Vinnie Paz – “God Sent Vengeance” review

Here we have the 9th full-length solo LP from Philadelphia underground veteran Vinnie Paz. Breaking out as the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively until returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2 but since as above so below, Paz has been staying consistent by delivering a new solo effort every year. Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love spawned a trilogy & All Are Guests in the House of God continued it, only for it to come to a close on God Sent Vengeance.

After the “Abudadein” intro, the first song “Shepherd’s Rod” is this soulful boom bap opener courtesy of Hobgoblin talking about slapping a few rappers because of them moving backwards whereas “2 Knights Forced” produced by Evidence asks if he has to tell anyone time & time again that they’re flat out wack. “Bulldozer” featuring Young Buck darkly makes it clear neither one of them are trying to be righteous in any way thanks to Stu Bangas while “Head of David” ruggedly talks about being the real bad man.

Ill Bill & Lord Goat joins Paz on “Acid Teeth” aggressively venting what it was like for them to be born into pain just before the August Fanon-laced “Timetravel_0” talks about everyone adapting if it comes down to him having to drop a body. “Megaton Swords” featuring Cappadonna teams up to take aim at sucka MCs together leading into “Rafiki Books” talking about learning to take a stand instead of taking THE stand.

“Perfect Enemy” reunites with C-Lance behind the boards referencing former 2-time NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Héctor Guerrero and 3-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion & WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff just before “Battle Scars (Pharaoh Overlords)” comes through with this raw ass AotP posse cut making reference to the 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “Chico’s Bail Bonds” ominously continues forward having the feeling that somebody’s gonna end up dying tonight, but then “All Guns Full Ammo” featuring Onyx finds the trio shooting shit up together.

Sick Jacken appears on the rugged “Sacrificio (De Muerte)” to send shots towards any man’s way while “Heavy Chains” hauntingly talks about being afraid of himself. “Wings of Azrael” featuring Napoleon da Legend suggests for everyone to dance with the wolves while “Mao’s War on Sparrows” talks about there less Indians & more thieves these days. “Noise Drug” featuring Boob Bronx & Recognize Ali ends with all 3 of them coming for the weak.

Although the Jacinto’s Praying Mantis EP from last summer was a minor step down from the previous installments of the God trilogy, I still enjoyed it as a prelude & the final chapter of the saga finishes it off the way it started. The production is a mix of established veterans & lesser known beatsmiths on the come up focusing less on the trap elements of its predecessors in favor of a general hardcore hip hop direction.

Score: 4/5

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Vinnie Paz – “Jacinto’s Praying Mantis” review

Philadelphia underground veteran Vinnie Paz following up his 8th album All Are Guests in the House of God roughly 7 months after with his 2nd EP. Breaking out as the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohscollective, he put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively until returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2 but since as above so below, Paz has been staying consistent by delivering a new solo effort every year. Something he’s continuing to do by dropping Jancinto’s Praying Mantis almost 5 months after 2-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級王座, 4-time AJPWタッグ王座, MLW World Tag Team Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion, 2-time IWGPヘビー級王座, 7-time IWGPタッグ王座, NEVER無差別級6人タッグ王座, GHCヘビー級王座 & GHCタッグ王座小島聡 became a record 2-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his city.

“Contra Cocaine” is a boom bap opener talking about killing every chance he gets whereas my favorite cut on the EP “Blood Bank Affair” produced by The Czar-Keys & Scott Stallone hooking him up with some guitars, kicks & snares so he can in his Boxcutter bag lyrically. “Ghost Limb” has a futuristically eerie approach instrumentally thanks to Nickel Plated assuring you prolly a saw a body in Pack Pistol Pazzy’s city leading into “Bullet in the Head” incorporating sampling talking about being an animal.

The song “Brainscan Exorcism” featuring Boob Bronx & Recognize Ali brings the trio together on top of a grisly piano/boom bap crossover wanting everyone to enjoy them while they’re still alive while “Funeral Pyre” has to be another standout track complexly taking y’all to a different level over a sample-woven Shuko beat. “Zoë Lund” wraps up Jacinto’s Praying Mantis mixing woodwinds, kicks, snares & a scratch hook from 7L to get outrageous.

