Release year: 2024
Label: self-released
It’s funny. Whenever winter starts turning to spring, I start listening to horrorcore. I mean, I listen to it all year ’round a little bit, but when the first signs of spring start to appear, that’s basically all I ever put on whenever I don’t listen to my review queue or work on some other listening project (I have tons of these). And usually this is triggered by discovering some new artist or album.
This year it was Keagan Grimm’s new album Gospell: from the first beats of the first proper track, I knew that horrorcore summer of 2024 had commenced.
The album, adorned by very cool artwork – courtesy of the man himself! – is on the darker, less comical side of horrorcore. Where acts such as Insane Clown Posse and Alla Xul Elu are wont to throw in a fair share of humour and even downright silliness, Keagan Grimm’s expression doesn’t let much light shine in.
His is a style characterized by gravelly, rough vocals and stripped down beats. I sense a certain kinship to the Cerberus Clique sound – and not by chance, considering many of the beats seem to be from the same source (Bad Mind aka Bank Hard Beats). This means plenty of nods towards horror soundtracks with eerie pianos and atmospheric somewhat retro synths.
And when it comes to Gospell, this is certainly a combination that works. Grimm’s rough cut voice really demands the centre of attention, and the atmospheric but often understated beats give it just that.
Particular highlights on the album include the opening track Chuurch and Danse Macabre, which features the instantly recognizable Billy Obey of Alla Xul Elu, as well as S.O.N, another Long Live Evil denizen. These hammer in the gritty and dark feel of the album perfectly… not that there’s a lot of light on any of the other tracks, either.
Grimm’s lyrical style isn’t so much fixated on horror movie tropes. Instead, the lyrics deal with the darkness and horror of a burnt out life, substance abuse and mental health issues. Certainly ample fodder for dark and bleak lyrics – and a fit for the gravel in Grimm’s voice.
Whilst we’ve seen a couple of very strong horrorcore releases in the past year – Alla Xul Elu’s and Super Famous Fun Time Guys’ collaborative effort Lost Lake Estates immediately springs to mind – I will nonetheless make the bold claim that Gospell belongs up there with the best of the recent crop. It’s an atmospheric, evocative and suitably varied effort showcasing an artist capable of far more than one-dimensional clichés.
And also: man, this album sounds good. Blast it loud from a decent stereo set, and you’ll know just what I mean.
Only Death Is Real 