Alla Xul Elu – “The Magic Xul Bus” review

This is the 3rd EP from Ohio horrorcore trio Alla Xul Elu. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out in 2015 as a duo by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co that same year. This was followed up with their 4/20-themed debut EP Necronomichron in 2017 & adding Carver into the fold shortly after, but it wasn’t until Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2018 when the Xul Boys’ music got increasingly better. Their MNE debut The Almighty is unquestionably the greatest horrorcore album of the 2010s, their 2019 sophomore EP Church of Xul took a much darker approach, Mauxuleum made it in the top 10 of my Best Releases of 2020 list despite them ditching their signature boom bap sound for a more industrial, trap metal direction & Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong was a superior sequel to their 4/20 EP. Ahead of Camp Xul 4 weekend however, they’re getting the party started opening the doors to The Magic Xul Bus.

The title track is a grimy boom bap opener to start the EP with all 3 members trading the mic back-&-forth with one another taking the Xuligans on a journey on The Magic Xul Bus itself whereas “Smoke Stop” works in more kicks & snares on top of an ominous loop so they can talk about getting stoned. “Fucked Up” goes for an electronic trap direction instrumentally admitting they’ve been getting too wild at the party that is until “Buried Alive” ends the EP with pianos, kicks & snares getting on the wicked shit.

It’s been rumored for a while now that the upcoming Xul album Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark will be the trio’s final MNE release & hopefully we get an official update on it from A.X.E. themselves during their event at the very end of the week but either way, The Magic Xul Bus is sure to satisfy the Xuligans who’ve been waiting a tad over 3 years to put out new material excluding the Lost Lakes Estates collab effort with their protégés the Super Famous Fun Time Guys about 9 months ago. In only 12 minutes, they return to their horrorcore/boom bap stylings occasionally expanding their sound beyond trap.

Score: 4/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain 4: The Liminal Space” review

Majik Ninja Entertainment is an underground hip hop label from Detroit, Michigan founded by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis in 2014 after departing from Psychopathic Records only 2 years before. However, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first comp showing off their roster Year of the Swordhas to be my personal favorite of the 4 thus far with all respect to Songs of Samhain as well as the Attack of the Ninjas compilation & Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player. But as that time of the year comes around again, MNE’s following up on Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night by taking a trip through The Liminal Space.

After the “Liminal Space” intro, the first song “I’m the Night” by Twiztid is a rap rock opener produced by Fritz the Cat making the comparisons of Jamie Madrox & Monoxide to darkness whereas “All My Friends Are Dead” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie jumps over some pianos & hi-hats from Grady Finch talking about his homies no longer being here with him. “Deluded Dead” by Jamie gives off an industrial rock vibe musically discussing the mislead deceased, but then the self-produced “6 Feet Deep” by the artist formerly known as Young Wicked himself James Garcia of the Axe Murder Boyz ominously looks to bury motherfuckers.

“Highest High & Lowest Low” by Bonez Dubb, Boondox & Insane E finds the trio over a dark trap beat explaining that things have changed as they look to plateau leading into “Last House on Dead Street” is the prelude to an album that Blaze has been working on for the past 15 years when he was still on Psychopathic from the morbid instrumental to the gruesome performances. “If I Return” by Jamie & Zodiac MPrint heinously declares what would happen if they eventually make a return accompanied by a grueling beat just before “Merciful Fate” by the Eastside Ninjas goes for a ghoulish atmosphere talking about voices invading their minds.

The song “Strangehold” by Alla Xul Elu & the House of Krazees puts the 2 generational horrorcore trios together for the first time ever cavernously spitting the wicked shit beautifully while the chaotic penultimate track “Collide” by Triple Threat talking about everything inside being a mess. “Wounded & Suffering” by Grady Finch & WackGxd ends the compilation with a decent ballad rooted in Oh! The Horror’s signature sound.

Cult of Night showed some considerable improvement over Haunted Record Player & the original Songs of Samhain so with Fright Fest coming up in a few days, the journey through The Liminal Space is once that juggalos will enjoy for future Halloween seasons. The performances are a tad more consistent as everyone displays their own artistic characteristics in their respective fashions.