I’m unable to speak for where the Ikon the Verbal Hologram will go from here whether it’s a 9th solo LP or a new Jedi Mind album, but he gave the underground a solid prelude EP until that time comes. Production-wise, I’m personally leaning more towards his last couple full-lengths although Scott nailed the engineering. Squatdeadface furthermore doing the artwork makes me happy as a Griselda head who’s been following him since FLYGOD is an Awesome God & lyrically, Odrama vin Laden remains one of the greatest from the City of Brotherly Love.

Score: 3.5/5

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Vinnie Paz – “All Are Guests in the House of God” review

This is the 8th full-length solo LP from Philadelphia underground veteran Vinnie Paz. Breaking out as the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively until returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2 but since as above so below, Paz has been staying consistent by delivering a new solo effort every year. And to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love, the Verbal Hologram is assuring that All Are Guests in the House of God.

“Drug Church” is an ominously drumless start to the album that K-Nite 13 helped cook up calling out those who be sleeping while the feds are watching them whereas “Oil Drums” featuring Freeway works in a soulful boom bap instrumental from Leaf Dog talking about taking them to the ocean to throw them overboard. “Koresh Babylon” fuses this beautiful loop with kicks & snares provided by Giallo Point trying to get away from those who be tailing Paz leading into “The Jungle’s a Shapeshifter” featuring Trxstworthy finding the 2 joining forces for a rugged hardcore anthem.

The lead single “2000 Shot Barrage (Return of Hell’s Messenger)” produced by C-Lance is an incredibly raw sequel to a highlight off The Thief & The Fallen just before the flute/boom bap hybrid “Nero Caesar” featuring Smif-n-Wessun that Farma G laced continuing to get on their battle rap shit. Meanwhile, the suspenseful atmosphere that Vic Grimes brings to “Impaler” is absolutely perfect advising not to play with these kids prior to “Swift Chancellor” experimenting with trap a bit talking about his squad really gunning out here.

“Slow March to the Burial” featuring Ransom brings the 2 wordsmiths together over dusty kicks & snares spitting more hardcore lyricism, but then “Peace Means Violence” featuring Saigon begins the 2nd leg of All Are Guests in the House of God with an eerie boom bap beat from Stu Bangas getting murderous. “Terry Funk Ain’t Wear a Mouthpiece” continues to offer offering that pain remembering the titular WWE Hall of Famer, former 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ECW Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, the oldest JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & the oldest 3-time WCW Hardcore Champion who gave FMW founder 大仁田厚 the best match of his career over more kicks & snares that is until “Yemeni Telephone Number” featuring the Timbo King ruggedly talking about the aura of hell-gazers.

Moving on from there, “Balla Ejj” mixes pianos with a foreign vocal sample comparing himself to that of a craftsmen while “Beausoleil Wiretaps” by the Heavy Metal Kings featuring Lord Goat sees the trio over a Middle Eastern/boom bap blend spitting the aggressive lyricism that all 3 of them have made themselves known for. “Praise the Witch” featuring Young Z locks in with EYEKETYSON to grimily tell those that if they’re gonna do something, they should do it properly & Young Bangas whips up the best trap instrumental on the album with “La Pulga” talking about Vinnie meaning what he says.

“Valentino Dueling Gloves” weaves a flute into the fold admitting that there ain’t a whole lot of time here & that nobody else is moving as long as the Ikon’s still around, but “Murder is an Artform” featuring the late Blacastan & Tha God Fahim officially ends the LP with the 3 over a somber boom bap instrumental continuing to deliver further down the murderous rabbit hole referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley.

Odrama vin Laden never disappoints as his solo output accompanied by the number of group material he has in his back pocket are generally consistent within the underground & hip hop heads at large. Needless to say: I like All Are Guests in the House of God more than the one we got almost a year to the day ago in Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love. There are some occasional trap elements to the production even though it’s grounded in his traditional hardcore boom bap sound & a bit less misses with the guest performances.

Score: 4/5

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Vinnie Paz – “Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love” review

Vinnie Paz is a 45 year old underground veteran from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2, but as above so below & Burn Everything That Bears Your Name were both almost as great, so I had no worries going into his 7th album considering his consistency.

“Pistol Opera” is a creepy boom bap opener with some piano chords talking about respecting violence including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Champion, 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 2-time NWA National Heavyweight Champion & AJPW世界タッグ王座 Ted DiBiase until Method Man comes into the picture for the unsettling “Invisible Ether” produced by Stu Bangas talking about what happens when they start to flow. “Faith Healer” goes into trap territory thanks to longtime Enemy Soil Entertainment in-house producer C-Lance cautioning that shit’s all fun & game till the drum-magazines are empty, but then “Be Wise as Serpents” is a rap metal boom bap fusion with a ghostly hook & Vinnie acknowledging that motherfuckers think it’s cool to behave stupid.

