects her pop rock sound incorporating some additional elements of singer/songwriter, new wave, alternative rock, indie rock, acoustic rock, post-Britpop, big music, jangle pop, chamber pop, adult contemporary & traditional pop portaging a relationship from beginning to end.

Score: 4.5/5

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Sublime – “Until the Sun Explodes” review

Sublime is a ska punk band from Long Beach, California now comprised of drummer Bud Gagh, bassist Eric Wilson & frontman Jakob Nowell. The trio’s 1992 debut 40oz. to Freedom & their eponymous 3rd LP under MCA Records would become some of the greatest material to come out of the fusion genre between 3rd wave ska & punk rock music although their sophomore effort Robbin’ the Hood wasn’t as positively received. 3 decades since the death of Jakob’s father Brad, they’re signing to Atlantic Records for their 4th & final album.

“Ensenada” begins with a reggae rock intro where Jakob’s singing about wanting to make love to a whore whereas “Wizard” instrumentally takes it back to their ska punk origins describing 7 years of darkness. “Can’t Miss You” pulls further inspiration from the reggae rock style cautioning not to trust his love because it’ll only go just before “Backwards” featuring FIDLAR makes a turn into ska punk turf once more addresses the problem with their friends.

After the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” interlude, “Favorite Song” featuring Skegss unites both parties so they can sing about the music they love the most sounding like shit to them now leading into “Personal Hell” fusing ska punk & hip hop recalls a man Jakob knew in a previous life. “F.T.R.” not to be confused with the record-tying 3-time AEW World Tag Team Champions & former ROH World Tag Team Champions of the same name sings about having a good feeling & keeping the positive vibes rolling.

“Evil Men” hooks up some bright guitar tones & some drums yearning to make love while “Trey’s Song” featuring Bad Brains frontman/guitarist H.R. finds the pair describing a situation where they’re in love with women who don’t feel the same way. “Casino Toarmina” has a more stripped-back feeling singing about wanting to take a Costa Rican woman home over some acoustics while “The Problem with That Is It Makes Me Stoked…” hits us with another interlude.

Kicking off the 2nd half of Until the Sun Explodes properly, “Gangstalker” gives off a more standard punk flare putting us inside the shoes of somebody experiencing paranoia while “Figueroa” treads the reggae rock waters once more singing about breakin’ his back doin’ the best Jakob can. “Froggy” tells the story of someone who everyone wanted to become friends with carrying over the reggae elements while “Come Correct” featuring G. Love & Special Sauce sings about acting accordingly around them.

“What For” makes it clear that Jakob only wants to be around this woman for 24 hours while “247-369” with my favorite feature Pennywise brings both SRH Productions representatives together for a punk rock headbanger. After the last 2 installments of the “Maybe Partying Will Help…” trilogy, the title track sings about Jakob owing his deceased father Brad his life & “Thanx Again” finishes Until the Sun Explodes showing gratitude for the band’s supporters.

I wouldn’t consider Until the Sun Explodes to be on the same tier as 40oz. to Freedom or self-titled by any means, but I’d put it above Robbin’ the Hood as the 3rd best in Sublime’s brief yet impactful discography without hesitation even if plans of blink-182 drummer Travis Barker originally producing it fell through. The production entertainingly combines alternative rock, 3rd wave ska, reggae rock, punk rock, ska punk, hip hop, dub & rap rock for a satisfactory epilogue to their illustrious career.

Score: 4/5

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Wiki – “Ancient History” review

Here is the 6th studio LP from New York City emcee, songwriter & producer Wiki. Formerly a member of the Ratking trio, he would go on to drop his solo debut No Mountains in Manhattan in 2017 under XL Recordings not too long after their disbandment followed by the sophomore effort OOFIE that next fall & Telephonebooth through his own label Wikset Enterprises. Coming off the Navy Blue-produced Half God & the Tony Seltzer-produced 14K Figaro however, he’s looking to dig up some Ancient History.

