Cabal – “The Pit” review

This is the sophomore full-length album from horrorcore supergroup Cabal. Consisting of Bukshotas well as Lo Key & Mr. Grey, the trio have all worked with one another individually up until a couple summers ago when MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 got behind the boards throughout the duration of their debut The Watchers. This would send shockwaves within the underground wicked shit scene & would really be the beginning of Mobstyle Music’s takeover, so for them to return 3 years later to take us into The Pitwas something I was looking toward to.

After the titular intro, the first song “Eidolon” is a dementedly uncanny trap opener about the trio waiting in the darkness whereas the piano-driven “1 Dark Night” recalls the events of a fatefully dark evening that occurred long ago. “Diamond” goes for a more uncanny atmosphere boasting that they went from horrorcore artists to being Gods within the subgenre prior to the sonically uneasy “Obey” advising to succumb to them.

“We Come in Peace” goes for a cavernous trap vibe explaining that they come with the message to be taken to the leader of this world they’ve stumbled upon & after the “Chamber” interlude, “All Rise” morbidly calls for everyone to demand their gratitude to the trio. “Philistine” delves deeper into the most misunderstood people in the ancient world over a ghostly trap beat just before the atmospherically ghoulish “Nightmar3” talks about declaring themselves as nightmares personified.

However, “Coming with Me” looks to take every last person with them showing no mercy & a beat that makes you feel like you’re listening to a horror movie on wax leading into “The Signal” pulling from trap once more talking about being world eaters. After the “Swallow” interlude, “Fire from Beyond” hooks up an apocalyptic loop & hi-hats promising that everyone will fall while “Forest Lights” draws inspiration from boom bap talks about the end creeping towards them.

“The Curse” bleakly details the curses that chase them explaining they don’t see a reason why to fight for their souls back anymore, but then the final song “Wizard of Saws” preludes the “Skulls” outro & finishes Cabal’s sophomore effort in the form of 1 last horror-inducing trap cut pointing out how their hearts be as cold as the winter season justifying that the trio’s reign of having the wicked shit in a headlock is only growing stronger.

The Watchers quickly became a modern day horrorcore classic when it was unleashed to the world a couple years ago so it was announced on the Berzerkers’ eponymous debut EP last summer, I was excited for all 3 of them to take it to the next level & that’s sure enough what they do here. 7’s masterfully dark production is being taken to a new level as is the chemistry between the members of Cabal themselves & the hardcore, gritty lyricism.

Score: 4.5/5

The Berzerkers – Self-Titled review

The Berzerkers are a newly formed underground duo consisting Louisville, Kentucky veteran Bukshot & Gilroy, California’s very own Mr. Grey. First time they worked with each other was a decade ago when Buk hopped on “Ruthless” off of Grey’s solo debut Remain Raw alongside the latter’s former Gorilla Voltage cohort ClockworC as well as Insane Loc. They’re also 2/3 of the trio Cabal with Lo Key, whose well received full-length debut The Watchers just celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary recently & The Berzerkers are properly introducing themselves in the form of a debut EP.

After the “Solomon Says” intro, “Death Circus” is a cavernous opener daring listeners to step inside whereas “Oxygen Thieves” morbidly talks about those not deserving to breathe the same air as them. “Dark Path” has a more futuristic sound to it confessing that the road they’re traveling is deep underground while the track “Bottomless” by Cabal is a deranged prelude to the trio’s sophomore effort The Bottomless Pit coming next summer. The penultimate song “Red Team” returns to a more daunting route talking about how no one can fuck with them & prior to the “Upon Activation” outro, “Bullet Catcher” ends the EP with a petrifying trap banger getting murderous lyrically.

My expectations for this were very high considering how much I enjoyed Operation: Delirium & even though you can’t go wrong with either one, I’d have to say The Berzerkers a tad bit more. Buk & Grey ping off each other very well lyrically with MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 going for a more rawer sound in comparison to the range of sounds he displayed on Grey’s latest EP.