Continuing from there with “Heroin on a Harpoon”, we have Geechi Suede talking about becoming rich as soon as his mom gave birth to him & Pazzy referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer Luna Vachon over a boom bap instrumental with a blaring guitar & some jazzy undertones until “Curse of Canaan” with Kurupt finds the 2 talking about keep pushing the lines & the main loop throughout sounds like video game sound effects to me. I also love the lines referencing Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Rick & Morty since those are some of my favorite shows. “Rambo Knife” however has some amazing vocal samples throughout speaking on cutting coke & causing panic, but then “3 Levels of Hikmah” is a triumphant jazz rap cut laced by Oh No with some incredible ad-libs talking about people shooting at him like paparazzi & a line referring to WWE superstar Mustafa Ali.

“Killpoint” returns to the boom bap with some horn sections courtesy of Vic Grimes as Vinnie & M.O.P. get malicious lyrically while the piano-trap joint “Deadman’s Hand” calling himself the most ignorant of all-time while “Winged Assassins” with Boob Bronx & Ras Kass ruthlessly compare their rhymes to black hand-grenades including a reference to former 3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE tag team champion, 7-time WWE Hardcore Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Dustin Rhodes. “A War Chest & a Propaganda Machine” has a more delirious quality to it provided by DJ Muggs being straight up & telling anyone who wants smoke with him to say his name while “Gunpowder Plot” with O.T. the Real spit some drug trafficking tales.

“Slight Rebellion Off Madison” is a woodwind/boom bap hybrid talking about how his shooters don’t die while “Father Yod” by the Heavy Metal Kings & Lord Goat finds the trio over some grim piano chords to spit that gun talk. The song “Spoils of War” with Big Twins aggressively talk about stomping on motherfuckers heads when they be outside over some ominous production while the penultimate track “Loro Pianas Robes” with Thirstin Howl III discuss being the upmost & being left cut in half over a glistening boom bap beat. “Zafiro Añejo” with Boob Bronx & Recognize Ali ends the album with the 3 referring to this as beautiful architecture with a flute hanging behind them.

Ikon the Verbal Hologram has always remained consistent with his music & even though God of the Serengeti is my personal favorite album of his, I definitely think this is the most I’ve enjoyed since The Pain Collector. The production has some more trap undertones to it this time around surprisingly, but best believe Paz & nearly every feature are absolutely catching bodies with their pens the whole damn time.

Score: 4/5

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Jedi Mind Tricks – “The Funeral & The Raven” review

Jedi Mind Tricks is a Philadelphia trio consisting of emcee Vinnie Paz, producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind & turntablist DJ Kwestion. They’ve proven to be a household name in the underground for 26 years from having a hand in founding the Army of the Pharaohs collective to dropping essentials like Violent by Design & Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. Since putting out the underrated The Thief & The Fallen back in the summer of 2015, they’ve started getting in the habit of dropping an album once every 3 years. The trio’s previous effort The Bridge & The Abyss was a solid follow-up, but had WAY too many interludes. However with Paz coming fresh off Burn Everything That Bears Your Name over the spring, Stoupe & Kwestion are joining him for JMT’s 10th full-length album a month after the longest MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone became the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

After the intro, the first song “I’m the Wooden Door” sets the album off with an Italian sample calling out the pussies whereas “Collapse the War Engine” is a sinister theme about being cursed with the dawn. Crimeapple tags along for “The Escapist” somberly speaking on going from hopeless from focused & after the “Pathogen” interlude, the Demoz-assisted “Don’t Get Blood on My Gucci” has a more calmer tone instrumentally talking about how you don’t wanna die.

Meanwhile on “2nd Hand Smoke”, we go into a more nocturnal direction with JMT saying they put these opps in the sky referencing former 3-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級王座, AJPW世界タッグ王座, 3-time IWGPヘビー級王座, IWGPタッグ王座, GHCタッグ王座, 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion & WWE United States Champion Big Van Vader just before Boob Bronx comes into the picture for “The Death of 1 Man’s a Tragedy, The Death of 10,000’s a Statistic” solemnly admitting spending their whole lives on the wrong side of the law. “Manufacturing Consent” fuses together an organ & a vocal sample to spit that democracy only works when people are informed & after the “We Tolerate the Sickness” interlude, “The Chariot” grimly talks about the most ignorant thing in this world.

