ALBUM REVIEW: Overthrxwn – Dethrxner

At this point, the fusion of hip hop with heavy music is nothing new. In fact, the practice was arguably at the centre of the period when heavy music was at its height of mainstream popularity in the early 00s. That said, there are definitely less examples of where hip hop has been combined with hardcore. There are exceptions – CODE ORANGE have worked with JPEGMAFIA, and New York legends MADBALL are one of a few groups who have maintained a hardcore aesthetic throughout their career. But, until now, there haven’t really been any bands that have sought to combine the two as DETHRXNER do.

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, the quartet formerly known as DTHRNR have returned with their sophomore effort, Overthrxwn. The album draws heavy influence from trap artists like SCARLXRD, while seeking to maintain the firm hardcore grounding heard on their previous release, South Haven. Much like that record, there are also a few moments on Overthrxwn where the band even veer into more deathcore territory. Say what you will about the concept, it has at least piqued the interest of some respected names. Overthrxwn features a host of guest appearances from artists as varied as CABAL, LIFESICK and SLUG CHRIST.

From the start it’s clear Overthrxwn is an aggressive record. Opener This Is The Real World is a short, stompy rager with an aggro KING 810 would be proud of. Its trappy electronic hi-hats combined with chugging guitars give a good idea of what’s to come. This feel continues on next track T.R.A.S.H, but it isn’t until third track Always Grind that DETHRXNER really find their groove. This early highlight featuring ROT AWAY is another hard-hitting bouncy hardcore track, with a particularly punishing middle breakdown and a more melodic chorus hook which adds something a little different. At points it’s also reminiscent of a more nu-metal sound, something which was guaranteed to come up when talking about this kind of combination.

Other highlights soon follow in the form of Untouchable (feat. KXDS) and Take Nx Loss (feat. LIFESICK). The former maintains the aggressive bouncy feel, with another catchy clean chorus. It also contains arguably the best hybrid of hip hop and hardcore on the whole record, its rapped verses hitting harder than they do anywhere else. Its closing, obvious reference to JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE‘s Cry Me A River is also amusing to say the least. After this, Take Nx Loss is comfortably the best track on the album. It’s another strong hybrid of the styles DETHRXNER are drawing influence from, with tonnes of swagger, big riffs and gang vocals. At one point, it takes a turn for a pure CODE ORANGE-esque crushing breakdown. At another, it even brings to mind SLIPKNOT‘s iconic Spit It Out.

While it has some good songs, ultimately Overthrxwn is quite a flawed record. Seventh track Lowerdose is easily the ‘trappiest’ song on the album. Sadly, it’s a bit of a low point. The song feels pretty trashy, and lyrics like “Imma put something in your mouth” definitely don’t help. As well as this, the album’s short electronic interludes of (((brb) and (afk))) feel quite unnecessary.

Things pick up a little more after Lowerdose. Total Dominance, Crybaby and D.I.D are three mid-paced, beatdown heavy tracks in the vein of the glitchy, pummelling hardcore which has come to define the scene in a post-Forever world. The closer in particular draws strong KNOCKED LOOSE comparisons, even opting for a take on that band’s trademark “arf arf.” These final songs are in keeping with the rest of the album. They’re heavy, they’re well-produced, but in the end they just feel kind of repetitive, and struggle to maintain interest.

Ultimately, Overthrxwn is, in a word, ‘fine’. It doesn’t do much to answer why people should listen to DETHRXNER instead of CODE ORANGE or VEIN for example. But those looking for an album to blast in the gym or to crowdkill their mates to when live shows finally return should be happy enough with it.

Rating: 6/10

Overthrxwn is out now via Prime Collective.

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