Review: Twiztid – The Darkness
Artist: Twiztid
Album: The Darkness (Official Merch Store)
Rating: 8.5/10
History has taught us that more people are afraid of the dark than anything else in their lives. Why? It’s simple… the media portrays the dark as the home for many twisted, evil beings/happenings. So for those who have overcome their fear of the darkness… how did you do it? It’s likely you were intrigued by the unknown… the mysticism, the magic and, overall, the intrigue of what lies beyond the naked eye. For over 20 years, the original Demented Duo has been lying in wait for each and every one of those brave enough to enter their domain: The Darkness. That duo is made up of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, better known as Twiztid. For those brave souls, these 2 beings take it upon themselves to teach you all of the wonders that the darkness can hold. These two misunderstood beings, like many Juggalos before them, unlock the mind’s eye, teaching you about all of the wickedry in the world… and how they’ve dealt with it for the many years they’ve been around. Despite their raps about murder, gang life and other occult things… these are nothing more than a persona. In reality, these are two incredibly down-to-earth individuals who are down for their fans (aka their “Juggalo Family”) as much as their fans are for them. They are the product of many years of blood, sweat and tears in the rap game… the true struggle… and The Darkness will quickly destroy any talk of them having “lost their flavor”.
While they have gone in a dark direction before, this album speaks volumes for just how Twiztid these two can get! They decided to drop the more “mainstream” sound that they had started to turn towards on their last 2 EPs for old-school beats, incredibly raw raps and lyrics that will make your skin crawl… yet make you truly think about the world. The Darkness is not for the faint of heart… this album is the darkest, realest and most thought-provoking rap album of 2015 without a doubt. With tracks like “In Hell” which deals with the subject of Madrox dying and being trapped in hell, followed by “Back to Hell” that speaks of how Monoxide saved him but all he wants to do is return to hell because the world has become such a horrible place. It gets pitch black as you go farther into the album and the band even recommends that you wear a blindfold as you listen to the album from front to back. This is an album that is void of all subliminal messages, it’s an album that doesn’t rely on radio play, an album that is truly worthy of many plays. From the dope beats to the dark lyrics, the production and even the new elements (there’s some symphonic parts if you listen closely)… it doesn’t try to distract you from how deep it is. Very few rap groups ever attempt this method and even fewer have done it successfully. Say what you will but Twiztid has been making underground rap for many, many years and I’m entirely certain they won’t be disappearing any time soon.
I challenge you to ask yourself this after listening to The Darkness: Are you still afraid of the dark or have you been captivated by the occult magick within? The Darkness will be released on the band’s newly founded label, Magick Ninja Entertainment on January 27th, 2015 and you’re a fool if you don’t pick it up! Check it out EXCLUSIVELY on Rdio, just sign up and press play!