“G.T.F.O.H. (Get The Fuck Outta Here)” begins with this drumlessly soulful intro admitting that he feels like he isn’t missing out in 2026 whereas “Right Away” gets a little more optimistic over sample-based trap instrumental catching himself on a good day. “1 Time” chefs towards a boom bap direction talking about people not knowing how much power he truly has while “Park” psychedelically spends the early hours of the day sitting in the grass.

Navy Blue gets behind the boards for one of my personal favorite tracks “I.H.N.Y. (I Hate New York)” from the opulent boom bap beat to the lyrics detailing the love/hate relationship Wiki has with the city that made him the very person who he’s become but after “Bloom” featuring duendita & produced by Lil Ugly Mane raps & sings about people knowing where to find them right when the sun rises every morning, “Old Gods” reaches the halfway point solely spitting heat over a Tony Seltzer instrumental.

“Bourbon” kicks off the 2nd half of the album talking about being the cornerstore’s biggest clientele while “All in the Lining” featuring Your Old Droog finds the pair joining forces for another abstract boom bap standout Navy Blue cooked up once again. “Marm Era” soulfully describes memories he can recall like they happened yesterday while “Had Your Fun” continues the sampling to let everyone who thought he was done know that he’s still here.

Salimata joins Wiki for the romantic “Something New” talking about giving up their bullshit for each other over a MIKE beat to wind down the last few moments of Ancient History while the song “7 Deadly Sins” gives us a moody description of Christianity’s capital vices. The title track spends the last 5 minutes of the full-length with a symphonic instrumental from one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist talking about his shorty being sick of him.

Although I’d still consider Half God to be the most essential statement in Wiki’s solo catalog with 14K Figaro likely becoming a close 2nd at this point & of course placing the spectacular Faith is a Rock collaborative album he did with MIKE a few years ago on that same pedestal, I still liked a good chunk of Ancient History for it’s departure from the predominant trap production & conscious subject matter of it’s 2023 predecessor for a more drumless sound & getting more cryptic with his songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kain Cole – “Khronicles of Kain” review

This is the sophomore effort from Belleville, Michigan emcee Kain Cole. Coming up artistically as a teenager, he would unfortunately wind up incarcerated for 8 years until signing to Detroit independent powerhouse Middle Finger Music almost immediately after coming home & showed us how much he perfected his craft by having the label’s co-founder Foul Mouth producing his 2022 debut album S.U.M.P. (Surviving Under Major Pressure). Following a string of guest appearances for his fellow MFM alumni Bizarre & Isaac Castor, the time for the Khronicles of Kain to be told as finally come.

“Gotta Have It” begins with this soulfully jazzy intro thanking all of his haters whether it be past or present whereas “It’s Up to You” embraces more jazzier vibes taking a more motivational approach to his songwriting for a couple minutes. “Heavyweight” switches things up with a boom bap instrumental & the gritty penmanship leading into “I.Y.K.Y.K. (If You Know You Know)” reminds the world that he’s been doing this prior to his incarceration.

Meanwhile on “Uno”, we have Kain over some strings mixed with kicks & snares flexing that he kills muhfuckas in silence despite him constantly smoking loud while “Blue Check” chops up more soul samples talking about how some will literally sell themselves out for money. “Foolish” ends the 1st half on some chipmunk soul shit admitting that it’s been hard for him to change because he loves this shit while “I Know” talks about people being inept of telling him what he’s already aware of.

“Bebe’s Kid” continues the 2nd leg of the LP taking a jazzy boom bap route instrumentally making it clear that he actually lives what he writes instead of merely yapping & after “Break a Leg” swaps out the jazz elements in favor of some orchestral undertones getting in his shit-talking bag for a bit, “We Get It In” featuring Bang Belushi finds the pair boasting that they’re so raw to the point where their intensities are felt across 10 different cities.

The song “Pesto” winds down the Khronicles of Kain coasting a piano-driven boom bap beat asking who the fuck these cornballs think they’re talking crazy to & rollin’ 100 deep with his squad while “Seasoned” featuring Bad News Brown joins forces with the MC/producer duo named after the late WWE Hall of Famer to discuss their own experience in the game. “How Did I Survive?” lastly finishes things up explaining his way of escaping the terror he’s seen.