Score: 3.5/5

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Alla Xul Elu & Super Famous Fun Time Guys – “Lost Lake Estates” review

This is a brand new collaborative LP between Ohio horrorcore groups Alla Xul Elu & the Super Famous Fun Time Guys. One of them is a trio consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joe Black & Lee Carver with the other being a duo composed of Mr. 8 Legz & Whipstick, but have been taking over the wicked shit scene for the past 5 years after their chemistry has been reminiscent of the Insane Clown Posse & Twiztid before both parties fell out with one another. But after signing to S.O.N. to Long Live Evil over the summer, Xul & the Fun Time Gang are taking us through Lost Lake Estates.

After the “Inmates Run The…” intro, the first song “Rhyme Asylum” is a ghoulish boom bap opener talking about having the speakers at full blast in the padded rooms encouraging to kick it with Satan himself whereas works in a cavernous loop admitting that no amount of medicine can medicate them whatsoever. “Anthem” keeps it rolling with a grimy dedication to LLE itself leading into “Kill ‘Em with Kindness” keeps it dusty talking about what you gotta do if you’re gonna end up killing them.

“Midian” weaves more kicks & snares into the fold leaving them dead inside just before “No Body” is a somber boom bap ballad about all 5 of these guys being nobodies. “Pour Another” moves forward by whipping up a fun tune dedicated to all the drinkers out there, but then “King of Quit” ends the first half of the album with pianos as well as kicks & snares talking about being pieces of shit.

Meanwhile to start the 2nd leg, “FUNeral” makes it clear that the quintet puts thе “fun” in funeral over a jazzy boom bap beat reminiscent to that of the 90s while the psychedelic “Song of the Dead” lives up to it’s name with it’s morbid subject matter. “Why You Mad?” instrumentally reminds me of RZA’s basement-like production style 3 decades ago asking why people be salty towards them while the dreary “Hang in There” talks about there being nothing left to say.

After the “REC Room” skit, the song “SciCo Screwjob” cautions that shit’s gonna get bloody real quick with LLE in the building mixing industrial hip hop & boom bap while “Underground” hooks up some kicks, snares & keys using the the term for music outside the general commercial canon as a metaphor of becoming one with the Earth. The 8-minute title track rounds it all out with a boom bap beat with blaring horns taking y’all with them on a trip to the titular location.

It was only a matter of time until these dudes came together with their own Dark Lotus-style collaborative effort because the way everyone pings off one another is certainly reminiscent to that of the 5 petals ICP & Triple Threat. The production is primarily based in the traditional boom bap sound with some industrial/jazz rap undertones with everyone skillfully spitting the wicked shit.

Score: 4.5/5

Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night” review

This is a brand new showcase compilation from Detroit underground label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Founded in 2014 by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis only 2 years following the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records, they quickly built an empire of their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time as solid as Songs of Samhain, the Attack of the Ninjas compilation & Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player all were. But ahead of the 18th annual Fright Fest a month from now, MNE’s warming everyone up in the form of Songs of Samhain 3: Cult of Night.

After the “Moon Glow is Upon Us” intro, the first song “Gospel” by the demented duo themselves Twiztid kicks off the comp by rapping about bringing you back to life over some rap rock production whereas “10-31” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid is a creepy trap ballad paying tribute to the titular day. “Terrified No Fear” by Venomous 5 finds the quintent spitting the wicked shit over some a boom bap instrumental just before “My Head” by Triple Threat has a more upbeat sound to it talking about what’s inside the heads of I.S.I..

Meanwhile on “Curse of the Jack-O-Lantern” we have Boondox & the House of Krazees linking up over a dusty beat reminding everyone that nobody’s safe when the sun goes down leading into “Unclear” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid following the “Nursery Rhyme from a Luminescent Time” skit for a trap rock ballad about being broken mentally. “P3.1” by the Axe Murder Boyz, Bukshot, Cody Manson, Insane E & Jamie Madrox sees the sexiest ruggedly confesses the things that they’ve been told that’ve fucked with their heads, but then “Parasite Paradise” by Venomous 5 works in a macabre trap instrumental talking about hating everything.

