This album was released on April 12th this year. This is Diabolic’s third album. His last album was released all the way back in 2014. Vanderslice is an underground producer who I’ve heard a few beats from. He had some placements on a few Army of the Pharaohs albums. He also released an album last year that was stacked with heavyweight features. He’s cool. His beats never really blow me away, but they’re not bad at all. I think Diabolic will fit pretty well over his production. Speaking of Diabolic, I think he’s a really talented MC, but I’m not really a fan of him as a person. When he started beefing with Talib Kweli I kinda stopped fucking with him. I still like his music, but he seems like kind of a stupid prick. If he wasn’t such a dope rapper I wouldn’t be listening to this. I guess that goes without saying though. Anyway, one thing I loved about his first two albums is that they had some really great features. He worked with Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique, Canibus, Celph Titled, Apathy, Locksmith, R.A. the Rugged Man, Nino Bless, and Sean Price among others. I unfortunately can’t really say the same thing for this album. The only feature I’m actually familiar with is Nems. Hopefully the guys I’ve never heard of end up satisfying me. Anyway, every track is obviously produced by Vanderslice. I think this is gonna be dope.

1. Collusion (Intro)

This is just a half minute long intro in which the word “collusion” is defined. There’s no reason for me to talk about this track. I’m never gonna listen to it again.

2. Think of That

The beat on this track is solid. It’s pretty typical boom bap shit. Diabolic fits really well over it. Right away, Diabolic is spitting his ass off.

I don’t need any props I don’t already got
So shove your Gucci belt & Fendi socks up your penny slot
‘Til the wedgie is so deadly to your sweaty twat
That the doc gives you a pap like Remy Ma, nah lemme stop

Those lines are pretty fucking gross, but they’re dope. The first verse was good. The hook is nothing special, but it serves its purpose I guess. The second verse was pretty nice. Nothing about this song really amazed me, but I certainly enjoyed it a lot. I think this is a dope track. Diabolic is still a really good MC. The production & hook weren’t anything special, but the verses were great. This is dope. The music video’s pretty cool too.

3. Jitterbug featuring Jade Gritty

I think I like this beat a little more than the first one. It’s pretty much on par with that one actually. Huh. I’ve listened to about 66% of this song already. I don’t have much to say about it to be honest. The production’s cool. Diabolic’s rapping makes him come off like a major asshole, but I feel like that was intentional. I’m not crazy about Jade Gritty’s sung hook, but it’s not that bad. It doesn’t ruin the song or anything. In terms of production alone, I think this track is more enjoyable than the previous one. I don’t like the hook that much though, and the rapping didn’t impress me as much. It’s still a pretty good song though. I definitely enjoyed it to some extent. It’s not my favorite track on the album, but I like it. It’s pretty good.

4. Normalize

Oh shit. Okay, here we go. This beat is dope as hell. The first verse from Diabolic was pretty good. The hook is really simplistic, but it works. The second verse is good too. Huh. The song just ended. He didn’t really blow me away with his bars like I wanted him too. I feel like he was rapping better on Fightin’ Words than he is on this album. I mean, his rapping isn’t bad here at all. It’s pretty good. It was borderline amazing on that last album though. Whatever. It’s fine I guess. I still like this song a lot. I’m satisfied. I was expecting a little more, but it’s still really good. This shit is dope.

5. See the Light featuring Nems

The beat on this track is pretty dope. The first verse from Diabolic is cool. I feel like edgy white kids would love Diabolic. He reminds me of early Eminem. I know the comparisons to Eminem annoy Diabolic, but I don’t really give a shit because he seems like a chode. People make that comparison for a reason too. They’re really similar.

I hate rappers, they’re a bunch of f████ts
Ain’t bustin’ ratchets
Unless they nut in that bitch on their mother’s mattress

I enjoyed the verse overall though. Nems’ verse was decent. He came off as just as much as an edge lord as Diabolic.

I’ll kill any beat, even if I don’t like it
She gave you the pussy once, and then you wifed it
I’m puttin’ Snapchat filters on my face
Doin’ the dougie in the mirror when I pipe it

It’s not great. I’m fine with it though. Hmm… Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel about this song as a whole. I kinda enjoyed it on the first listen, but I really don’t think it’s something I’d have the desire to hear again in the future. Yeah… Honestly, I think I’m gonna pass on this one. It’s not bad, but it has pretty much zero replay value for me. It’s a decent song, but I won’t be listening to it again. It’s just okay to me.

6. Who We Are featuring Tre Mark Star, John Jigg$ & Coast

As I mentioned in the preamble, I’m not really familiar with any of the features on this track. I know I’ve heard Coast on a few of Diabolic’s songs in the past, but I don’t know him well enough to be able to recognize his voice. Maybe the lyrics will give me a hint as to who’s rapping on each verse. Anyway, I think this track has one of the better beats on the album so far. It actually kinda reminds me of the beat from Lord, Lord, Lord by Kanye West. It’s a little grittier than that though. I’m not sure who this is on the first verse. The verse is really dope though. I think it’s Tre Mark Star actually. I’m not sure who’s on the second verse. It wasn’t bad. I think that was Coast. John Jigg$ is on the third verse. The hook is nothing special, but it gets the job done. Oh shit, wait a minute… That might’ve actually been Diabolic on the second verse. I think this is Coast on the last verse. Anyway, all of the verses are pretty good. I think Tre Mark Star had the best one personally. I enjoyed all of them though. I think this is one of the better songs on the album. I don’t really have any gripes with it. The beat was cool, the hook wasn’t bad, and the verses were all nice. This shit is dope.