Score: 4.5/5

Mr. Grey – “Operation: Delirium” review

Mr. Grey is a 42 year old MC from Gilroy, California who came up as 1/2 of the duo Gorilla Voltage alongside ClockworC. However, he would drop his first 2 solo efforts Lost Soul in the fall of 2012 & then Remain Raw a couple summers later prior followed by The Damn Dirty Apes the year after Remain Raw. Gorilla Voltage then signed to Majik Ninja Entertainment on Christmas Day 2016 & manage to dropped 2 more full-lengths together, but quietly disbanded following their final album Gods & Claws which is a bit of a shame considering that I consider it to be their best work musically. That being said, Grey dropped his 3rd album Vicious Vendetta a little bit after the pandemic started & celebrated last year’s Valentine’s Day to go fully acoustic rock on the Righteous Devil mixtape. Few months later, he formed the trio Cabal with Philly horrorcore pioneer Lo Key alongside Louisville veteran Bukshot released their debut The Watchers to widespread acclaim within the underground. Considering that, it was only right for Buk to sign Grey to Mobstyle Music for his debut EP fully produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7.

After the titular intro, the opener “Into the Wasteland” sets off the album with an occult instrumental talking about being born for this just before Gorilla Voltage reunite for the somewhat industrial “Outrage da Jour” asking why people are mad at them. “Justice?” works in a creepy ass beat to call out the system leading into “American Meat Grinder” embracing a trap metal sound talking about fiending for blood.

“The Day the Angels Day” frantically confesses all he sees now is the darkness that came from the fog while the penultimate song “Zerk!” finds Boondox joining The Berzerkers for an uncanny prelude to their upcoming debut EP. And prior to the “Codicil” outro, “Winter Soldier” truly ends the EP with some strings & hi-hats declaring himself as such.

Compared to his earlier work, Operation: Delirium is easily the best solo effort that Grey has put out yet in my opinion. The apocalyptic concept is well conceived & 7’s production is dark, yet comes through with a range of interesting ideas from trap metal to industrial hip hop. He’s a great addition to Mobstyle in my opinion & have high expectations for the Berzerkers EP.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Cabal – “The Watchers” review

Cabal is a newly formed supergroup consisting of Bukshot, Lo Key & Mr. Grey. Up to this point each of the members have worked with one another, but we haven’t heard them all together at once. Bukshot just dropped Double Dragon’s self-titled debut with Kung Fu Vampire back in February & just about a month ago, Lo Key put out a his Metanoia EP paying homage to nu metal. I also loved Gorilla Voltage’s 2 albums through Majik Ninja Entertainment (especially Gods & Claws), so I’m very excited to see what they trio are gonna pull off on this debut album of theirs. Especially since they got MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 behind the boards for the whole thing.

After the “Monolith of Xaos” intro, the first song “Horn of Hades” is a heinous look at the trio having crazy thoughts as of late whereas “Shadow People” goes into a trap direction talking about being stuck in a familiar place referencing BJW認定デスマッチヘビー級王座 & WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher. The title track works in some haunting synth melodies saying they don’t like what they see & after the “Dark Assembly” skit, the trio come back to in action to proclaim themselves as “Death Merchants”. Meanwhile on “The Spawning”, we get a dastardly depiction of Cabal being Hellspawn just before taking listeners through their inner turmoils on the petrifying “Madness in Me”.

I think “Devil Inside” has the best hook on the entire album as the trio speak on something in them wandering the darkness spiritually & after the “Offering of Souls” skit, the song “Don’t Go in the Basement” works in some organ & synth melodies to paint a picture of Hell. The penultimate track “Maelstrom” with the Super Famous Fun Guys & the Venomous 5 finds the 10 emcees aggressively proclaiming themselves as the wickedest creatures, but then “Phanchasm” ends the album by talking about learning things you should never learn.

If you loved Double Dragon’s self-titled debut that dropped at the beginning of 2021, then you might enjoy The Watchers just as much it not more. All 3 of the members have great chemistry with one another & 7 just knocks it out of the park in terms of the overall sound of it.

Score: 4.5/5

Gorilla Voltage – “Gods & Claws” review

Gorilla Voltage is a hip hop duo from San Jose, California consisting of Mr. Grey & ClockworC. They originally came up as The Damn Dirty Apes in 2015 & released their self-titled debut that same year, but changed their name after Twiztid signed them to Majik Ninja Entertainment on Christmas Day that following year. Their sophomore album Ape-X was released a couple months later & now to kick off 2019, they’re delivering their 3rd full-length album after appearing at the first annual Astronomicon a year ago next month.

The album kicks off with “Handful of Matches”, which talks about arson over a bass heavy beat. The next track “Ape Shit, Pt. 2” serves as a menacing sequel to a highlight off their 2015 debut while the song “Let Go” with Dot Bundini reflects on their past over a boom bap beat with some sinister horns. The track “Good Die Young” talks about how ruthless they are over a boom bap beat with some strings while the song “War Zone Dome” talks about internal conflict over a chaotic beat. The track “Generation Fool” is an adrenaline pumping take on rap metal while the song “Westilence” is filled with vicious battle bars over an instrumental with a prominent tuba.

