Twiztid - Abominationz (2012 Special Edition) - Let's not beat around the bush. Twiztid's last album sucked. There was one good song on that one, and I only really liked it because of one fucking line or two. But this disc sees the duo coming back with a ferocity that I haven't heard from them in years. The disc starts out with the odd "Bad Side 4:04" which has a dark sort of vocal style in addition to speedy rap vocals. Madrox and Monoxide are really showing their skills on this one, really spitting out rhymes like a fucking fire hydrant. This is the very nature of rap music, and rappers these days seem to forget exactly what rap is - beats and rhymes, not a repeated word or chorus. I am also sick of this "slow rap" crap which sounds like dumbed down music to me. I also don't like the new brand, "Hip-Hop." I'm not hopping my hips to this stuff, but my head is slightly bumping and I guess that's just part of the experience when listening to the music. As for "head bumping" as opposed to "head banging" which is what one does to metal; this is a disc that one can certainly enjoy in such a fashion, as songs like "Unstoppable 4:32", "Rep That Wicked 3:31."
I also need to talk about the interludes. These interludes are actually great, as the first one "He's Looking At Me 1:00" involves two guys trying to decide whether or not to stab someone, and the second one "Psychopathic Psychiatric Hotline 1:20" one-up's a popular cell-phone ringtone that I'm sure you've heard before. But I think they do it justice. The next one is "Unable To Escape From A Seemingly Impending Evil 2:42" which is pretty fucking devious in all honesty. It involves a home invasion and homicide. It's kind of tough to listen to, even though it's all a gag. I think... Definitely something that would also work with death metal, whether you want to believe it or not.
Speaking of the other tracks, I definitely need to talk about "Blood... All I Need 3:23" which reminds me of ICP's several "stab" songs, or "Cut Myself" from Dark Lotus, but not quite as good as that. It's no Necro, but it's done well enough and features a few rock riffs and some drums. "Lift Me Up 4:00" didn't do much for me at first, but you can't deny how good of a rhyme flow that Madrox has on this one. That's the shit that got me into dark rap music - the fact that these vocals are coming out of real emotion. "Extension Chords 3:08" is a little jazzy, "Coin Flip Lunatic 2:37" definitely sounds more gangsta style, with the clap track and standard beats - but it works, and is definitely "murder rap." These guys love to sing about knives.
"This Is Your Anthem 3:51" is exactly what you'd expect. It's a rockier track with some damned good rhymes. I don't really like the chorus, but Madrox is literally spitting some of the best shit I've heard from him in years. The title track "Abominationz 5:04" with it's "bump" style, but I actually like the track and it features ICP as guest vocalists. This track is the longest on the album and I feel that it does the disc justice. "Nightmarez 3:17" creeps up next with the same style as "Bad Side." This style seems to work well for the band, I never thought the grizzled vocal could ever work for them. I also like when they add some psychotic vocals and slight moments of insanity on this one. "2nd 2 No 1 3:33" features a female vocal on the chorus, but the rhymes are strong and it really does solidify their place in the world of real rap music. Not the crap you hear these days.
Now here's the killer. Yeah, I do like it - but it's not how you'd expect an album like this to end, with a ballad. The disc ends with "Love Don't Live Here Anymore - It's Been Cold Since You've Been Away 4:41." It's a ballad that features a female vocal, and it's quite catchy. Definitely not recommended for the people who want deathier territory, but it's a ballad that's done right. So that's all I'll say about it. Still very odd for them to end this disc with it.
Alright, so there's an interlude where the group even tries to make comedy out of the sorrow with "It's Hard To Smile When You're... 1:07" and basically that's where these guys are crying and one of them laughs and then they both start crying and laughing at the same time.
Bonus Tracks:
I don't know how these are set up, but I'm thinking that two versions of the disc came out and each one has a track by Madrox or Monoxide, depending on what version you got (Edit: Check the image.) Either that, or they're on the limited or special edition of the disc. Regardless, I got the reviewer's special which means to go find it online so that I can review it for you folks who might be on the fence after that last one. But as I always say, if you did do download it without the intention of promotion, (unlike I'm doing here, obviously) then please go buy some of their merch or go see them at a show. Hallowicked has already went and passed, but I'm sure they're going to do plenty of shows for this record. So get out there and show these guys some love. Or buy a shirt or something. They worked hard to make the music. Support them somehow.
Return Of The Pervert (Madrox) 3:53 - This track is sexually explicit, obviously. If you're in the need of a good song about fucking, this one will do that for you. But not all ladies in the world are going to be too keen on it.
Sux 2 B U (Monoxide) 3:47 - Monoxide didn't do this one alone, and he's got two other rappers on here. One of them is quite odd, (but I didn't catch his name) he has a geeky way of rapping that I think is worth checking further into. Monoxide takes the next line and then we've got Glasses Malone and he's pretty hardcore gangsta. Not to mention that we've got guns cocking and shooting throughout the song, which is about busting some caps, quite literally. It won't remove Juggalos from the FBI's gang list, but it's a good song and it's worth checking out.
So there you have it. The long awaited follow-up to Twiztid's horrible last effort. And was it worth it? Fuck yes. Do yourself a favor and go buy this motherfucker. This is what you wanted to hear from Twiztid all along, and they've delivered. The group hasn't been this strong in years, and it's certainly another peak for the group. This is horrorcore the way it was supposed to sound, and they brought it back. These guys fooled around with some whimsical shit on some of their older albums, but this brings the real "kill you" nature back to the forefront. It's like a horrorcore rebirth, and gives me faith for the genre's future. ICP wasn't so great this time around, but Twiztid sure fucking was.
Best rap album of the year, hands down.
Highlights: I'd recommend everything except for "It's Hard To Smile When You're..." and "Return Of The Pervert" which was a little too lewd for my tastes. To tell you the truth, the bonus tracks aren't really that great, but get them if you've got to have them. (18 Tracks, 59:00 W/Both Bonus Tracks)
10/10
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