“Albatross” ponders why would anyone be mad at them with some keyboards sprinkled in the beat, but then Pro Dillinger joins in on the heinous “Crematorium” to quench for blood once more. “Path of the Beam” has a bit a mystical feel instrumentally to spit that insulting shit while the song “We Bow in It’s Aura” weaves in an acoustic guitar to declare himself the father of the trench carrying machine guns like he’s the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, 2-time NXT Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time IWGPジュニアヘビー級王座, 6-time IWGPジュニアタッグ王座 & RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Finn Bálor.

After the “Until The World Consumes Us” interlude, the penultimate track “Abdallah Azzam Brigade” finds Demoz returning alongside Ill Bill & Recognize Ali for a vicious 5-minute barfest & “The Great Derangement” finishes it off by sadly picking apart all the lies we’ve been told.

I pretty much enjoy all the JMT albums with the exception of Violence Begets Violence being mid, but The Funeral & The Raven is a great finish to the trilogy that The Thief & The Fallen had started. I like how it has less interludes than The Bridge & The Abyss did, Stoupe’s production is still one of a kind all these years later & Paz lyrically always hits the target no matter what he’s on.

Score: 4/5

Vinnie Paz – “Burn Everything That Bears Your Name” review

This is the 6th full-length album from Philadelphia underground mainstay Vinnie Paz. Coming up as the MC for Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he also started building an impressive solo career off his 2010 debut Season of the Assassin & the 2012 sophomore effort God of the Serengeti. His previous album as above so below just came out last Valentine’s Day & a little over a year later, we’re already being treated to Burn Everything That Bears Your Name.

“Socrates Drinking the Hemlock” is a 2-minute opener with Boxcutter Pazzy spitting that disrespectful shit over an old west-sounding instrumental & then Billy Danze joins him for the horn/boom bap infused “Machine Gun Etiquette”, where both of them comparing their lyricism to that of LMGs. “Body Bag Philosopher” brings out the horror vibes from C-Lance’s piano instrumental to Vinnie’s lyrics about a rat going rogue whereas the Stu Bangas-produced “Papi Wardrobe” talks about letting the TEC spray over what I assume to be a 70’s sample.

We then get on some mafioso shit as Ill Bill & Lord Goat hop on the orchestra-laced “Witches Teeth” while the song “Latka Bravas” talks about murder over some trumpets loops. Things go into a more jazzy direction on the Oh No-produced “Danger’s My Business” with lyrics detailing a war going on outside, but then Vinnie details his woman having an abortion on the track “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” & the way Farma G flips “Don’t You Ever Dare” by Dean Friedman is immaculate.

“Guilty Remnant Cigarettes” is a short yet effective cut about being out for blood over a more vintage instrumental from Esoteric & right after funny enough, The Czar-Keys cook up what could possibly be the darkest beat on the album as The Verbal Hologram references 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 on the song “Don Eladio”.

Meanwhile on the overawing “Warhead”, we have Chino XL coming through to help detail how dirty people are referencing former KO-D無差別級王座, ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time FMWヘビー級王座, 3-time FMWタッグ王座, 5-time FMW6人タッグ王者, IWGPインターコンチネンタル王座, NEVER無差別級王座 & GHCタッグ王者田中将斗 before talking about bodies being stacked up on the sepulchral “Excuse All the Blood”.

The song “White on White Crime” kinda has some trap & rock undertones in the production as O.T. the Real & D-Boy Flowski come together with the Pazmanian Devil to talk about how they rap what they live, but D-Boy’s verse at the end doesn’t hit me like the first 2 did. This is followed up with the powerful Islamic ode “Battle of the Camel” featuring Willie the Kid & the sample Giallo Point uses is just so comely.

“Torch Bearer” takes shit back to boom bap territory thanks to Vic Grimes, which I think might be the Paz Man’s response to the diss tracks both King Magnetic & Doap Nixon put out towards him last year. The song “Affairs in Order” incorporates some synths as Jay Royale accompanies the mic to talk about how you don’t wanna be around when the feds start getting on your ass.

