Insane E – “E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History)” review

East Palestine, Ohio emcee & graphic designer Insane E celebrating his birthday with a brand new EP. Starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s, he branched out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade & subsequently became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. Scales came a decade after The Art of Blaowww & became the Astronomicon graphic designer’s most fleshed out work, looking to speak on the E.A.R.T.H. as we know it today from a conceptual standpoint.

“Energy” opens with the trap metal experimentations that we got hear to Scales only 14 months ago pleading to feel again & be taken away whereas “Alchemy” finds Fritz the Cat instrumentally throwing it back to some of Twiztid’s earlier material talking about being out of his mind & from another time. “Reality” goes for a straightforward rap rock vibe thanks to Stir Crazy advising to stop & think of what you’re doing while “Technology” talks about humanity becoming infected by a disconnected system.

The song “History” hooks up a guitar passage & some occasional synthesizers appearing during the hook explaining that only love will remain with the past slowly fading away as time continues to slip faster as well as being open to the change once the system is broken while the closing track “With You” finishes E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) off with an acoustic boom bap crossover talking about being in his car riding with the windows unsure of where his destination is.

In preparation for Insane E’s upcoming 4th solo LP Neon Jesus & the No Clue Crew set to reunite with new music of their own, E.A.R.T.H. (Energy, Alchemy, Reality, Technology, History) offers a range of styles from the rap rock to trap metal influences within the production that we get on that previous album carrying itself over & holding down the microphone by himself for 23 & a half minutes or giving an open-minded or perhaps extra-terrestrial perspective on topics encompassing the state of our planet’s past, present & future.

Score: 4.5/5

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Insane E – “Scales” review

Insane E is a 39 year old MC & graphic designer from East Palestine, Ohio starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s before branching out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade. Subsequently, he became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. And to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of E’s sophomore effort The Art of Blaowww, I was eagerly waiting for the Astronomicon graphic designer’s 3rd album.

“In the Balance” kicks off the LP on some rap rock shit produced by Fritz the Cat opening your mind & taking a look inside whereas “Tell Me Do You Really Care?” heinously talks about hoping everyone’s paying attention to him since the end is near. “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me 2099” is a remix version of a highlight track off E’s solo debut The Fine Line, but then “Limitless” moves forward passionately talking about keeping your head up & giving it all you got.

The trap metal vibes on “Alien” suit the lyrical content of not fitting in or not belonging just before the anthemic “Chambers” featuring Zodiac MPrint finds Blaze Ya Dead Homie & The R.O.C. assisting E in running around circles chasing after what they’re looking for. “Get a Clue” takes an ominous trap route hoping that someone out there can hearing him crying leading into “Excedrin” marking a turn into boom bap territory talking about passing the over-the-counter medication to him.

“Welcome to My Gallery” fuses trap with metal once again coming to terms that he’s simply an artist searching for his inner self while “Brainwashed 2099” is another remix, this time of a Gemini Projekt track off the duo’s only album Experiment 17. “Scapegoat” brings a futuristic flare to the beat from Godsynth not giving a fuck about who hates him since he’s only moving faster up the ladder that he’s been climbing while “Bury It” featuring Jamie Madrox goes full-blown rap rock feeling like they’re losing their sanities.

We get more guitars & hi-hats on “Time” so E can ask how long will it take until Father Time starts crumbling down on us all while psychedelic “Life by Design” wants to know if everyone is living by default or design. “Let It Burn (No Return)” grimly talks about being past the point of no return while “Next Level” featuring Mr. Grey has this morbid trap groove to it discussing that they’ve been waiting too long to move up & move on.

“Homesick” nears the climax of balancing the Scales working in a stripped-back sound altogether with some acoustics courtesy of Stir Crazy talking about how there will always be a part of him back home & that the family he’s started meaning the world to him ahead of “Shift” properly concluding the album fusing electronic music & trap asking if you can feel him now.

Over a decade since we last heard from him on The Art of Blaowww & roughly 15 years that he began carving a path for himself as a solo artist, Insane E has returned to provide what I consider to be my new favorite solo effort of the 3 in his entire discography. It’s more well-produced than his last couple LPs were, he sounds focused addressing more personal subject matter & we get stronger feature performances on top of it.

Score: 4/5

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