So right off the bat, I’m more into rappers that rely more heavily on wordplay, craftsmanship, and storytelling, than I am the more modern acts that don’t stay on beat, or really even bother to rhyme at all anymore. A lot of today’s rappers seem to just focus on muttering buzz words and catch phrases, over some really generic drum loops. Real bars seem to be in hiding or something. I know this site caters to mostly news from 3 labels, and some gimmick heavy underground stuff. Nothing wrong with that, but I’m older now, and am over the scarecrow rappers or karate vampires schtick. I can still get down with that more grim content stuff out there though. I love horror themes and that keeps my interest, I just don’t need it dressed up as a corny zombie rapper or another one from the horde of serial killer rappers, just to sell me on it ya know. Maybe when I was a teen, but tastes change. Eh, to each their own. Anyways, mad years ago I had that first Myzery EP. I played the hell outta that cd. Of course I felt excited to get that new double album release. More so for that Demon Angel than the expanded EP, cause that’s like only half new to me. I heard the mess he dropped with Tone-Z a while back and almost slept on picking this up because of it, but then I remembered how much promise that Heaven & Hell mixtape showed. Then at the gotj merch tent, I saw that the tracklist had a feature with Freddie Foxxx on it, and I was sold. And I’ll be damned if it wasn’t Bum-Pay himself! Foxxx was always my guy! I hadn’t heard anything from him in a minute, and definitely missed what that rap general brought to the scene. Of course I copped Myzery’s new albums and as soon as I cracked it open, I had to hear that Foxxx track first. Aside from proving that he’s still an unsung G.O.A.T. in my opinion, the track was dope as fuck! I’ll get more into that track in the full review below. Now, it’s no secret that Myz is a Bronx spitta that’s been doin his thing for a grip of years now. Anyways, I never really expected that this album would hit so fukin hard, but it did. I don’t know why though, Myzery was always my go-to silencer back in the day, when those guarded hip hop purists types would try to cast shade on my music collection. I guess I just assumed that, he, like most other favorites from my youth, would sell-out and bend to whatever is trendy now. But nope, he kept it 100 here! So much so, that I felt compelled to to actually write a full review of it, which I don’t do, well, at least the Demon Angel disc. I’ve actually memorized a bit of it by now and can say that it’s a legit dose of whatever hip hop has been missing for years. Maybe even the first modern album I’ve made it more than halfway through in at least 5 or 6 years. Alright, so here’s my take on Myzery’s “Demon Angel”.

1. “Intro”: Starts with some generic busy intersection noise. A female voice brings in the chorus of an old Madonna song, but with a foreboding twist of words at the end. Nothing too crazy or special going on here. If I didn’t skip to the Freddie Foxxx track first, that intro would have lost a lot of my interest, before I even had any. In retrospect though, it’s pretty fitting for the underlying good vs evil gist of the album I guess, not to mention, her voice was a decent fit. On the real though, coulda easily been a throwaway track. 2.5/5

2. “Passion”: That’s what the fuck I’m talking about! No joke, this shit is a certified banger right here. Produced by 21 (as shouted out in the song), and delivers from start to stop. Lyrically it’s way above average. The verses and beat are a perfect pair, with wordplay taking listeners back to the golden era, with sampling precision and a beat reminiscent as to why I loved hip hop. Definitely one of the best tracks on here and an immediate question mark as to why I’m just now hearing from him again? A solid 5/5

3. “Internally Bleeding” featuring Madchild and Skitzo: Another incredible track on the album. I can’t find a single thing to gripe about. All 3 MC’s came correct as fuck. I’ve heard Madchild through the years, but mostly on features from others like Sondoobie and the Hiero crew. Always thought he was tight, but destined to be ignored by heads on some “token” white boy typecasting or comparisons to Shady. He slayed his verse! Never knew too much about Skitzo, except that he’s Natas affiliated and and the rise up. I hope this man turns some heads and continues to get his name more and more out there. His closing bars might be some of the best on the whole album. Myzery closed out the track, but as fluent as his rhyme placement was, I’m not sure if any of the bars were disses, name drops, or just a fit for some rhymes. It worked though. This track was like an odd couple of styles, but each one complimented each other perfect. 4.5/5

4. “Going Crazy” featuring Freddie Foxxx: That’s right, I said Freddie Mutha FUckin Foxxx! I know ya’ll must remember that diesel emcee from the 90’s, always booked to come in a murda a guest spot for legends like Gangstar or anybody coming out the Burroughs. He always had Eric B’s seal of approval, so you know he was no joke. Funny thing is though, while his verse was very dope and poignant, Myzery’s 3rd verse was straight crack by comparison. The beat on this one was more West Coast throwback and had the funky touch that was an old school staple. Very effective at keeping the album’s tempo moving in the right direction. 4/5

5. “Let Me Go” featuring ICP: Unfortunately, I can no longer claim that he’s kept the album sucka-free now, jk. So the features on here had me really curious. Whenever Myz did stuff with ICP in the past, it kinda came out as an instant classic. And I thought it was just a bias I had, since I always loved the fact that Psy actually had a legit rapper holding it down for the roster. I don’t think it was a just a bias though, cause you can play those tracks back today and they still bang hard. With this one, the production catches you right away, as it’s multilayered with everything it needs to work right. The lyrics for the most part a good fit, except for one of the clowns unconventional bars, but you have to have a really fine-tuned ear to let it bother you, as the mixing on his verse is especially solid. Myzery brings a bit more to the table than his clowny company, but the contrasting styles still ad enough of a blend to rate this as a keeper. 4/5