Lord Goat returns for “Tell Gold to Hold the Boneyard” alongside Crimeapple to deliver them gangsta bars over a guitar-driven instrumental from Hobgoblin before incorporating an organ & some sputtering drums tor the track “Duppy or Gunman”, where The Sicilian Shooter says anyone who wants it with him is out of their goddamn minds & rightfully so.

“Angels with Dirty Faces” is a gospel-like homage to everyone Vinnie’s family was enamored before he & Eto talk about acting right around them on “Murder Takes Time”. The penultimate track “Lloyds of London” is a bilious acknowledgement of telling when people don’t want the smoke, but the Boob Bronx verse is another low-point for me personally. Finally to round it off, M.A.V. tags along to get in battle rap mode for the flute-backed closer “Digital Veil”.

In comparison to as above so below, I actually happen to prefer Burn Everything That Bears Your Name a bit more. Did it need to be 22 songs? Not necessarily. However, the dude’s pen-game remains unmatched as does his ear for production almost a quarter of a century deep making music.

Score: 4/5

Vinnie Paz – “as above so below” review

Vinnie Paz is an underground veteran from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. Last time we heard from him solo-wise was with The Pain Collector in 2018 & with Valentine’s Day arriving, he’s back with his 5th full-length album.

It all starts with “Crime Wave Tehran”, where Pazzy talks about shooting someone over a minimalist yet intimidating instrumental from Giallo Point. The next song “Scorched Earth” with Estee Nack & Jay Royale sees the 3 spitting some vicious mobster-style lyricism over a Stu Bangas beat with some prominently harmonious vocals while the track “I’m the Chaos” reminds us of Paz’s place in this culture over a boom bap/rock fusion from Vic Grimes. The song “Mabuhay Gardens” talks about how nothing other than death is guaranteed referencing WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano over a somber beat while “The Conjuring” compares himself to that of a magician over a Bronze Nazareth beat with a relaying vocal sample.

“The Black Hand” with Demoz sees the 2 talking about murder over a cavernous beat from C-Lance supplied with a hook delivered in this weird faux-Jamaican patois while the song “Mock Up on Mu” sends a message to his competition over a suspenseful instrumental. The track “Ankle Bracelets” talks about wanting to be alone over a calming beat & a stellar hook with Queen Herawin while “The Conpleat Witch” with Nowaah the Flood finds both MCs painting some vivid street imagery over a boom bap beat with some creepy keyboards.

The song “Hannibal” is laced with gun talk over a boom ball beat with a luxurious pianos lead while the track “Silician Bull” compares himself to just that over an ominous beat. The song “Cero Miedo” gets confrontational over an eerie beat. The song “Spilled Milk” is a tear-jerking tribute to his father with a piano instrumental to enhance the emotion while the track “Vahid Moradi” with Rigz sees the 2 talking about staring into Satan’s eyes over some strings.

The song “I’ll Buy All the Uranium You’ve Got” talks about being strapped over a boom bap beat with a prominent vocal sample while the song while the track “Doomsday Machine” with Demoz & Vast Aire sees the 3 talking about how ruthless they are over an instrumental with a beautifully dark atmosphere to it. The song “Serve the Creator” with Recognize Ali sees the 2 talking about Allah over a soul sample & some horns then the closer “The Gone-Away World” gets conscious over a killer rock instrumental Vinnie made himself with co-production from Scott Stallone.

Paz’s discography has always been known for being consistently hardbody & this is no exception. A couple of the features could’ve been better to me personally, but his lyricism has gotten sharper over time & the production is as equally gritty.

Score: 4/5

Vinnie Paz – “The Pain Collector” review

Vinnie Paz is a underground titan MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known for being the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective. He put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively, but returned in 2016 with the disappointingly average The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. And now just 3 months after the release of the latest JMT album The Bridge & The Abyss, Boxcutter Pazzy isn’t stopping with his 4th full-length album.

The album begins with “Winter Soldier”, where Paz gets confrontational over some strings. The next song “Necklace of Hands” gets bloodthirsty over a gritty yet soulful instrumental from Oh No while the track “Gasmask” is a mix of street & conscious bars over an eerie beat. The song “Sundae Bloody Sundae” intellectually compares himself to an ice cream man as a metaphor for a drug dealer over an alluring soul sample while the track “Jail Cell Recipes” continues this theme albeit in a much menacing & straight forward tone to it. The song “Tongan Death Grip” with Reef the Lost Cauze sees the 2 spitting battle bars over some sinister horns while the track “God’s Shadow” reflects on his early days over a woodwind-inflicted boom bap beat with a cool Biggie sample on the hook.

