MJA
The best rapcore album ever. Period. No exceptions. Over a decade after the first rap-metal song came out, we finally got an album that a) took talent to write, b) is worth listening to, c) doesn’t have any lyrics telling us what a badazz the singer is (or at least a LOT less than you’ll find in most albums that have anything to do with rap), and d) and is actually (get this) somewhat intelligent. I was scared to death before actually listening to this album, because the dude on the cover has his face hidden in a similar way to the way the dude’s face was hidden on Significant Other (though maybe that’s some whoop-azz rappa style I don’t know about), and I wasn’t in the mood for any Bizkit crap. But this is far form Bizkit crap. So are all the muthas in tha house ready to hear ’bout this album? Good!
First off, there are no crappy intros on this album or anything like that. This is not just some rap album with heavy guitars thrown into the background, nor is it a rapping unmelodic metalfest. No, actually, believe it or not, there are actually a few places on this album where you can actually find melody. I am not kidding here. And the lyrics? Excellent. If you’re sick of choruses like “Suffocation. No breathing.” or “I should’ve left my pants on this time” littered across crappy rap-metal tunes, you’ll be very happy with what you find here. “Crawling in my skin/Consuming all I feel/Fear is how I fall/Confusing what is real” and “The memory now is like the picture was then/When the paper’s crumbled up it can’t be perfect again” are just a couple examples of lyrics on this album that anyone will admit are at least a dozen light-years beyond those of every other rapcore band out there.
Now let’s hit a few of the songs. The single off the album is “Crawling,” and let me just tell you that the first time I listened to this album I did not know this, but when the CD player hit track 5 the song wasn’t playing ten seconds when I was certain that it was the single. It just had that radio-friendly sound. So is it good? I think so. And even it you have heard it on the radio and don’t think so, I’d still suggest that you look into this album a little more, because there is still so much that it has to offer. The opening “Papercut” actually has some real singing in it in the end, true harmony. And the intro “With You” is very moving. Not to mention “Runaway” has a very moody beat to it. “In The End” is one of the most dramatic songs out of any metal genre un the past few years, with a sad piano line and wonderful chorus, and it’s followed by an almost equally powerful tune called “A Place for My Head,” which unfortunately does fall into a bit of pointless screaming during the bridge, but other than that it’s a great song.
And toward the end we have two of the finest songs in the whole rap-metal genre. “Forgotten” begins with angry rapping, but when the verses come in, Linkin Park’s unique style shines through again, and the chorus might be the melodic highpoint of the album. And following “Cure for the Itch” (the only real flaw on the album, a dull instrumental with only a couple good moments) we get the absolute best song on the album, and one of the top songs from rap-metal, and for that matter the whole newmetal movement in general, “Pushing Me Away,” which is surpassed only by P.O.D.’s “Full Color” because it is shorter. It’s one of the only two songs from this style of music that truly makes itself seem like a little more than just a song, and almost a work of art. No kidding.
So, in short, if you like Limp Bizkit or Papa Roach or whatever other rapcore band is out there in the least, or if you’re just curious about the genre, get this album now. The All Music Guide states that this album has nothing new to add to the whole rapcore movement, but I have to disagree. Sure, they do use too many of the normal rap-metal cliches (and that, along with the lack of variety, is why I have to rate an otherwise great album so low), but they are one of the only (if not THE only) major rap-metal band that seems to care much more about their music than their image, and quality more than all out unmelodic badass rocking. And the melodic choruses seem to be a first too. It’s probably still just “too little too late” for the genre itself, but other than these few flaws you’re left with an astonishing set of songs, the only thoroughly satisfying rapcore album.
