Alla Xul Elu – “WHellcome Home” review

Portsmouth, Ohio horrorcore trio & Long Live Evil founders Alla Xul Elu’s celebrating Halloween with their 8th studio LP. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago 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 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. The Magic Xul Bus preluded their final MNE offering Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark, opening for Psychopathic Records & Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) founders the Insane Clown Posse last Hallowicked. Coming off No Masters & Universal Perverts however, WHellcome Home is here 2 months after its initial announcement on the eve of Nic Nemeth becoming the new JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion.

Following the “Introvert” intro, “Ancient Evil” comes out the gate with a hellish boom bap opener talking about the LLE never expiring whereas “All is Dead” makes themselves at home in a place where there’s absolutely no peace whatsoever. “F.Y.I.T.A.X.E. (Fuck You It’s The Alla Xul Elu)” named after a signature catchphrase of theirs expresses their love for the wicked shit keeping it dusty leading into “Doombaptism” talks about the style of music they play called “doom bap”, similarly to Necro inventing “death rap”.

“Dark Daze” moves on from there sharpening the knives they write with every single evening just before “AKA the Grave” keeps the doom bap vibes rollin’ talking about putting people 6 feet below the ground. “Dances with Worms” featuring the newest member of the Long Live Evil family Malakeye finds all 4 of them reminding us death’s everywhere while “Corpsegarden” begins the 2nd half waking up the deceased arising from parts unknown.

As for “Faith”, we have Xul reiterating the trust they continue to put putting in the Church of Xul until the danceable “AXE Slaps Hacks Backs” talking about chopping people up with an axe. Things return to the doom bap for the group to let out all of their “Invasive Thoughts” & explaining how fucked their brains are in process while “Freezer Burnt” talks about someone being left in the cold so long that they wound up getting frozen, unable to adjust the temperature.

The title track appropriately winds down the last act of WHellcome Home asking if anyone will go after them straight down to Hell’s Pit while “SINsation SELLebration” immediately talks about throwing the hottest party Hell’s ever had, spitting the wicked shit over an EDM instrumental. “Future is Fire” featuring Jahred Gomes takes it back to their signature doom bap style informing those who want to return home of the harsh reality that it won’t happen & “Homebody” finishes the full-length militantly talks about confronting their demons for their own happiness.

These guys have been on an absolute ROLL this year whether it was the clarification of Alla Xul Elu having No Masters & of course the raunchy Universal Perverts EP we got 4 weeks earlier, WHellcome Home comfortably places itself at the hierarchy of everything they’ve done in 2026 & hearing Billy announcing through social media of them having so much more material coming down the pipeline rivals the output of Chapter 17 Records CEO Ouija Macc in keeping the scene alive for generations to come.

Score: 4.5/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “Universal Perverts” review

Kicking off the 4th quarter of the year with Portsmouth, Ohio horrorcore trio & Long Live Evil founders Alla Xul Elu’s 4th extended play. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago 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 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. The Magic Xul Bus preluded their final MNE offering Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark, opening for Psychopathic Records & Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) founders the Insane Clown Posse last Hallowicked. Coming off No Masters however, they’re dropping Universal Perverts in preparation for WHellcome Home at the end of the month.

“Freakenstein” after the “Meet the Monsters” intro references former 3-time CWA Tag Team Champion, WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 10-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WCW World Television Champion, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Scott Steiner whereas “Wackula” puts a comedic spin on the idea of masturbation over a boom bap instrumental.

The song “Woofman” winds down the last few moments of Universal Perverts talking about someone they know whom they’ve coined the titular nickname to while “Yummy Gummy Cummy Mummy” spends a couple minutes describing a mummy who’s addicted to performing oral. The beat during the outro reminds me of some 90s hip hop shit, concluding the EP describing a “Creature from the Crack Lagoon” using wordplay to discuss eating ass.

Some would consider Tunnel of Love to be ICP’s freshest sideshow EP although I’d personally put Beverly Kills 50187 above it, but Universal Perverts will certainly appeal to Xuligans in the same way Tunnel of Love did to juggalos or Kool Keith & Necro’s respective 2nd & 4th albums Sex Style & The Sexorcist if you wanna take it a step further since there are underground heads who still revisit tracks off those. That being said: It’s not my favorite EP they’ve made & anticipate WHellcome Home almost 4 weeks from now.

