King Slayers
E.P.
By
Alikazam &
Franky Roar
These guys first teamed up back in 2019 with the incredible
AA sided single This Is Where We Dwell / No Compromise. The sound was a heavy
hardcore vibe that you could call Hardcore Euro Hip Hop or Eurocore, if you
prefer to shorten things…
The King Slayers EP is the follow up to that single and
promises more of that same hardcore vibe but, also with a sprinkling of
incredible features that are likely to blow you away. The guys have also
recruited B-Line Recordings head honcho, Specifik, to provide the cuts.
With all this in mind, the anticipation is almost too much
to bear so, lets just sit back, put our headphones on and get into it…
There is an almost serene vibe as the title track begins
but, alongside it there is this feint dark undertone detected, which should
make you wary of what’s to come but, you are so hyped that you pay it no mind.
Suddenly the beat hits and you are dragged into what is like an audible Hip Hop
version of a Clockwork Orange, as the King Slayers have you pinned in
your chair with a blistering stream of guitar and drums while Specifik’s buts
leave you scared to move for fear of being sliced open at even the tiniest
movement. Alikazam proceeds to let loose with a slick and intelligent verbal
assault into your ears. As the message permeates your very being to the core,
opening your third eye, you understand that these guys are not here to play
but, to take out all those who would be kings with the heaviest of hardcore
vibes, lyrical mayhem and the sharpest of cuts precise…
You might have thought that because Alikazam ended the last
track with a mic drop moment, that you can move and take a breath? You only
have time for one deep breath before your sense of normality is once more torn
apart with a heavy beat that is backed by a multi-layered sound. Here Chrome
joins Alikazam to speak on a terrifying subject. When you were young, no one
told you that those monsters that lived under your bed or in the closet, would
one day evolve into the Lyrical Monster. With Alikazam and Chrome being
the very embodiment of that vision they proceed to crawl out from those dark
spaces to seek out the competition, to catch them off guard allowing Specifik
to take them down with deadly accuracy. Franky Roar then holds them down with
his heavy production leaving Alikazam and Chrome to devour them with ferocious
lyrical attacks, leaving nothing but remains. The opening scene from ‘Live and
Let Die’ gives you a feeling that you might just be about to witness the demise
of more competition but, perhaps this is something more? As the beat drops with
a mixture of drums, horns, and a plethora of multi-layered sounds alongside
side needle sharp cuts, any thoughts you had are torn away as your mind seems
to implode. Alikazam uses his own brand of cerebral terrorism to infiltrate the
deepest parts of your being. No one is safe, especially not those wack emcee’s
out there as the relentless verbal attack tears at their fragile mental state
from within. It leaves them with just one thing to be sure of about what just
happened and that fact it that They Just Don’t Know what happened…
There is more bass, drums and horns as Frank Roar lightens
the mood just a little as he sets the stage for the Dookie Legacy with Mr
Memory joining Alikazam once again. The vibe is still heavy and the message a
simple one. When you create a sound so unique that it becomes more that a sound
but, a true legacy, then it follows you and that sound, that lyrical template
becomes like a beacon or an impression on the environment around you. Every
time that you step up and feature it lets everyone know one thing, you’re Still
Doing It. The clouds inside your skull begin to darken once more as horns,
a heavy pounding beat, nerve shredding guitar and cuts once more invade every
aspect of your awareness. As the deadly lyrical assault begins you realise you
might just be Better Off Dead after this one. It feels like you are stood
in the middle of a muddy field at night. There is no light to see and all you
can feel is through your ears but, you can’t pinpoint the source as the sound
is coming at you from 360 degrees and leaves you wondering where you are and
what direction is what…
As you turn in every direction wondering where to go next Frank Roar unleashes a devastating beat. Drums and keyboards mix with a multitude of sounds and samples that once more has you disorientated. In the feint light you begin to see hints of shadows moving in your peripheral vision. The scene looks more like a battlefield, and you wonder what’s coming? Before you can truly comprehend what’s going on you are attacked from all sides. You barely see anything as one after the other Remark, Alikazam, MC Oliver Twist, Whirlwind D and Mistah Bohze all hit you with their own unique set of skills, skills they have acquired over many years in Hip Hop’s special forces. They are backed up with a continuous volley of deadly cuts delivered by Krash Slaughta who delivers some of deadliest techniques from his arsenal. This is not a place for the wack or the unskilled as all those who step up are systematically swept aside. Once you Enter The Cypher it’s put up or shut up and whatever happens you leave with your head bowed, knowing that you have just been in the fight of your live with some of the best of the best…
There is no doubt that once you are able to free your ears
from the headphones and peel yourself from the chair, the immediate realisation
is that this EP is a hardcore Hip Hop masterclass that is presented by one of
the best UK emcees alongside one of Europe’s premier Hip Hop producers.
The last couple of years has seen a rise in some incredible
Hip Hop releases that go extremely deep into what is happen in the world around
us and the world within us. Music like this is emotive and allows us think very
deeply. Once in a while it is nice to listen to something that is highly
entertaining and pumps us full of high energy, allowing us to step outside the
3D world for a few minutes and King Slayers is one of those moments.
So, lets just break it down a bit here…
Franky Roar’s production is on point and creates the energy
that immediately hits you full on. There is no gradual building up of energy
across a track or two, it simply explodes from within, almost as though that
initial calm opening planted a seed inside you but, that false sense of
security is torn asunder as the first beat hits and the seed inside suddenly
comes to life. There is this sense of a darker edge but, this does not come
across in a negative way, moreover it is simply the deep heavy vibe of the
music that simply seems to overshadow everything in the moment. There is also
light within that is fuelled by the intense energy that bursts forth unconsciously.
Alikazam brings his experience to bear in the most stunning
way here. Across the six tracks he drops line after line of lyrical fury that
displays an insane ability to craft the most entertaining bars that are packed
full of similes, metaphors, and anything else you can care to mention. He
demonstrates a rhyme style that appears, on the face of it, to be gritty and
raw but, the more you listen you understand that it only appears that way as he
expertly only lets you see what he wants you see moment to moment. You have to
look deep between the lines to get a feel for what he is all about, which has
been crafted from years of immersing himself in Hip Hop, Rap and much more.
Bringing DJ Specifik in to provide cuts for all but one of
the tracks adds that extra dimension that truly roots this in the foundations
of Hip Hop music. His years of experience with Turntables, production and even
a bar or two himself, allows him to expertly match the effect his cuts will
have on the listener and how they will fit with each track. It all adds up to
bringing that extra dimension, depth, and energy.
I also just want to add here that if you are gonna put a
posse cut out then do it right and here, on the King Slayers EP, Franky Roar
and Alikazam have absolutely nailed the posse cut. This is one of the best
tracks of its style that I have heard in a long while.
Overall, the King Slayers EP is solid and blisteringly
hardcore slice of Hip Hop. It hits you like a Hip Hop version of the movie
Alien, bursting forth from your chest before devouring your brain without mercy
and with only one aim, to raise you up, pump you full of energy and entertain
you at a time when this kind of thing is sorely needed.
The King Slayers EP is released through Britcore
Rawmance/Burning Anger, features artwork and design from Digital Dyer.
It is available today and will see a standard black and limited-Edition Red Splatter vinyl release so don’t sleep on this cos they won’t be around
long.
Huge thanks to Franky Roar for sending this to me.
On that note,
It’s time to get back to the King Slayers, See Ya…
Steve
LINKS
Please note these links go live at 8pm CET 06th March 2022
King Slayers Black Vinyl
King Slayers Limited Edition Red Vinyl
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