Vinnie Paz- Season of the Assassin (Babygrande/ Enemy Soil )
Philadelphia's Jedi Mind Tricks and (from all over) Army of the Pharaohs have been part of the soundtrack to my life for most of the last decade. Most of that has revolved around Vinnie Paz's rugged lyrical style. Whether it is due to the intense lifestyle or the heavy metal/hardcore influence, Paz's voice has gotten more and more rugged with each release. The subject matter has almost always stayed violent and angry throughout. I guess that's one way of getting out your frustration. On his debut solo release, Paz displays his versatility as a rapper. On the opening track "Beautiful Love" I am reminded of why I became obsessed with Jedi Mind Tricks As Vinnie says himself on the track: "I'm just giving the fans another anthem, this is just another example of my expansion." That basically sums up this whole record for me. While he is still always developing as a lyricist, it is good to see Paz still kill it on a tight beat. He also goes off like this on the joint "Righteous Kill." Produced by Lord Finesse and Davel "Bo" McKenzie, this is one of the tightest beat on the record. My only complaint about this record is that there's 21 tracks on this record and no interludes. I would have been happy with 16. Twelve of those tracks feature an eclectic bunch of guest appearances. Aside from his usual go to guys (Ill Bill, R.A. The Rugged Man, Demoz, Block McCloud), there are a few appearance that are somewhat surprising (Freeway, Clipse, Beanie Sigel, and Paul Wall). My favorite Paz verse of all the collabo cuts is on the track "Street Wars." Other producers featured on this record include DJ Muggs, Madlib, Shuko, Bronze Nazareth, DC The Midi Alien, Fizzy Womack (of the World Famous M-O-Fuckin-P!), Da Beatminerz, and 4th Disciple.
I really enjoyed this record, more than the last two Jedi Mind Tricks and at as much as Legacy of Blood. All of the heavy hitters on this record really make me excited to hear another JMT record. Check out the video, and tell me the guest appearance at the end isn't ill (one legged army dude...). That makes me feel even dumber for not going to Buffalo tonight.
Grave Maker- Ghosts Among Men ( Victory Records)
Hailing from the Northwest on their second LP and Victory Records debut, Grave Maker really rip it up. Of course when you play a style like this you know you aren't going to breaking any new ground. But I will always have a place in my mind for a band that plays good traditional hardcore. Most of my musician friends that don't like hardcore will call this an easy task, but I like to think differently. So many hardcore bands come and go but very few can actually have staying power. Bands like Terror, Bane, Madball, Sick of It All, and the like have been able to stick around mostly for the same reason. I'm not saying Grave Maker is in that class of hardcore bands yet, but I do think that bands like them and Trapped Under Ice can carry that torch far into the future. This album is twelve tracks of well produced, well written hardcore. They have all the chant sing alongs, the mosh parts, and the good fast parts that you need from a band like this. What sets this band apart from a lot of other current hardcore bands is the songwriting and the musicianship. This isn't just another run of the mill borecore band. I still have yet to see this band live yet and they are even playing in Buffalo tonight with Terror! I plan to see them at some point before this year is over.
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