Almost 4 & a half years since his debut, Kain Cole makes it clear to anyone that he didn’t go anywhere which I think his feature run justifies that & I might have to put Khronicles of Kain above S.U.M.P. (Surviving Under Major Pressure) because of the growth shown compared to it’s predecessor. Foul Mouth’s production varies between drumless, boom bap, jazz rap & chipmunk soul backing Kain’s introspective lyrics & a couple appearances from his MFM brethren.

Score: 4/5

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Mickey Diamond – “Blood of the Lamb” review

New surprise LP & the 19th overall Detroit, Michigan emcee Mickey Diamond. Emerging at the beginning of this decade off the strength of his debut EP Bangkok Dangerous, the dude has since gone on to turn quite a few heads in the underground by building up the impressive discography for himself with his previous 18 albums alongside 7 EPs & a mixtape. Since 2022 however, Mickey has been consistent putting out some of the best material of his career thus far. This includes the Gucci Ghost series produced by Big Ghost Ltd., the Ral Duke-produced Oroku Saki EP, the Sadhugold-produced Death Threat$ album, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Capital Gains album, the outstanding Oroku Saki sequel Super Shredder & Gucci Gambinos. Coming off both Wolf Tickets & Black Sheep however, the Blood of the Lamb has arrived without any prior announcement.

“Stigmata” begins with this soulful boom bap beat talking about his preference of being wealthy instead of having all the fame whereas “Cold Sweats” takes an eerier route instrumentally explaining that karma catches up to all in the end. “Break Bread” brings some pianos into the fold so Diamond can talk about killing the greedy just before “Practice What You Preach” hooks up some sampling chops spitting more hardcore lyricism.

Meanwhile on “Communion”, we have Mickey over this gospel-inflicted boom bap beat explaining that he speaks from the heart rather than making himself sound good leading into “Have Mercy” grittily talking about still surviving when the backstabbers tried to take him down. “Collection Plates” starts the 2nd half on some more piano-driven boom bap instrumentals boasting that he’s been like this entire life while “Wormwood” sinisterly takes a more conscious approach to the songwriting.

“PREYers” featuring Daniel Son references the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 3-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder, Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder & known racist Hulk Hogan while “Lamb’s Blood” brings another gospel flip to the table gives us some observations of his even if he including myself isn’t the kind of guy who knows the bible by heart.

The penultimate song winds down Blood of the Lamb’s final moments on some drumless gospel vibes giving all praises to God for having his back & that being the reason why he won’t ever forsake Him while the outro “Erick’s Sermon” soulfully concludes The Wolf, The Lamb, The Goat trilogy talking about a vow he made to his his father that he won’t ever let him down. Especially since he was the one who made sure he had food on the table when Diamond was younger.

Wolf Tickets made for an introspectively spiritual detour from Gucci Gambinos or the Gucci Ghost saga & Black Sheep focused more on Mickey Diamond’s capabilities of telling stories, but what makes Blood of the Lamb an interesting conclusion to this series he & Big Ghost Ltd. have been doing for 6 months already is the production could likely be more sample-heavy than it’s predecessors & the likelihood of it being Diamond at his most religious topically.

Score: 4.5/5

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Vince Staples – “Cry Baby” review

Here we have the 6th studio LP & Loma Vista Recordings debut from Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was easily his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart & some Dark Times, he’s ready to air out a Cry Baby.

The lead single “Blackberry Marmalade” blends conscious hip hop, post-punk, political hip hop, post-punk revival, rap rock, hardcore hip hop & experimental hip hop to talk about racism in the United States whereas “Go! Go! Gorilla” takes a funkier approach instrumentally explaining that the police have always been the strongest enemy African Americans have always had & having nobody to trust because of crooked cops abusing their power.

“White Flag” combines political hip hop, conscious hip hop, neo-soul, blues rock, rap rock, dub & post-punk for the 2nd single declaring his surrender of patience towards putting up with white supremacy just before “The Running Man” embraces more of a punk rap vibe talking about missing the days he used to aspire along with leaving his baggage behind since he didn’t feel like there was anything worthy of bringing & nobody being safe from the war that’s occurring outside.

