‘…What this duo and their collaborators represent is essential to the health of the heavy music scene, evolving punk and metal in ways like few others…’
The coalition of former NJstreetKLAN artists theOGM and Yeti Bones, Ho99o9 (pronounced ‘Horror’) emerged in New Jersey back in 2012, thanks to the duo’s shared love of hip-hop, gangsta rap, and punk. Their debut EP, ‘Mutant Freax‘, dropped in 2014, and was followed up by a 2015 mixtape, and a debut LP in 2017. It would take five more years for the duo to drop their sophomore LP, ‘SKIN‘, which gained strong attention from a variety of musical outlets for it’s wickedly unique and aggressive blend of metal, punk, and hip-hop, including a collaboration with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. A strong cult following from all over the musical spectrum emerged, and this year has seen the band dropping their eagerly anticipated third LP.
‘Tomorrow We Escape‘ is by far the most polished offering from the duo to date. The raw, bludgeoning aggression of ‘SKIN‘ has been mostly tamed, and instead of the record feeling like a sledgehammer to the skull, it carries itself with a slick, swaggering confidence. This is neither a good or bad thing, but a neutral creative sidestep that maintains what was so special about Ho99o9’s past material, but delivers it in a manner befitting of an outfit that is bigger in scope than ever before. Some may prefer the mindless brutality of ‘SKIN‘, and some may prefer the dark gleam of ‘Tomorrow We Escape‘.
Opener ‘I Miss Home‘ frames this change in tone perfectly, with a luscious backdrop that consists of little more than glimmering ambience and vocal clips, before becoming engulfed in a soul-stirring amount of distortion. From here the album vaults perfectly into the snarling punk of ‘Escape‘, which surges ceaselessly forwards with driving percussion and a simple yet punchy bass line. The vocals are compelling and catchy, especially the walls of backing harmonies that round out the core aggressive elements wonderfully, whilst the chunky breakdowns are placed perfectly within the track to get the listener moving.
‘Target Practice‘ and ‘Ok, I’m Reloaded‘ serve as two halves of the same behemoth of a track, brimming with a righteous fury at the state of modern America. Violent lyrics are unloaded with a brilliant sense of menace (‘This is real, get the steel, point it at a Nazi cap‘), whilst the tempo being thrown into full throttle during the transition between the tracks is a blood pumping experience to behold. ‘Psychic Jumper‘ brings a moment of respite, with a glamorous instrumental that swirls about the listener, and a surprisingly soulful vocal performance from theOGM.
‘Incline‘ is an effervescent banger that sees guest appearances from Pink Shiifu, Yung Skrrt, and Nova Twins. The thumping beat collides with a weighty yet simplistic electronic backing, whilst Yeti Bones and Pink Shiifu deliver some killer rapped verses that will summon you to your feet. The energy only continues to build with the album’s lead single, ‘Upside Down‘, which features immense, infectious choruses that sit alongside swaggering verses that are dominated by brooding yet classy bass lines. The bridge crackles with pure musical electricity as Yeti Bones repeats ‘Heaven is upside down‘ against an ever expanding backdrop, before crashing back down into one final colossal chorus.
‘LA Riots‘ alternates between trap beats and pure punk fury in an effortless display of genre-bending. It all sounds wholly authentic, as the duo alternate between vicious rapped verses and screamed choruses that demand a mosh pit throughout the track’s entirety. Things are ramped up even further on the album’s monstrous closing number, ‘Godflesh‘, as bombastic percussion drives the track into hardcore punk territory, whilst still flirting with hip-hop ideas in a manner that keeps this behemoth feeling wholly unique. It concludes with a visceral breakdown that ties the record up perfectly, and has the listener itching to slam that replay button.
Attempts to bridge the gap between hip-hop and punk have become increasingly common in recent years; no matter the musical background, the mosh pit calls all the same. Yet few have managed to successfully achieve the perfect merger of the two worlds quite like Ho99o9 have, and ‘Tomorrow We Escape‘ feels certain to be the breakthrough record that truly gets the world talking. What this duo and their collaborators represent is essential to the health of the heavy music scene, evolving punk and metal in ways like few others. Ho99o9 have truly escaped being boxed in and labelled; and where they go next is entirely in their hands.
RATING: 81/100 – Very Good
For Fans Of: House of Protection, Astroid Boys, Ocean Grove, Trippie Red, Lil Uzi Vert
Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.
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