7. Other Side

I like the dark beat on this track. It sounds really tense. Okay, this first verse from Diabolic is really great. He sounds really good over this beat. Hmm… I’m not really that crazy about the pitch shifted hook. It’s fine though. The second verse was nice. Huh. You know, I liked the verses a lot, and the production was great. It just feels like something is missing though. I wasn’t crazy about the hook, but I don’t think that’s what’s keeping me from loving this track. Maybe a feature would’ve made it a little more interesting. I like the song a lot overall though. It’s not as good as I wanted it to be, but it’s still one of the better songs on the album in my opinion. I think it’s dope.

8. Once Again

The somewhat jazzy, upbeat instrumental on this track is alright. Hmm… I see what Diabolic was trying to do with his flow on this song, and it’s cool of him to switch things up a bit. I can’t say I’m actually enjoying it though. He synchronized his cadence with the melody of the beat. It’s a cool idea that’s been done before. I like it sometimes. However, in this particular instance, I’m not really feelin’ it. Maybe if I actually liked the beat more I would fuck with this song. I don’t think the track is bad. It’s a fine song. I just can’t say I’m really enjoying it that much. I like the way the production kinda switches up during the breaks between each verse. I just don’t really care for the main part that Diabolic actually raps over. It’s a bit too repetitive for me. Overall I think it’s a decent track. I’m never gonna listen to it again though. I didn’t really like it very much at all. I don’t think it’s wack though. It’s just okay.

9. Simon Phoenix featuring DJ Revolution

Oh fucking shit. This beat is hard as fuck. Okay, HERE we go. This is definitely the best beat on the album so far. I’m not familiar with this Simon Phoenix character. Apparently he’s the main antagonist of a movie I’ve never seen called Demolition Man. He’s an “anarchistic psychopath.” Okay, Simon Phoenix is a pretty fitting title for this track. I like the way Diabolic is rapping on this one.

Higher than the pyramids in Cairo, Egypt
Still deep as passages that lie beneath it, where they hide the secrets

That line is kinda cool, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t pyramids in Cairo. I might be wrong about that. Anyway, the rest of the verse was really dope.

Here’s the magnum opus
The web I weave would leave Spiderman arachnophobic
Disgruntled, mix humble & braggadocios
That’s a double-edged sword I’ma slash your throat with

The scratches from DJ Revolution on the hook are dope as hell. This is definitely my favorite song on the album so far. That line in the second verse where he said the voices in his head sound like the machine that talks to Stephen Hawking was funny. Although I kind of have an issue with that line. The machine didn’t speak to Stephen Hawking. It spoke FOR Stephen Hawking. If Diabolic changed that one word in that line it would’ve been so much better. It’s fine though. I get what he meant. The final verse was really great. Remember when I said Diabolic was an edge lord? He ends the song by saying he wants to face fuck Ivanka Trump. I don’t really have an issue with that line other than the fact that Ivanka is fucking gross. Yes, that is a fact. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite song on the album so far. There are a few lines I had some minor gripes with, but overall I think this shit is dope af.

10. Last Day featuring Coast

The beat on this track is dope. The first verse from Coast is solid. He did his thing. The hook from Diabolic is fine. It serves its purpose. Diabolic’s verse was definitely more enjoyable for me than that of Coast. Honestly, I think I would’ve preferred if this was a solo track. Coast wasn’t bad though. This song is cool. Nothing about it really stands out that much, but I definitely enjoyed it to a certain extent. It’s certainly not a standout track in my opinion, but I like it. It’s a good song.

11. Collusion (Outro)

This is just an outro in which Diabolic speaks over a smooth instrumental. It’s pretty similar to the outro from his first album. Man… This dude seems like such a fucking asshole. I guess being as unlikable as possible is supposed to make him seem cool. He said something about people whining about politics and being triggered. He talks like a conservative Twitter troll. Whatever. I’m not gonna judge this too hard since it’s not really a song. I hated it though.

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This album is pretty good. I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a couple songs I won’t be returning to, but I don’t think they’re actually bad. They just didn’t really do much for me. Despite my disdain towards Diabolic as a person, I’m definitely a fan of his music. Some people may roll their eyes at the edgy lyrics, but I think that style works for him. I’d say this is a pretty bad entry point if you’re trying to get into his music. It’s definitely my least favorite album from him. Lyrically, he doesn’t really do anything he hasn’t done before. It’s more of the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The lack of interesting features kinda makes it a little stale though. The production is pretty average to be honest. There was only one beat where I was really super impressed. I’d say this is worth looking into if you’re a fan. Just don’t expect to be blown away unless you’re a stan. If you’ve never liked Diabolic in the past, this’ll do nothing to change your opinion of him. Personally, I think it’s a good album. I like it.

Favorite Song: Simon Phoenix
Least Favorite Song: Once Again

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