The song “Unreal” by Boondox & Triple Threat finds the quartet over a rubbery trap beat describing the way they’re feeling as such while the penultimate track “Mother Witch” by the House of Krazees having a more cinematic vibe to the production talking about a poltergeist. The closer “Soggy Pumpkin” is basically a melodic Jamie solo cut getting on his emo shit pretty much.

Of the 3 installments of the Songs of Samhain trilogy, I think Cult of Night has to be my favorite one thus far. I like how they minimized the amount of affiliates featured on here so the whole roster can make one another stand out in their own way providing the soundtrack to a juggalo’s Halloween.

Score: 3.5/5

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Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player” review

Majik Ninja Entertainment is a Detroit based independent record label founded by Twiztid & their manager George Vlahakis in 2014, only 2 years after the demented duo’s departure from Psychopathic Records. However, they quickly built an empire or their own from bringing a few other PSY alumni along for the ride to help introduce G-Mo Skee & Alla Xul Elu to a much wider audience. The label’s first showcase comp Year of the Sword is easily the best one they’ve put out so far given the strength of the roster at the time, but that’s not to say Songs of Samhain wasn’t a respectable Halloween-themed EP. They just dropped an exclusive label comp at this year’s Attack of the Ninjas couple months ago & now with Halloween approaching this weekend, the crew is back together for a sequel to Songs of Samhain.

After the “I Shall Arrive” intro, the first song “Needle on the Record” by Twiztid is a demented boom bap opener about the haunted record player possessing their souls when they turn it on whereas “Go Out” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Boondox, Gibby Stites & Jamie Madrox takes a turn into rap rock territory spitting that hardcore shit. “Haunted Thoughts” by the House of Krazees heinously spills out the fucked up shit in their minds just before Blaze, Boondox & Jamie reunite for the slow yet victorious ballad “Sing It”.

Meanwhile on “Heavier Every Time”, we have the Venomous 5 reforming over an unsettling trap beat about how the world will never understand them leading right into the “Nursery Rhyme from a Different Time” interlude. The song “Paint the Town Red” sees HOK keeping it in trap turf getting murderous while the penultimate track “Halloween Treat” by Twiztid & Oh! The Horror is a rap rock cut displaying some goth romance poetry. The album ends with “Quarantine”, where V5 plead to be saved from the disease of living over some pianos & dusty drums.

Compared to the first Songs of Samhain & even the Attack of the Ninjas album, Songs of Samhain 2: Haunted Record Player to me is the best label comp MNE has put out since Year of the Sword. It sounds darker & I really admire that it’s a bit more conceptual than the predecessor did.

Score: 3.5/5

S.O.N. – “Grant Us Eyes” review

S.O.N. is an MC from Sharon, Pennsylvania notable for his associations with the Legion Realm & the Hivemind movement. But for his official full-length debut over here, he has enlisted Billy Obey produce the whole thing from top to bottom which immediately caught my attention given that Billy is 1/3 of what I personally believe to be the greatest horrorcore act to come up within the last decade: Alla Xul Elu.

After the “A Terrible Fate” intro, the title track is a Hellish opener speaking on dark energy surrounding him whereas “E.V.I.L. (Everything Vile Inside Legion)” takes a turn into boom bap territory repping the Legion Realm. “King of Dark Energy” proclaims himself as such on top of an occult instrumental while “Breathe” somberly depicts a dark messiah encouraging this man & woman to become a part of him.

Meanwhile after “The Descent” interlude, but “The Mouth of Madness” grotesquely depicts a place where only the strong survive just before Xul themselves tag along to embrace their sins for quasi-rap rock tinged “Amen”. He later fucks with Samaritan witchcraft on the misty “The Bridge” leading into him talking about losing his mind for the dusty “What’s That Noise?”.