Reaching the halfway point, “TV Guide” discusses the way television has been controlling the masses & them assuming everything they see on the news to be true prior to “The Big Bad Wolf” kicking off the 2nd half embracing a funk rock sound talking about a police officer shooting at an innocent bystander based on the color of his skin. “Only in America” once more takes a jab at the systematic racism & admits he’s been in search of a breakthrough after being hurt since last spring.

“Do You Know the Devil?” winds down the last moments of Cry Baby asking if one will find God or fall from grace life when gets hard & death gets way too close for one to be comfortable while the 3rd & final single “Cotton” crosses over elements of funk rock, psychedelic rock & conscious hip hop talking about black people’s stories of survival being exploited for money. “7 in the Morning” finishes the album channeling a more militant mindset pondering why some view the death of his people as entertainment.

It should go without saying that Vince Staples’ independent debut Cry Baby will easily become the most politically charged entry of his discography since the Hell Can Wait EP back when I was senior in high school, joining the likes of Summertime ‘06 & Big Fish Theory for a top 3 spot in his discography. The production is a rebellious melting pot of rap rock, funk rock, conscious hip hop, post-punk, post-punk revival, rap rock, hardcore hip hop, experimental hip hop, psychedelic rock, neo-soul, blues rock & dub music expressing the frustration of the rise of fascism.

Score: 4.5/5

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Cashus King – “Water to Wine” review

Here is the brand new studio LP & 13th overall from Los Angeles, California emcee Cashus King. Originally known under the monikers Co$$ & later Ca$hiu$ King until settling on his current name, most will recognize him for his long-standing affiliation with Blu & Exile in addition to him having 6 extended plays & 7 mixtapes aside from the previous dozen of full-lengths in his solo discography. 3 years have already passed since Lava Lamps & the London, England, United Kingdom producer Big O has been brought in to soundtrack a Water to Wine transformation.

After the “Barry Water” intro, “Likwid (Big Fish)” begins with this angelic boom bap opener talking about how both of them been floating through districts whereas “Precipitation” featuring Fashawn embraces a jazzier vibe instrumentally to spit streams of consciousness. “Cherry Cola” featuring L.O.U. & P-Rawb samples “Shake Your Booty” by Bunny Sigler to use it’s title as a metaphor for drinking water over soda prior to “Streams” featuring Blu, Frannie EL & Shari returning to a conscious approach to the lyrics.

“Drownin’” has a bright boom bap quality to it encouraging all to keep swimming forward when life throws you overboard just before “Hydration (Reign)” ends the 1st half talks about watering the plants of our imagination & tells the world to keep dreaming. “Drippin’ (Soakin’ Poems)” works in some synths so we can hear the Heaven in their skills to start the 2nd leg while “Potions” featuring G-Holy stylistically leans towards a more g-funk direction getting on their west coast shit.

Nearing the end of Water to Wine, the song “Swimmin’” brings a triumphant trap flare to the table talking about doing backstrokes while “Holy Water” hooks up some organs to make room for Cashus to get confessional on the mic. “Like Lava for Water” apologizes for having people fight their wars for the days they came up short & after “Dark Agua” featuring Big Tone offers food for thought, the outro “Wine” ends by asking who or what we’re living for.

Many including myself would consider Before I Awoke to be Cashus King’s finest collection of solo material, but this new one isn’t far behind it assuring the world we all have the ability to turn Water to Wine in the metaphorical sense of everyone having the capability of change. Big O cooks up some of the strongest production of his career & Co$$ lyrically takes audiences through an exploration of transformation at its deepest level with a handful of guests.

Score: 3.5/5

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Vybz Kartel – “God & Time” review

This is the latest studio LP from Kingston, Jamaica deejay, singer/songwriter, entrepreneur & businessman Vybz Kartel. Someone who’s widely crowned as the King of Dancehall subgenre of reggae similarly to roots reggae icon Bob Marley becoming recognized as the symbol of the entire genre that he helped pioneer. For over 3 decades, the Adidjahiem Records founder has released over a dozen EPs & full-lengths including during his decade long prison bid for Clive “Lizard” Williams’ murder. Coming off Heart & Soul last summer decently celebrating his engagement, God & Time looks to take a more personal approach.