Score: 3/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “No Masters” review

Portsmouth, Ohio horrorcore trio & Long Live Evil founders Alla Xul Elu ending the 1st month of 2026 with their 7th LP. Consisting of Billy Obey as well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago 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. The Magic Xul Bus preluded their final MNE offering Gods of Evil Rise produced by Mike E. Clark, opening for Psychopathic Records & Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) founders the Insane Clown Posse this past Hallowicked. A couple weeks after JCW Lunacy head writer Vince Russo crowned Facade of The Neon Blondes & Ken Anderson the new JCW American Champion & JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion respectively, A.X.E. are dropping No Masters.

After the “SINTRO”, the title track begins jumping over this horror-sounding trap instrumental talking about them bowing down to no one whereas “BRINGTHEVIOLENCE” goes for a boom bap vibe & getting gorier with their pens for the Xuligans’ sake. “ONEXONE” blends industrial hip hop & trap talking about converting people at the Church of Xul leading into the 33 second Billy Obey solo cut “FROMAXE” advising to cop a shotty if anybody got a problem with someone.

“INLOVEWITHAGHOST” has a funkier vibe to the beat showing a more lustful side of Xul regarding the horror movie queens from their darkest dreams & an outro reminiscent of “Rigor Erectus” but after the “BUCKYFUCKNERS” skit, “Black” takes a darker boom bap route instrumentally talking about blackening out the sun. “FUCKLIFE” gives a middle finger to all the bullshit they’ve been fed up with & no longer looking at things on the brighter side while “CHURCHBURNER” infernally talks about being fire breathing shell blazers.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “DIEONEDAY” goes for a vintage boom bap approach stylistically reminding us that every living being will soon meet it’s demise while “REALFAKEAI” talks about the rise of AI these past couple years getting to the point where people don’t know what’s real anymore. After the “WORKOUTPLAN” skit, “UNDERNEATHTHEFLOORBOARDS” gives flowers to the horrorcore subgenre they’ve been representing for a decade while “OPPOSITEOFCHRIST” talks about there being nothing like what the Church provides.

After the minute long “CANTSAVETHEMALL” intermission from Billy Obey kinda like what “FROMAXE” was, “NOREASONWHY” featuring S.O.N. & the Super Famous Fun Time Guys brings the modern day Dark Lotus together for an LLE posse cut while “TIMEBOMB” comes across as another interlude using the same structuring “CANTSAVETHEMALL” & “FROMAXE” did. “MASKMAKER” ends No Masters talking about the Forever Faces got their name because they’re eternal, although “IGETITTWIZTID (DEALWITHTHEDEVIL)” was a nasty Twiztid diss.

Warming up for this new chapter in Alla Xul Elu’s prolific career where they have No Masters doing their own thing under Long Live Evil for all of eternity by having Billy Obey & Lee Carver going solo with both Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased & Meathead: Satanic Steakhouse this past fall, the production’s like a mix of all the sounds they’ve explored from boom bap to industrial hip hop & trap with Billy, Lee & Joey Black lyrically declaring their independence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Alla Xul Elu – “Gods of Evil Rise” review

It’s finally here! The 6th studio LP from Ohio horrorcore trio Alla Xul Elu. Consisting of Billy Obeyas well as Joey Black & Lee Carver, they broke out a decade ago 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. The Magic Xul Bus was a dope prelude to a body of work that’s been a long time & Mike E. Clark has finally teamed up with them to watch the Gods of Evil Rise.

After the intro, the first song “Paint the Town Red” is this rap rock intro talking about leaving 36 muhfuckas dead in their city whereas the 2nd & final single “Horns Over Halos” references 2-time 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 and NXT commentator, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T.

“The Cleansing” infernally talks about the sky being cracked in half with absolutely nothing we can do about it whatsoever prior to the lead single “‘Till We Meat” wickedly gets in their storytelling bag discussing the names of the people they’ve killed looking at the Tinder app. “Light Up My Life” describes the feeling of being trapped in one’s own skin as a prisoner & hiding in another’s playing the songs they liked while “Let It Burn” calls out the hypocrisies of the churches.

As for “Suicide Drive”, we have Xul menacingly talking about commuting vehicular suicide since the death mobile needs a ride & they can be caught at a high speed just before “God Damaged” turns up the rap rock influences suggesting this being unavoidable & enjoy it sitting back. “Make Believe” talks about the possibility of the trio never making it to heaven & I can relate to that theme personally when I’m at my lowest, but then “Spill Your Guts” feels more like a skit.