Following the “Order of the Blue Rose” interlude, “Feed the Beast” takes the trap route to describe the antichrist whereas the heinous “Eye for an Eye” talks about a demon being summoned by the tears of the broken. The penultimate track “The Blessing” calls to a higher power in wicked boom bap fashion & then the closer “The Hive” talks about a beast that goes by many names accompanied by a buzzing instrumental.

I can only imagine S.O.N. going places from hereon out because I highly enjoyed what he brought to the table with Grant Us Eyes. Dude’s lyrics are amongst the darkest that you’ll hear all 2021 & of course Billy Obey knocks it out of the park on the production end of things.

Score: 4.5/5

Alla Xul Elu – “Necronomichron 2: Dead by Bong” review

Alla Xul Elu is an Ohio-based horrorcore trio consisting of Billy Obey, Joey Black & Lee Carver. Originally breaking out in 2015 as a duo, Billy & Joe started out by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co that same year. This was followed up with their 4/20-themed debut EP Necronomichron in 2017 & adding Carver into the fold shortly after. But it wasn’t until Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment in 2018 when the Xul Boys’ music got increasingly better. Their MNE debut The Almighty is unquestionably the greatest horrorcore album of the 2010s, their 2019 sophomore EP Church of Xul took a much darker approach & the trio’s previous album Mauxuleum made it in the top 10 of my Best Releases of 2020 list despite them ditching their signature boom bap sound for a more industrial, trap metal direction. But to celebrate the 4 year anniversary of the original Necronomichron, it’s only right for A.X.E. to celebrate by dropping their 5th full-length album as a sequel.

After the “Taking a Trip” intro, the first song “An Ominous Shack” has an unhinged boom bap beat from BAD MiND (who produced all but 3 tracks on the whole album) as the trio detail a fucked up vacation & then “Down in the Dark” goes into a more industrial direction with lyrics about making plans with Mary Jane. The song “Deja Vu” is a grimy sequel to the title track of the first Necronomichron while “Fire It Up” dives into that trap metal sound provided by the Zombie Aristocrats & of course the lyrics are about lighting up the weed.

“Smoke” is a chaotic anthem about not wanting their high to be blown & then “Dead by Bong” feels more like an interlude as the lyrics are very repetitive despite the electronic-influenced production. The song “Alternate Dimension” is a dusty sequel to “Another Dimension” with a stellar Blaze Ya Dead Homie verse while “Within the Trees” is a gruesome horrorcore cut detailing forest monsters.

After the “Necronomicream” skit, the track “Munchiez” is a sinister depiction about how they handle being hungry when stoned while “Pass Away” contains some ominous organ harmonies as they talk about staying High & avoiding daylight. The album finishes off with “Kandarian Dabber”, where the A.X.E. deliver a wicked anthem to dabbin’.

Necronomichron is one of my favorite projects that Xul has ever put out, but this is a rare instance where I prefer the sequel over the predecessor. It’s great to hear the trio returning to the very sound that they become known for & the marijuana-themed lyrics have evolved tremendously.

Score: 4.5/5

Alla Xul Elu – “Mauxuleum” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Ohio horrorcore trio Alla Xul Elu. Starting off as a duo, Billy Obey & Joey Black started making noise in the underground by releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co in 2015. Couple years later, Lee Carver joined & they dropped their debut EP Necronomichron that same year. However it wasn’t until 2018 that the Xul made their biggest break when Twiztid signing them to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment, dropping their 3rd album The Almighty shortly after & then their 2nd EP Church of Xul last spring to universal acclaim. Fast forward to now, Xul is enlisting Slasher Dave to help take listeners a trip into the Mauxuleum.

After the “E.N.D.”, the title track that kicks the album talks about the Mauxuleum being worse than Hell over a ghostly beat whereas the next song “Blood Moon & Back” is an unexpectedly dark love tune that goes over better than you’d expect. The track “Rituals of Rot” talks about becoming undead over a spine-tingling beat while the song “Donna, the Dead” talks about the titular Donda taking her own life over a groggy instrumental.

