Crossworm – “Gōst” review

Grand Rapids, Michigan rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & Dirtcore Music founder Crossworm preluding his 7th album ANTI this fall with his 3rd EP. Starting as 1/2 of 2Korpse before branching out on his own for the solo debut Phoenix, this was followed up by a sophomore effort Ready to Burn alongside 2 EPs Mouth Full of Dirt & jaws: Deciduous respectively. He took a few years off after the latter only to return in the summer of 2014 by dropping 4 more LPs: Parasite Avenue, Drowning in Restricting Thought, Finding X & Eat the Weak. Nearly 3 years since the latter, the Gōst has returned to haunt the underground.

After the “Morgue Song” intro, “Rape the King of Horrorcore on his Birthday” was a wicked industrial hip hop hybrid suggesting you keep acting like he won’t stick a fork in your face whereas “Trouble in the Library of Corpses” after the “Gimme a Fuckin’ Break” skit industrially talks about death being what you feel. “Suck a Gun” promised he’ll be there anytime you need the reaper while “Baby in the Microwave” by Bodies Below Sea Level blends boom bap production with horror-themed storytelling. Finally after the “Do Your Fuckin Job or You’re Fired” skit, “PU55YB34TER” closes the EP by getting sexual over an industrial beat.

It’s already been made pretty clear that ANTI will be heavily influenced by the synthpop style Depeche Mode became known for earlier on in their careers, so Gōst is more than enough to satisfy anyone who’s been down with him since he put out Phoenix nearly 2 decades ago coming off the most aggressive full-length of his whole entire career during the COVID-19 pandemic. His production goes back & forth between boom bap & industrial hip hop with the Dirtcore founder unapologetically tackling themes of horror in such an irreverent manner.

Score: 4/5

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Gavyn Gunn – “Malevolent” review

Gavyn Gunn is a 26 year old MC & songwriter from Dallas, Texas who’s been sending shockwaves in the underground wicked shit scene for a while now because of his introspectively content as well as his aggressive delivery & blurring the lines blending a few different genres & styles together. He most recently signed to Dirtcore Music last month, becoming the 7th artist to join its ever-growing roster albeit the 3rd to put out new material following Samson Samson & Madd Maxxx respectively. For his debut EP on the other hand, it’s been said to be the first in a trilogy & was curious to hear what he had to bring to the table for the Grand Rapids imprint.

“Breathe” produced by Crossworm fuses drumless & industrial hip hop comparing the stress he feels to the massive heaviness of an actor whereas “Looking for Trouble” hooks up more synthesizers getting ready to go to work with the razor blade to your throat. “Mind in Madness” switches it bringing a trap vibe to the beat talking about only seeing fear while “The Bug” featuring Bodies Below Sea Level industrially finds the trio honing in all your fears. “Your Scars” featuring Køvin Kestnar uncannily finishes the EP with both of them lighting their way through the dark.

Finally getting to see Dirtcore go from solely handling the discography of it’s own CEO for 2 decades next spring to becoming an actual label increasing their signings has been a long time coming but if you’ve enjoyed Sammy’s most recent sophomore effort Witch Hunt as much as I did or the latest singles Maxxx has been heading ahead of his official debut on the imprint this fall, Malevolent kicks off what’s shaping up to be an exciting trilogy by letting his intense craft shine brightly. Crossworm’s aggressively raw production pulling inspiration from industrial hip hop & trap goes hand-in-hand with Gavyn’s anxiously hungry performances drenched in dark introspection.

Score: 4/5

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Samson Samson – “Witch Hunt” review

Samson Samson is a 30 year old rapper from Hampton, Virginia introducing himself a decade ago by releasing his debut EP Regret. He just made his return this spring by releasing the full-length debut studio album Beforecore flooded with guest appearances on nearly half of it, signing to Dirtcore Music exactly a month later. To celebrate the fall & with the Halloween season coming up in 30 days, it’s only right for him to make his Dirtcore debut in the form of his sophomore effort & have the label’s founder Crossworm fully producing it.

After the intro, “The Witch” opens the LP with a boom bap instrumental co-produced by BAD MiND asking exactly how does he know that he’s free & why does he love what isn’t even his whereas “Where to Go” ponders if he’s safe on this road along with his thoughts being unsure of the exact location he’s headed towards. “Gone” featuring J Reno on the remix maintains a dusty vibe to the beat talking about being sick in the head drinking life forces to fix himself prior to “See What You Can’t” boasting of envisioning things others are unable to.

“Stay Quiet” reaches the halfway point of the Witch Hunt feeling like everything’s caving in prior to “Distasteful Static” bringing an industrial hip hop vibe to the table talking about hearing pain & expressing hope of others feeling the exact same way. “Break Down” talks about the bittersweet feeling of his mind collapsing on him & after “Bodies Below Sea Level” introduces the horrorcore duo of the same name with a refreshing industrial hip hop sound, “Run” ends the LP going into rap rock turf doing what others are scared of doing.

Embodying everything he’s been wanting to do artistically, Witch Hunt makes for a captivating comeback from Dirtcore’s inaugural signing officially marking the beginning of a new era as a force to be reckoned with in the underground for years to come. Crossworm’s production pulls heavily from boom bap, rap rock & industrial hip hop with Sammy’s lyrics taking on the perspective of a newly released insane asylum patient recapping his traumatic pain to a therapist.

Score: 4.5/5

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