1. Lamb Of Nothing
The Mighty Mi beat, is a classic Cage dark, gloomy instrumental, heavy with drums, strings, and an overall eerie sound, that accompanies Cage's dark delivery. His sound is very similar to the Depart From Me album, but fortunately he is actually spitting on this track, and doing so very well. You hear a lot of pain in his voice that seems still after all of these years, very genuine. The play on words at the beginning in which he includes all of his past albums' titles is very cool, and the type of thing a long time fan will find very cool. A quick warning for all you people who don't like dark music (pussies) this will not be for you. This gloomy, depressed overtone is something you can expect to hear from an entire Cage album. The few bars of singing at the end are almost like a nursery rhyme out of a horror film. The whole track is littered with classic Cage, drug references, reference to his depression, and almost nothing happy at all. This may sound like a turn off, but it makes for some great art.
2. F*** This Game
Another very obvious beat, with a dark overtone, but still well made, and relatively enjoyable. Chris brings a great flow to this track on the verses, and the hook is, while downright depressing, is very well done. From my interpretation this is a song about a girl, that Chris has had a rather rough encounter with. The hook actually consists of Chris saying he doesn't give a fuck about this person, but ironically is writing a song about them, which I guess is the whole point of the track. Some of the rhymes on the verses are very good, but there is not a lot to this track. A very good listen, but maybe not one that you will revisit every time you give them album a spin. It may be just too unnecessarily sad to be that enjoyable. I still enjoy the track, but a casual listener may find it to be a little boring or monotonous.
3. Precipiss
This was the last single released for the album, and it is fucking great. Cage seems to channel his old self, and delivers a disturbing track, that will entertain any listener, whether they are a fan of horror-core or not. Very heavy talk of drug use, and the word play and the extremely overtone make the hook absolutely awesome. The lyrics are somewhat disturbing, but this track is a lot more straight spitting than the last two tracks which were much more depressed. This is a throwback track, that delivers some lyrics that you just can't unhear, and won't want to. Nothing that will disturb you for too long, but certainly long enough to provoke a couple more listens. The line at the end about Jesus coming out of Madonna's privates, and stabbing Dave Grohl in the face to get to nirvana is both brilliant, and something that should absolutely not be said, and that is why we all love Cage. Highlight track on the album, and a good place to test the waters if you aren't sure about the album. All in all a very good track that surpasses any Cage track since Hell's Winter for sure.
4. The Hunt
This track was also a single from the album, and it takes some warming up to. The first few times I heard this track I didn't think anything of it, but the string heavy beat, and Chris' great flow over the verses is enough to make this track worth while. The hook seems pretty weak, and quite honestly a filler. It is a generic hook that may or may not have any connection to the song. The verses however like I said have a great flow, and classic Chris Palko lyrics that we all have come to love. While not nearly as good as Precipiss, this track manages to keep the album flowing very nicely. If I had to say though, I'd say Cage was definitely playing it safe on this track, which is something he is known not to do. I would also like to note on this track that Mighty Mi has done a fantastic job on the album thus far delivering some very good production that fits the situation perfectly.
5. In Your Fur
Very different from the production we have heard on the previous tracks, this is a very noisey beat, very heavy in bass. Cage raps through a megaphone like effect, and definitely delivers on this track, delivering another sick track. This track talks about skinning people's live animals and wearing the skin, along with some drug references, because what the hell is a Cage track without talking about drugs? He spits straight up on this track, which is once again awesome, but it's like this is only half a track. It is so short that Cage can hardly build any momentum on the verses. Aside from the length, this song is dope as hell, and an over looked gem on this album.
6. You Were The S*** (In High School)
The beat on this track reminded me a lot of the track "Dead" off of the Waterworld album (check that ahit out, fuck it, check out that whole album it is fucking genius) which immediately makes me think of it fondly. This track consists of Cage comparing himself to a high school hot shot who has made a lot of bad decisions. While the rhyming on this track is exceptional, and I really like it as a whole, does Chris not remember most of his life? This is a former PCP addict, a guy who has tried to kill himself because of drugs, and has overdosed multiple times, talking bad about a guy for snorting coke, as if he himself has made any decisions worse than those that Chris made. I'm not judging either party, it just seems that given Chris' past, he may not want to be so quick to judge. Forgetting all of that nonsense though, this is a very enjoyable listen, and a well performed song.
7. Watch Me
Yet another single off of this album. Somehow this album seemed to have very little promotion, but still had four singles released in a very short span of time. This song is more along the lines of The Hunt, being as it has the same safe feeling. I enjoy the verses a lot, and the hook is average as hell, all accompanied by another solid Mighty Mi production. There isn't much to dislike about this song, but there also isn't too much you would get excited about. If this hadn't been a single, it may have bren completely lost in the shuffle of the album. Not to say this is a bad or even boring song, it just doesn't have that special "Cage Factor" that usually makes his songs incredibly unique and fun to listen to.
8. Cursed
I fucking love this track. I loved it at first listen, and after numerous listens I still absolutely love this track. The beat is very eerie, and the flow over the verse, and even the hooks is possibly the best on the album. The switch in the beat, along with a different flow is also a very entertaining and cool switch in the song, only for it to switch back a few bars later. The lyrics are somewhat shocking, but still very good, as well as creepy. This is not a song you want to play for your child at bedtime, but is just creepy enough to make you feel like a bad ass while listening to it. With some of the best production, rhymes, and flows on the whole album, needless to say, I see this track as a highlight on this album.