The title track begins with this dancehall opener talking about him telling us the many lessons & blessings he’s experienced in his life whereas “Soft Girl Era” seductively tells his partner to open up her love because he’s falling right in. “Some Days” sings about the Worl’ Boss’ desire of wanting to love a woman better than the next guy leading into “Geenie” asking his lover if she would abuse his powers if he had the ability to grant wishes.

Spice appears for “Confessions” so both the King & Queen of the Dancehall can each take their rightful places at the throne just before “Stay for the Night” featuring Wizkid incorporates some Afrobeats influences so both of them can encourage their romantic interests to spend an evening with them. “Casi Casi” featuring Farruko joins forces for an atmospherically bilingual duet that I could truthfully care less for while “Panic” featuring Shenseea makes up for it bridging 2 different generations of dancehall.

“Round & Round” continues the 2nd half getting more sexual in terms of lyrics & stylistically throwing it back to his early 2010s output while “Try Again” featuring Skillibeng might be my least favorite collaboration The King & The Prince have done yet because I felt like it could’ve been somewhat longer. “Hype Life” on the other hand was quite possibly my favorite single of the bunch celebrating di Teacha’s wealth even if I wish his rival-turned-ally Mavado had a verse instead of handling the hook.

The song “Dancehall Ting” nears God & Time’s conclusion talking about the rest of the artists in this style of reggae merely being sheep compared to his greatness but once “Big Business” further embraces bashment’s main components at it’s core boasting that he’s purchasing apartments instead of blowing it all on liquor, “Watch Over Me” finishes the album on the highest note I can think of talking about themes of faith.

During his incarceration, Vybz Kartel’s lawyer would say God & Time to the Worl’ Boss so frequently to the point where he began applying it to his own life & the follow-up to his previous album over 9 months ago could likely be the most I’ve enjoyed di Teacha’s music since coming home. The dancehall production’s a considerable improvement over the predecessor mixing some trap dancehall undertones into the fold & bringing some of the genres’ biggest artists past & present on board for a well-rounded experience.

Score: 3.5/5

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Slift – “Fantasia” review

Slift is a heavy psych trio from Toulouse, Occitanie, France consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jean Fossat, bassist/vocalist Rémi Fossat & drummer Canek Flores. Emerging in 2017 off the band’s debut extended play Space is the Key as well as their 2018 full-length debut La Planète Inexplorée & the widely praised 2020 sophomore effort Ummon, they returned 4 years later by dropping an equally celebrated Sub Pop Records debut Ilion & are looking to outdo both of those with their 4th studio LP.

The title track opens up with an epic 9 minute intro taking some inspiration from doom metal signing about rising above our pain & finding a fire for our souls whereas “Corrupted Sky” describes a fictional town plagued by a sense of xenophobic unknowing. “The Village” continues the story finding this bigoted city welcoming an outsider like poison over progressive instrumentation just before the lead single “A Storm of Wings” blends stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych so our protagonist can depict the town’s downfall.

“Orbius Tertius” kicks off the 2nd half taking heavy inspiration from the late Jorge Louis Borges’ short story of the same name using idealism to ask a multitude of questions while “Waiting Man” feels like a mix of Pink Floyd & Masters of Reality-era Black Sabbath, realizing the world our hero was committed to was a lie. The 2nd & final single “The Day of Execution” again bases itself in the styles of stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych singing about time passing all of us prior to “Secret Mirror” sending off Fantasia with an astounding space rock outro.

Ditching the sci-fi narrative of their Sub Pop debut a couple years earlier, Slift’s follow-up ironically bares it’s name after a description of the band’s previous output for their leanest statement yet improving above Ilion & dethroning Ummon for their magnum opus. The production captures their versatility eclectically varying between space rock, stoner rock, stoner metal, heavy psych, post-metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, post-rock, doom metal & post-hardcore for a tale of overcoming international upheaval.

Score: 4.5/5

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