6. “Like This”: Production wise, this song is just untouchable. I don’t know if this man has an in-house producer, but whatever he’s paying out to get beats this good, he should double it and straight lock him in. The beat actually reminded me of a beat that woulda been a fair alternative to DJ Jazzy Jeff’s “Summertime”, and that’s a standout beat in hip hop history. Just a rhythmic/furious joint in which Myzery tells us straight-up how he handles his business. This song brings the tempo of the album to an all-time high so far. 5/5

7. “Knocking on Heavens Door” featuring Violent J: This track kinda blew me away. J’s voice isn’t always my thing, but this track proves that, well, the man can actually spit bars. No joking, it was actually a carefully crafted and, well, DEEP verse. Myzery laid the first and third verses on this one, but to be serious, I think Violent J’s painstakingly vulnerable content may have upstaged the Bronx Bomber here. Not sure if the beats on here are all that 21 Producer still, but the production was slower paced to compliment the songs sentimental design. 4.5/5

8. “I remember” featuring Ralphie Mundo & Fuego Flamez: Again, great production. A really addictive feel to it. Flamez is still sorta unknown to me, but I can sense that he knows how to hold his own in the booth. Mundo, again, no clue really, but he put some serious heat on it. Unfortunately, the substance of the lyrics is where I was kinda feeling like some radio play format was seeping in. I don’t have any real ammo to back this up either, just a weird sense I got like mid-way into this track. Myzery’s verse is still tight, but a bit of a departure from the lyrical jackpot found elsewhere on the album. 3/5

9. “Possessed By the Devil” featuring Bizarre and Insane Poetry: Whoa, I never thought I’d hear of Insane Poetry again (“How you gonna reason with a psycho”). Not that he was ever trash, but he just seemed outta his lane in the 90’s, with that gruesome rap. Wasn’t any real outlet for him back then, not til groups like Gravediggaz or Flatlinerz started to bubble. This is maybe the darkest song on the whole album, but again, it fits. Dark in a good way, like an old radio-unfriendly WU-Tang classic. Myzery definitely proves that he belongs in this game…just under a much brighter spotlight. His verses up to this point have still impressed with each track. Poetry was 2nd up to bat, and while he definitely managed to rip shit up, I didn’t really care for the special efx added to his vocals. Bizarre crept in dead last and finished the track off with his own brand of disturbing. And while I’m always at least borderline entertained by Bizarre, it’s no surprise that he’s always been deemed the more satire/less substance member of the mighty D12 cliq. This song reminded me that Bizarre’s emcee skills may sometimes be overlooked or too often masked by his grotesque humor. Bottom line, they all slayed this horror track. 4/5

10. “Tired of Stressin” featuring Ralphie Mundo, Rob Mar, and Nitemare: Least favorite beat and track on the album! The first MC brings some great bars, but his voice doesn’t really fare well on this track for some reason. Myzery drops some more lyrical gems, but it isn’t really enough to save this one. The chorus sounds good, but the beat reminds me of old video game noises, and void of that good bass that the other tracks showcased. 2/5

11. “1000 Bodies”: This may be the album’s best guilty pleasure. 100% misogynistic and equally as graphic. Another commanding and visceral sounding beat, to accomodate the gaudy tales of sexual conquests and perversion. This is one of those tracks that if you happen to be riding with a female and she’s feelin this one, chances are you’ve got a spring-loaded freek about to pounce. 4/5

12. “Don’t Make Me Angry”: Think Incredible Hulk for this one. I watched Myz close out his set with this one, and it’s as relentless and addictive as they come. The production has an upbeat sound, with hints of Spanish Harlem sampling weaved in. Myzery goes solo here, but still manages to capture your attention the whole way through. Very fast paced song with a commercial charm, but enough sharp edges to still keep it real.

13. “Outro” featuring Jumpsteady: No Myzery here. Just some eerie sounding spoken word by the guest spot. Or maybe he was going for an evangelistic approach, but I’m not really keen on that type of nonsense. I mean, I get that the theme of the album is like a good vs evil tone, so I see where he was going here, but I sway more towards that disciplined hip hop, versus gimmicky stuff. The audio tricks applied to Jumpsteady’s vocals towards the end was pretty unnerving though, so I guess it served its purpose here. Still it’s just an outro, aka a throw-a-way anyways, so whatevs. 2.5/5

Final Thoughts: This album is a total resurgence of what I miss in today’s hip hop. Rap is dead…or at least dying, or struggling through some sort of terminal prognosis right now. This album is a welcomed break from the norm. Not once did I have to “skip” around, and for the most part, “replay” basically got wore the fuck out. At first I felt like I was listening to some period-piece hip hop, from that golden decade. But, with more and more listens, it’s clear that it embodies the spirit of most great bookmarks, and throughout all chapters of rap. His range is all over the place, and executed properly as fuck. Does it have its drawbacks, I mean, of course. For me, I’m into a more refined hip hop from yesterday, free of hokey gimmicks, trends, and radio formulas. So yeah, the moments where the contents seems way darker, I couldn’t get into quite as much. All those darker songs grew on me though. Especially “Possessed”. Just weren’t my favs. Tracks like “Don’t Make Me Angry”, “Passion”, “Internally Bleeding”, and “Like This” are all my jam! The rest of the cuts, with the exception of “Tired of Stressin” still have a ton of replay appeal on their own. Overall, this album is probably my favorite hip hop purchase in recent years. I wouldn’t sleep on this one right here. One other small gripe I have, is that I needed more. It’s not like it was short in overall playtime or anything, but in reading online, I understand that many finished tracks were missing form the line-up. I’d love to know what those rejected tracks were like, especially featuring the star power he had hinted to. I really hope he or Psy doesn’t fail to capitalize (again) on this man’s talent, but instead realizes his more wide-scale appeal, and pumps out as many follow-up efforts as possible. And hopefully we don’t have to wade through another 20 years of near silence to get another triumphant release like this one again.