I suppose I should be impervious to the close-mindedness and xenophobia in the metal community after two decades, but it still strikes a nerve whenever I hear someone bitching about "that rap crap" - not only is it stupid to dismiss a form of music whose underground is as diverse and thriving as heavy metal's, but it often smacks of barely-suppressed racism as well. Seriously, judging an entire genre by what you hear on the radio is just as reductive as saying all heavy metal sounds like and is a valid as the faddish deathcore clones and seemingly unkillable nu-metal knuckledraggers that represent heavy metal to the straight world.Enough sermonizing: let's get down to it. Long-time Philly underground champ Last Emperor has made a niche for himself weaving dense, allegorical rhymes on a wide variety of subjects, from cryptozoology to comic books, from metaphorical rap tyranny to literal anti-fascism, from wizards to womens. This album is thick with jokes and references, serious-minded at its core but wrapped in layers of strangeness. Do yourself a favor and stretch those brain cells out a bit - too much death metal makes your mind mushy.
Hold On
Ignorance rules the world, I hear "metal is just puking in the microphone" "techno is just one stupid beat for ten minutes" "hip-hop is just some nigger talking about bitches to crappy music". I stopped paying attention long ago, but sometimes I have my rage moments about it, too.
ReplyDeleteNot sure whether I said it somewhere here - I love your blog. Its consstent inconsistence of sorts, it just has the right feeling. I remember coming here for the firt time, seeing the swamp pic and the title - "Lovecraftian and Dystopian music". I fell in love instantly. Thank you and keep going!
You're welcome, glad you like it.
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