by Backwash

Released June 20, 2021 via UglyHag Records
Reviewed July 12, 2021
Top tracks (based on community voting)
I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (78%), TERROR PACKETS (41%), BURN TO ASHES (36%)
Metal and rap have crossed paths numerous times before, with some highlights including Rage Against The Machine (1992) and Hybrid Theory (2000), among a slurry of lows. Thankfully, Backxwash contributes to the genre’s upper echelon of releases. Following plentiful material throughout 2020, including the award-winning God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It, Backxwash slowly builds on the near-perfect execution of heavy horrorcore on her latest release. Here, she narrows scope, with a focus on rap-metal fusions rather than the broader industrial subgenres seen last year. Vicious, thumping industrial pairs with spoken-rapped verses on the title track, creating a comfortable cognitive dissonance, while Black Dress’ Ada Rook shrieks a raspy chorus to flesh out the instrumental atmosphere. The comparably quieter “BLOOD IN THE WATER'' is still aggressive and quick-tempo, with masterful production from noise-rap futurists clipping. Covering relatively rare themes in the genre - gender identity, condemnation of xenophobia and religion, as well as ensuing social implications - allows I LIE HERE BURIED… to criticise issues in a harsh detail that wouldn’t neatly fit on an industry-plant-bedroom-pop record. Backxwash continues to be confrontational, whether it be through instrumental composition, lyricism, or vocal delivery. – Cam (8.3/10)
Backxwash’s fourth studio album is a great mixture of industrial metal and hardcore hip-hop, and definitely resides among the most memorable releases of the year. Similar to what its introduction says about pain, I LIE HERE… is attention-grabbing first and foremost. With an off-the-wall sound, it’s evident that Backxwash knows how to establish a terrifying atmosphere. She also delivers impressive performances, mainly through her lyrics and choruses; it might be hard to notice at first given the album’s nature, but she’s an incredibly talented rapper. But returning to the intro track, it states that a little bit of pain can be a good thing; it seems Backxwash turned her little bit of pain into a fine piece of art. – Alan (8.1/10)
Backxwash’s trend of increasingly intense and terrifying records continues with her latest album, in which she wickedly blends rap, metal and industrial influences. I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES not only doubles down on, but adds a thick layer of sludge to the sound of its predecessor, 2020’s God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It. Previous albums by the Zambian Canadian self-producing emcee have featured drum loops and samples that were firmly rooted in the industrial underground hip-hop archetype. But, I LIE HERE BURIED turns an apparent corner towards a hybrid of heavy rock and metal stylistically. While the noisy element and brutal edge to Backxwash’s music has long existed, it now becomes the stylistic centerpiece of her latest album, with smoldering production and unhinged vocal performances by all. With the music aesthetically ripe with such abrasive qualities, the cathartic and political lyrics throughout go that much further, making I LIE HERE BURIED one of the most ferocious rap albums to arrive in the 2020’s thus far. – DeVán (7.5/10)
Cam: 8.3/10 | Alan: 8.1/10 | Dominick: 8/10 | Jared: 8/10
DeVán: 7.5/10 | Peter: 7.5/10 | Daniel: 6.5/10
Comments