The song “L.I.F.E. (Let It Fucking End)” talks about how going on living is a joke over an industrial beat while the track “Deathbed” talking about their desire to rest in peace for eternity over an abrasively eerie instrumental. The song “Nails” talks about failing when they try over a bass-heavy instrumental while the track “Rigor Erectus” talks about necrophilia over a dusty boom bap beat.

The song “Deadline” talks about purgatory over an horror movie-esque instrumental with some heavy guitars during the hook while the track “Random Axe of Violence” portrays themselves as serial killers over an intoxicating beat. The song “Mask Made Me Do It” talks about their Forever Faces over a Frankenstein-like beat fusing boom bap, metal & even trap whereas “The Harvester” that finishes the album off talks about how there’s no escaping from the titular character’s clutch over a bleak instrumental with a guitar wailing in the background.

These guys have become the greatest horrorcore act in recent memory & they really outdid themselves on this new album over here. Not only do the lyrics continue to delve deeper into more disturbing territory, but Slasher Dave really hones it & cooks up some of the best production of his entire career.

Score: 4.5/5

Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Songs of Samhain” review

This is the new surprise EP from Detroit hip hop label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Founded by Twiztid in 2014, they’ve proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the underground with an all-star lineup of artists & a consistent work ethic. They dropped a fantastic showcase compilation in 2017 called Year of the Sword but almost 3 years later, the label’s coming together once more on Songs of Samhain.

After the “We Only Have So Much Time” intro, the first song “Wash” by the House of Krazees talk about murder over a somewhat quirky beat while the track “9lb. Hammer” by Twiztid is a full-blown rap rock moshpit starter. The song ” Murder Carnage” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Boondox & Lex the Hex Master sees the 3 getting violent over a rubbery beat from Godsynth & Stir Crazy but after the “Nursery Rhyme from Another Time” interlude, the track “Die on Samhain” by Alla Xul Elu & the Axe Murder Boyz portrays themselves as serial killers over a nocturnal instrumental.

The track “Death Talk” by the House of Krazees talks about being lunatics over a rock-tinged beat while the song “Haddonfield 2 Crystal Lake” by Twiztid compares themselves to Michael Myers & Jason Voorhees over a somewhat funky beat. The EP finishes with “In My Head”, where Twiztid contemplate about whether or not they’re insane over a spooky instrumental.

Overall, this is a short but sweet surprise effort from one of my favorite hip hop labels in recent memory. All the artists stand out in their own unique way & given everyone’s history in the horrorcore subgenre, they all come together with a consistent batch of songs just in time for the Halloween season.

Score: 3.5/5

Alla Xul Elu – “Church of Xul” review

Alla Xul Elu is an Ohio based horrorcore trio consisting of Billy Obey, Joey Black & Lee Carver. They started off as a duo, releasing their first 2 albums Head of Horns & Sci-Co in 2015. 2 years later, Lee joined & they dropped their debut EP Necronomichron that same year. However, it wasn’t until last year that the Xul made their biggest break to date with Twiztid signing them to their label Majik Ninja Entertainment. Their latest album/MNE debut The Almighty that dropped last fall is a modern horrorcore masterpiece in my eyes & now to accompany Twiztid’s brand new album Generation Nightmare, the 3 are back with their 2nd EP.

After the “Welcome” intro, we go straight into the first song “In the Church of Xul”. Where the trio tell you what goes in their world over a slow yet sinister beat. The track “We Are One” advises you to believe over a nocturnally atmospheric boom bap beat while the song “Preay” gets murderous over a nocturnal beat. The track “To the Tome of the Black Tongue” talks about possession over a haunting instrumental while “The Goddamned” continues the murderous themes & the atmosphere in the instrumental fits fantastically. The EP then finishes with “Xuligans”, which is essentially a tribute to their fans with an old school-style instrumental.

Despite being an EP, this is just as fantastic as The Almighty. It sounds a lot darker than that previous album & I love how they hold it on their own to prove that they’re really are bringing a breath of fresh air in such an underrated subgenre of hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5