9. They Suck
A lot of this album has had a very similar sound on the production. Not to say that this is bad, or that the sound has gotten boring, but the beat on this track, especially on the hook is fucking dope. As far as Chris' performance, he brings it again. The verses are very classic creepy, depressed Cage, but the hook is way the fuck out there. All of the sudden the beat gets a lot noisier, and Cage repeats the line, " They suck your dick, even though they really hate you," a few times. That doesn't sound anything like the rest of the album, and it is a fun refreshing change of pace, that I like a lot. This song is just a little above average in the whole scheme of the album, and takes some time to get used to, but there are some great moments to take away from this one.
10. This Place
This Place is the only single on the album that competed with just how fucking good Precipiss is. The great thing about this track, is that it is somewhat positive. The best sounds almost uplifting, and the rhymes are very relatable and even border on inspirational at points. The hook on this track not only carries the best message of any chorus on the album, but is also catchy as hell. The verses talk about how people can lose themselves on a quest for success. He also questions his legacy, and looks back on his career as a whole, and how far he has come as a human being since his early days. One of the standout lines on this track is, " back when I thought cold turkey was a fucking sandwich," in reference to his intense drug use in the past. Another very clever line was the bit about Meth and Macaulay Culkin, and this is one that you just have to listen to. Crazy fucking good track.
11. Road Kill
A very guitar heavy beat, which has become the usual on this album, much more fast-paced than the average beat on this album, accompanies so spitting by Cage. There is no real theme to this track, and it lacks a hook all together (which in this case, and many others isn't a problem at all to me, just makes it feel a little less like a cohesive track, and more like a freestyle) but it is a fine track. Good flow, and enough cleverness in the lyrics to warrant a listen or two. The track is just about two and a half minutes, and feels shorter than that, so it by no means makes or breaks the album in any way.
12. My Dog Is Dead
I know I've labeled a few of the tracks on this album as standouts, but this one knocks the shit out of the park. This is one of my favorite Cage songs ever. The production is on point, Cage is actually rapping, which is what he obviously does best, and the hook is terrific. In case you are slow, to put it simply, I fucking love this track. The beat starts off very slowly with Cage mumbling a few things, and then the beat smacks you straight in the face. The verses have the same effect. The rhyming sounds just as good as Cage ever has over this beat, and the lyrics are terrific as well. No instance of word play really stands out, but as a whole, lyrically this is one of the better performances on the album. The hook damn near summarizes Cage's entire career, and he is basically saying he will keep up his dastardly ways until he dies. This would have been a terrific way to bring the album to an end, but alas we have another track.
13. I Don't Know You
Well, the album should have ended at the last track. This isn't horrible, but it isn't exactly good. (This coming from the biggest Cage stan you will ever meet) He half sings half raps what can basically be characterized as an anti love ballad. Something we heard a few too many times on Depart From Me. I am not a very big fan of this track, but maybe some of Cage's female fans will appreciate this track. I don't know exactly what purpose this song served, but we are now forced to deal with that fact that it happened.
Bonus Tracks:
14. Kill The Architect
Now why the hell wasn't this track on the real album? Chris sounds fucking awesome on this track for about a minute, before taking a minute of silence. There are absolutely no emotional overtones on this track, it is simply a dope hip-hop song, that I would've loved to see end the actual album, rather than that horse shit we actually got (see track 13). This track is extremely short, and after the rapping is done, an altered voice talks for a couple sentences about how sick Cage is. It is actually a pretty cool point, that Cage is an adult with documented mental health issues, and is saying all of this crazy shit in his songs.
15. Merry Mythras
This is another bonus track that will fucking kick your ass. This is just as dope, if not better than Kill The Architect, and for a lot of the same reasons. The beat is very electric guitar heavy, and sounds a lot like an old El-P beat, which makes me shed a reminiscent tear for the Weathermen. Aside from the kick ass beat, the spitting on this track is incredible. More straight up rapping, which was something I would have liked to see a little bit more of on the actual album. There isn't much to say about this track, other than that combined with Kill The Architect, it officially warrants a purchase of the deluxe version of this album.
16. Wildlife Awaits
This right here is what we are used to seeing in bonus tracks. This was probably scrapped from the project at the last minute, and quite honestly would have fit in just fine in the scheme of the album. It has a similar beat, lyrical content, and flow to the rest of the album. Nothing special here, but I already suggested a purchase for the deluxe version, and the last two tracks still back that statement up, not to say this is a bad song, just the same.
17. F*** This Game (Remix)
Hey you, yeah you. Did you like Fuck This Game so much the first time that you just had to hear it with a very slightly different beat? If you are anything like me then the answer to that question would be, hell no. Maybe it is slightly better, but really, who the hell cares?
Rating: 3.5/5
You may notice that this is a better rating than the one Movies For The Blind received, and I stand by that. I like his debut about five times more than I like this project, but it was such a rookie effort. It was a lot of songs thrown together, and it is obvious that Chris has matured, and churned out a very good LP that sounded like it belonged as a full length album, rather than a compilation of songs. This was very well produced across the board, and Cage managed to show me that he still has plenty left in the tank to put out music that I will love. This album has some flaws, much like most albums do, but I feel like the good on this project far outweighs the bad, and has left me a satisfied Cage fan. Hopefully we will see some collaboration with his old pals on future Cage albums, but for now he wants to do things on his own, which is something I can respect. Overall very good entertaining album, but it won't be for every casual hop-hop fan.