January 7, 2005

{ Dalek - Absence }

With his second full-length on Ipecac records, Dalek continues to explode all common preconceived notions of hip-hop, showing how truly mutable, dark and original the form can actually be. Those fed on a steady diet of cookie-cutter rap crap will likely find little to love here- Absence is not for the weak-hearted or the narrow-minded. Aggressively intelligent and politically aware, Dalek marries horror-movie grooves to confrontational lyrics, producing an apocalyptic brew that seeps into your mind like a slowly spreading bloodstain. Having toured with the likes of Tomahawk, ISIS, KRS-One, De La Soul, The Melvins, and Grandmaster Flash, Dalek's sound is truly diverse enough to comfortably bridge the gap between noise-metal and hardcore political rap without coming off soft on either front. Haunting sample tracks, intricate scratch-work and gritty beats (courtesy of producer Oktopus and turntablist Still) provide the backdrop for Dalek's paranoid-with-a-purpose rhymes. The album has a very industrial feel, enhanced by the End Times lyrical vibe, it's the sonic equivalent of an irradiated wasteland. The clarity and precision with which Dalek spits his lines seem to be the only form of order left in a world over-run with chaos. If you're having trouble wrapping your brain around this, imagine Automator and Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon project stripped of it's inherent cheesiness, infused instead with a double-helping of noxious truths, and you're starting to get the picture. Drop by deadverse.com, Dalek's official site, to peep the lyrics and hear some samples to get the full story. It's exciting to hear something this fresh, to know that hip-hop still has room to grow, that it refuses to simply stagnate.

» Dalek on Ipecac
» ..::deadverse::..

By Adam in Music | Comments: