Some people may have soured on Inspectah Deck after the last WuTang release, but if history holds true, that should not steer listeners away from this project. INS' lack of drive and inspiration stemmed more from a dissatisfaction with the creative direction of the RZA. It's not that he can't rap any more, but rather he wasn't inspired to lay some of his more quality verses on a project that he didn't fully believe in. What Czarface seems to do for Deck is give him an outlet to flex creatively. Both him and Eso are often placed and Echelon or two below the greats. I'm not saying they are top 15 rappers of all time, but they are some of the more underrated rappers of the last 20 years. Most of the most iconic Wu Tang songs have featured great verses from Deck, and while hisbsolo career never reached the heights of Ghost, Raekwon, or GZA, he did put out a few good albums, as well as his work with Czarface. Don't think of this as the jaded member of the Wu Tang Clan, but rather the still very fresh member of Czarface and you should be fine.
Like I said, this album should deliver on a few key components, good old school production, and great lyrics. 7L and Eso especially have a formula that has worked wonders for them throughout their lengthy career, and I can't imagine being terribly caught off guard by anything I hear on this album. Sometimes, as I believe in this case, predictability can be good, and you can expect to sit back and enjoy this project without having to think about it too much.
1. Don The Armor
This serves as an intro to the title, and general idea of the album. Nothing more than a simple intro, with that Saturday morning superhero cartoon sound to it. Nothing too special, but only about forty five seconds long.
2. Czartacus
With this track we have the first awesome "czar" pun. This song gets going as soon as it begins with Deck immediately coming on the mic with a braggadocios tone and bravado that he was lacking on the last Wu Tang album. The beat has an awesome guitar riff loop, and the same banging drums that 7L blessed us with on the first album. Esoteric handles the second verse in the very same way Deck handled the first. Both rappers sound incredibly fresh, and the wrestling promo samples on the hook add to the gimmick they built on the last album.
3. Lumberjack Match
Yet another wrestling reference, which in case you hadn't noticed is something that I always welcome. This song has a pretty similar instrumental to the first, but that is welcome given the nature of the production. The rapping on this track is done at a faster pace, as the two trade off with really no breaks. The two rattle off boasts and obscure references that consistently entertain.
4. Nightcrawler (ft. Method Man)
I absolutely love the boom bap feel on this track. The sample on the hook adds an element of soul, that is naturally complimented by the organs on the beat, which also fucking knock. Little more can be said about how incredible the two star emcees are on this track that I didn't mention in the last two songs. The only difference here is that we have Method Man tearing it up like only he can. This served as the lead single, and with good reason. It showcases the best qualities of all the involved artists. A definite must listen for a hip-hop fan.
5. World Premier (ft. Large Professor)
The second feature on the album weirdly enough works just as well as the first. Large Professor has a throwback feel without sounding dated at all, and given the insane throwback production, he sounds right at home. The bass on this track is insane if listening in the car is your thing. Deck really shines on this track with everything from a Ultramagnetic MCs nod, to a shout out to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Eso verse at the end is then the icing on the cake. The man seriously had the balls to call himself Ric Flair mixed with MC Ren. Mad respect Esoteric.
6. The Great (Czar Guitar)
This is the point in the review where I may get overly redundant. With no deeper content here at all, both rappers manage to entertain beyond belief with nothing but pure boast raps. Another dope beat, which almost goes without saying at this point. Nothing new to the album here, but far from digression. I could listen to a thousand songs that sound exactly like this.
7. Red Alert
This song has a drastic change in pace and tone. The drums bang much harder, and there is a noticeable lack of intense guitar. Eso begins the song by almost half assing his verse, while acknowledging he is doing so. That's right, Esoteric goes half speed and says that he is "taking this verse off" and it still manages to be awesome. Deck also slows it down, but brings a little more intensity. Despite being one of the more relaxed songs this duo has ever made, it is one of my favorites. What I can't make sense of is the skit at the end. Two kids are going on and on about something but I can't tell that it contains anything relevant.
8. Junkyard Dogs (ft. Juju of the Beatnuts)
This is another slower, more relaxed song, but still contains nothing but flexing. I don't mean to take anything away from Juju, but his feature is easily the weakest on the album so far. He sounds far from the quality of the other rappers on the song, specifically so in this case. His line about Gilbert Arenas is brilliantly hilarious. I generally don't love punchline rap, but Esoteric really makes it work here. Deck also makes a killer appearance, but almost comes off as an afterthought.
9. Sgt. Slaughter
Rebel must have taken that afterthought comment to heart because he absolutely murders this track. His sports references makes the track an extremely fun listen for a sports nerd like myself. The militant drums and hard guitar riffs accompany the title of the track (yet another wrestling nod) very well. Esoteric rides the beat like only he can, and the song comes to a close after only two minutes.
10. When The Gods Go Mad (ft. The Gza)
This is another very high quality rap song for all of the same reasons that the rest have been. It works on every level, and The Gza sounds incredible. It is hard for me to imagine that two of the rappers contributed to an album last year that was as bad as the recent Wu Tang release was. Esoteric was also hilarious on this song with his Groot, Coach K, and Agents of SHIELD lines. This is a real treat for old Wu Tang fans.
11. Ka-Bang (ft. MF DOOM)
First and foremost, whoever did the credits for this album forgot that it was all caps when you spell the name, but I won't dare make that mistake. MF DOOM begins this track on a beat that sounds like they made it specifically for him, and he rides it well. If you like MF DOOM you will like this verse. However, his rhymes are much more esoteric (unintended) than that of his partners in crime on this track. While all three kill their verses, this is far from a cohesive song, and if that is something that will bug you, you won't love this song. It is still worth noting that all three verses are great, and this may contain Eso's best verse on the entire project.
12. Deadly Class (ft. Meyhem Lauren)
This may just be a personal gripe, but I don't love the feature on this track. The AOTP affiliate can obviously rap, but he reminds me of Nas a little too much, and in 2015 Nas does not interest me at all. Like I said, that may just be personal, but it starts the song off on a sour note. By the end of it, Deck and Eso have made me forget all about his verse, so the song isn't bad, but in such a positive review, I have to reach for a few negatives.
13. Escape From Czarkham Asylum
My personal favorite pun of the album also produces what may be my favorite track, but if I were to give a breakdown of everything that happens here, I may have to start a new review. This eight minute monster is more like five songs jammed into one, that still manages to be oddly cohesive. This song contains some of the best rapping I have heard all year, which is something I haven't heard that much of. The song making may not be brilliant, but the flat out rapping more than makes up for it. Everything works here to the point that I have no problem with casually throwing this on, even given the eight minute run time. I think the highlight for me is the last portion when it is just Esoteric killing shit for the last minute of the song, but Deck has his fair share of highlights. Once again, any hip-hop traditionalists will love this, and should at least listen to this song. You'll thank me.
14. Sinister
Serving as a comedown for me personally, this is a very good song. This was another single that serves to showcase the abilities of all three components of Czarface. Nothing terribly inventive here in terms of the album, just more of the same high quality music we have become accustom to on this album. The humor on the post track skit is also worth noting.
15. Good Villains Go Last (ft. RA The Rugged Man)
This is the last song on the standard issue of the album, and will be the last I talk about, because it ends the album with an absolute bang. At first this seems like more of the same, if not a little better in terms of quality of the song. Both Deck and Eso bring their A Game, but the real story here is the verse that RA brings at the end. He blows the whole shit out of the water, and closes the album in the best way I could have imagined. His verse was the tits.
Rating 4/5
This is a very strong four. As close as an album can possibly get to 4.5 without being there. This album is an improvement in every facet from the debut of this group. If you are well versed in the history of this blog you will see that it did, however, receive the exact same rating. Two things contribute to that: retrospectively, I was a little kind to the original album, and sometimes albums of different quality can receive the same score. This isn't an exact science by any means, but trust me when I tell you that this album is more than worth your time. The tracks fly by, as not a single one is less than entertaining, and that is really all you can ask for from an album. If every single track is sonically pleasing, I have no choice but to call this a great album.