ALBUM REVIEW: SKIN – Ho99o9

There are many ways to describe the music of HO99O9 but incendiary has to be the way to capture it best. Mixing hardcore hip hop, industrial, hardcore punk and much more, they are definitely one of the most exciting groups on the planet. HO99O9 have been putting out this supremely incendiary music on a variety of EPs and mixtapes as well as their their debut album United States Of Ho99o9. Now they return with their most vibrant and vital material album, their second album SKIN.

With the line-up now consisting of drummer Brandon Pertzbon joining theOGM and Eaddy (aka Yeti Bones), it is evident that all members concerned crank out the music with so much passion injected into it that it is infectious, and you can tell how into the music they are. This is music played from the heart and delivered with so much soul. From the exhilarating opening of first track Nuge Snight, all the way through, SKIN is an album that is positively brimming with an anger, an energy and an electricity that you rarely get from bands these days.

That opening salvo channels the rage, fearsome reputation and chaotic nature of the Death Row records boss that it is subtly named after and from then one in, it’s a no holds barred, take no prisoners approach to proceedings with the results being nothing less than stunning.

As previous HO99O9 releases have featured sublime guest appearances from artists such as Pink Siifu and Mike IX from EYEHATEGOD, SKIN features a plethora of special guests with Bun B, Corey Taylor, Saul Williams and Jasiah all helping to elevate the HO99O9 sound on this record. The track Slo Bread with Houston hip hop legend Bun B in particular sounds exactly like you would hope a meeting of these two would sound, while Corey Taylor’s appearance on Bite My Face sees him sounding as unhinged as he did when SLIPKNOT first broke out.

There are highlights aplenty on SKIN, with HO99O9‘s full on sound encapsulating the anger and frustration that the world has been in over the past couple of years. Lower Than Scum is DISCHARE channelling SLAYER; The World, The Flesh, The Devil is an intimidating beat-laden menace extravaganza; and Limits is a full on punk-rap aggro-fest that exudes positivity and mosh pit energy despite its angry nature. Closing track Dead Or Asleep ends things on a menacing tip with an initial THREE 6 MAFIA-esque vibe to it morphing into a less expected sound before all hell breaks loose at the end, and you couldn’t pick a better way to finish things off.

All the elements that make HO99O9 such a stunning group are present and correct and by the time it ends, you’ll want to pick your jaw off the floor and pick the fragments of brains and skull with it. With the calibre of the tracks on SKIN booming out of the speakers, you can only imagine how insane this material is going to sound in a live scenario and you can also only imagine the life affirming carnage it will cause.

SKIN is really next level stuff, properly cathartic and vital as well as being forward thinking whilst remaining brutally primal, nobody does this as good as HO99O9. Just turn it up loud and let the songs on SKIN tear your brain and your soul inside out and leave you exhilarated in the process.

Rating: 9/10

SKIN is set for release on March 11th via DTA Records.

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