“Herd the Horde” fuses g-funk, horrorcore & boom bap together asking what you’re praying for & to sign your life away while “The Saints” talks about the only guideline in the shadow of death being all life remaining forbidden along with raising the murder rates. “From the Heart” makes a dedication to the lost & lonely ones assuring they’re not alone whatsoever surviving amongst their better judgments & “Wave Goodbye” serves as this humorous skit used as an outro.

Being in the works for several years at this point & many thought it wouldn’t ever see the day, it lived up to my expectations reaching the bar The Almighty had set 7 years ago with another generational horrorcore classic & their final MNE release to focus on continually building LLE as it’s own thing. Mike E. Clark’s production top to bottom is still as creative when working with Psychopathic Records founders Insane Clown Posse & Top Dog Records founder Kid Rock’s, bringing Xul’s well-crafted horrorcore lyrics to life soundtracking it.

Score: 4.5/5

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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 couple months after Astronomicon.

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 Joey 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 fiendin’ for bodies like former 3-time WWE world champion & 2-time WWE tag team champion Bray Wyatt who recently passed away just before “No Body” is a somber boom bap ballad about all 5 of these guys being nobodies referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young. “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 referencing the current TNA Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer who was also a former 2-time アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion & 14-time WWE Hardcore Champion 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 similar to a deathmatch with former 4-time GCW World Champion, GCW Tag Team Champion, IWA World Champion, the inaugural 4-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time CZW Iron Man Champion, 2-time CZW Ultraviolent Underground Champion, 5-time CZW World Tag Team Champion & BJW認定タッグチャンピオン Nick Gage mixing industrial hip hop & boom bap puking in faces like former 3-time AJPW三冠ヘビー級チャンピオン, 5-time AJPW世界タッグチャンピオン, 4-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 6-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, GHCヘビー級チャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, WCW World Television Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion & WWE Hall of Famer ザ・グレート・ムタ 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 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

Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Attack of the Ninjas: The Album” 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 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. But to celebrate the 5th annual Attack of the Ninjas, everyone on MNE right now & the 2 acts on their Welcome to the Underground sub-label are uniting as one alongside a couple outside collaborators for an exclusive compilation given away at the event.

The opener “Are You Scared?” by Oh! The Horror & Twiztid is a pop punk/rap crossover telling their haters to say their prayers whereas “Each & Every” by Bukshot, Jamie Madrox & Lex the Hex Master finds the trio jumping on top of a west coast instrumental from Fritz the Cat saying they’re broken & don’t feel fine. Buk & Jamie stick around as they enlist Boondox & Mr. Grey to spit the wicked shit on “Horror” down to the Godsynth & Stir Crazy production, but then Gibby Stites & Blaze Ya Dead Homie come in for the atmospheric “Come Up” saying ain’t nobody doing what they’re doing.

“Let ‘Em Burn” by Anybody Killa, the Axe Murder Boyz, Bukshot, Crucifix & Monoxide come together on top of a trap instrumental from MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 to get in their arsonist bag just before the futuristic “Space Between Us” sees Zodiac MPrint reuniting to talk about a toxic relationship. “Kill” by Insane E, Jamie Madrox, Oh! The Horror & Redd goes into a rubbery direction with the help of Grady Finch saying no one’s on their level while “Chin Check” by Bukshot, Gibby Stites, Joey Black, Lee Carver & The R.O.C. encourages the listener to mosh despite the out-of-place forlorn production.

The track “We Are the Underground” by Boondox, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Gibby Stites & Oh! The Horror needs no further explanation lyrically diving into a trap/metal fusion whereas the final song “Boohoo” by Gibby Stites, Lex the Hex Master & The R.O.C. ends the comp with a boom bap-tinged shot at their detractors even though the hook is a bit tedious. The actual closer though is just a remix to “Maelstrom” off of Cabal’s most recent debut album The Watchers featuring the Super Famous Fun Time Guys & the Venomous 5.

I don’t expect all that much whenever a label puts out a project showcasing their artists & although I enjoyed the last 2 that MNE has put out, I’m a bit torn on this one. Some of the collabs on here come off to me as natural, but then there are others that seem hamfisted & in no way shape or form am I trying to be disrespectful to anyone because I’ve given a good share of positive feedback on the label’s output throughout the years like with /ˌrevəˈlāSH⁽ᵊ⁾n/ & Krimson Crow.

Score: 3/5

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, teasing a potential trilogy chapter at some point down the road.

Score: 4.5/5