The track “Feeding Time” brags about them taking over the game over a sinister beat while the song “Rocks in My Socks” talks about drug dealing over a hyphy beat. The track “Spaz Out” is a flawless mosh pit anthem while the song “Doomsday” vividly describes an apocalypse over a booming instrumental with some 8-bit synths. The track “Mad Scientist” with Kung Fu Vampire is a lyrical onslaught over a thumping beat while the song “Pub Crawl” is a flawless display of the duo’s chemistry over a chaotic beat. The penultimate track “No Rivalry” tells the story of a robbery over a monstrous beat & then the closer “Hatefuck” is a beautifully slow, smooth & melodic love anthem.

At the end of the day, Gorilla Voltage really rings in the new year for MNE by delivering their best work yet. There are some weak spots here & there, but the production & lyricism have both stepped up for the most part & I also love how they take on many different styles of hip hop on here.

Score: 4/5

Majik Ninja Entertainment – “Twiztid Presents: Year of the Sword” review

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Majik Ninja Entertainment is an underground hip hop label that was founded in 2014 by Detroit hip hop duo Twiztid. The roster has been immensely growing since it’s inception of this year specifically, they’ve dropped 1 great release after another. And now to close out such a great year for them, they’re now giving the fans a compilation featuring new songs from every artist on the label. After a 90 second intro, we then get into the first song “Heads Will Roll” by Gorilla Voltage & Jamie Madrox. Here, they‘re bragging about how their skills will amaze you over a sinister instrumental. The next track “Turn It Up” by Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Bonez Dubb & Lex the Hex Master sees the 3 MCs aggressively getting in your face over a chaotic beat while the track “Fucked” by Boondox, Gorilla Voltage & The R.O.C. talks about how crazy they all are over a haunting instrumental. After a 15 second skit with “Level Up!”, we then get into the next song “Their Fault” by Jamie Madrox & Young Wicked. Here, they’re predominantly singing about those who never gave them a chance & while the vocals during the first half seem nasal, it definitely picks up on the second half. The song “Ignite” by King Gordy, Mr. Grey & Zodiac MPrint talks about how they’re never gonna fall over a killer rap rock instrumental & then “Cut ‘Em Up” by Twiztid & Young Wicked rapidly talk about killing their competition over an abrasive yet eerie instrumental. The song “Lights Out” by G-Mo Skee, Mr. Grey & Twiztid angrily talks about getting murderous on their last day alive & the rap metal instrumental on here fits the vibe like a glove. After the 30-second “Harassment” skit, we then dive into “Don’t Fuck wit Us” by ClocworC, the House of Krazees & Lex the Hex Master. The lyrics are self explanatory, but they’re delivered fantastically over this menacing yet thumping instrumental. The song “Better Than Ever B4” by the Axe Murder Boyz, G-Mo Skee, Lex the Hex Master & Triple Threat talk knowing now than ever before about over some twinkling piano keys & an organ while “Flix ‘n Chill” by ClocworC, Triple Threat & Young Wicked is a predictably decent love song with a wavy instrumental. The song “Get High” by the Axe Murder Boyz, L.A.R.S., Mr. Grey & Triple Threat is self-explanatory weed anthem with a druggy beat while “Galaxy” by G-Mo Skee, Jamie Madrox & King Gordy sees the 3 looking for a challenge over a synthesizer-heavy instrumental. The song “Don’t Tell Me” by Boondox, Gordy & Twiztid tells the haters they’ll never listen to them over a grimy yet thunderous beat & then after the 20 second “Summon the Majik Ninja” skit, we then get into the final song in the standard edition “B.N.U.” (an acronym for Brand New Underground). It’s an explosive posse cut where everyone on the label all talk about their prowess. The “Did You Unplug It?” skit is the final track on here, but there is a bonus disc with 9 tracks. All of which are new solo cuts from each signee on the label, with the exception of Lex the Hex Master’s being previously released on his latest album Beyond Redemption. As a whole, this was a great way for Majik Ninja to end their 2017 & it’s just another example of why they’re one of my favorite labels out right now. The production is gritty as usual & everyone compliments each other fantastically. Can’t wait to see them continue their string of successfully raw releases in 2018

Score: 4/5