The song “DualTow Night Eagle” sees Pazzy getting back in your face over a haunting beat while the track “Blood on My Hands” gets back on the murder tip over a somber boom bap beat. The song “Floating Goat” sounds like it was recorded for the latest Soul Assassins album Dia del Asesinato, but it works very well on here. The track “Byzantine Jewelry” brags about how hardcore he is over a laidback beat with a beautiful soul sample on the hook while I do find the beat switch on the song “Requiem for Black Benjy in 2 Parts” as well as the verses from both Vinnie & Crimeapple, I found Tha God Fahim‘s verse to be pretty bland. The track “Pray for Sleep” goes into the mind of a insane murderer over a gloomy vocal sample while the song “HaShem on a Pentagram” with Non Phixion members Ill Bill & Lord Goat sees the 3 talking about criminal activity referencing former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級王座, 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 & WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall over an apocalyptic boom bap beat.

The track “Masked Stickups” talking about how he can have people disappear if he wants to over a piano & a funky bass-line while the song “Hollow Light Severed Sun” has a somber beat & I absolutely love how Paz experiments with his flow on here. The track “Cold in Philadelphia” tells the story of an immigrant coming to america over an acoustic instrumental while the penultimate track “Gracious” talks about all the things he’s grateful for over a vocal sample & some piano chords. The album then closes with “A Power Governments Cannot Suppress”, where Paz gets political & I absolutely love how the instrumental gets progressive throughout it’s 6 minute runtime.

Honestly, this is on par with Paz’s first 2 albums & I’ll even say it’s better than the latest Jedi Mind Tricks album. There are a couple weak spots & I feel like it 4 or 5 tracks could’ve been left out of the picture, but it’s just as rawly produced & angrily delivered than ever before.

Score: 4/5

Jedi Mind Tricks – “The Bridge & The Abyss” review

After triumphantly returning to form in 2015 with The Thief & The Fallen, Philadelphia underground legends Jedi Mind Tricks are now coming out of the blue with their 9th full-length album. After a 96 second intro, we go into the first song “San La Muerte”. Here, MC Vinnie Paz talks about how he isn’t fucking with anyone over a sinister Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind instrumental. The track “Rashindun Caliphate” sees Vinnie talking to his haters over an instrumental with an eerie atmosphere to it while the song “Freshco & Miz” talks about their longevity over a boom bap beat with some jazzy horns.

The track “When the Body Goes Cold” gets confrontational over a gloomy boom bap beat while the song “What She Left Behind” vividly describes an abusive relationship over an alluring soul sample & the drums are going off like Desert Eagles. Honestly, I think it’s the most disturbing JMT song I’ve ever listened to. The track “Death Toll Rising” talks about ghetto life over a boom bap beat with a pretty Latin vocal sample & after the “Shed the Skin to Receive the World” interlude, we go into the song “Certified Dope”. Here, Pazzy spits that gun-talk over an instrumental that doesn’t really suit the vibe to me.

The track “Hell’s Henchman” talks about snakes over an instrumental with some intense strings while the song “God Forsaken” is filled with murder bars over an instrumental that perfectly fits into a final battle. The track “Legacy of the Prophet” with Sean Price talks about their place in hip hop & while it is hard, I feel like we’ve heard Sean on so many JMT tracks at this point.

After the “Void Ritual” interlude, we go into the song “You Have 1 Devil but 5 Angels”. Here, Paz spits some battle bars including a reference to WWE Hall of Famers The Fabulous Freebirds over some bass & keyboards while DJ Kwestion’s scratch hook suits the vibe fantastically. The track “Marciano’s Reign” intellectually talks about overcoming the negatives over an orchestral instrumental while the song “Torture Chamber” with CZARFACE goes back to the battle bar tip over a rap rock beat.

The track “The Letter Concerning the Intellect” references Matt Hardy of the current World Team Champions The Deleters of Worlds over a gloomy guitar & a soul sample on the hook while the final song “Making a Killing” talks about the meat industry a beautiful piano instrumental before the album finishes with a 1-minute instrumental.

While I prefer their last album a lot more, this is still great. Vinnie Paz’s lyricism has gotten sharper with age & Stoupe’s production compliments him just as much, but there were too many interludes for me

Score: 3.5/5