Year: 2015/2025
Label: Long Live Evil

Alla Xul Elu, who we’ve covered before a number of times (see here), have risen to become one of the foremost names of that oddball subgenre of rap known as horrorcore. Sure, the genre still remains firmly lodged in Insane Clown Posse’s shadow and may never fully leave it, but when speaking of the newer breed of artists, AXE certainly stand masked head over anyone else.

This re-release of their first album on its 10th anniversary is a great way to take stock of just why AXE is one of the trailblazers in modern horrorcore. Ten years is a long time, and much has changed. AXE included, to some extent: the duo that recorded this album has grown into a trio. But apart from that, how much has AXE changed in the decade between the original release and this 10th anniversary CD edition (all previous editions have been CDr’s)?

Surprisingly little, is the answer. Lyrically, Head Of Horns is by and large of the same macabre, gruesome, bloody and dark thematic matter as AXE’s newest releases. The humour might be a bit more prominent on newer material, but there’s an obvious continuity from AXE anno 2015 to this day. The same is true of the music: the dark, gritty beats are laden with audial horror tropes but also surprisingly dirty industrial synthesizers.

Which is not to say there hasn’t been progress in the years since Head Of Horns was released. The stripped down old school nature of many of the beats, still prominent on 2018’s The Almighty, evolved into far more fleshed-out and musical beats on 2020’s Mauxuleum (here). Especially when it comes to the choruses, AXE have risen to new levels since the debut: here, they are pretty straightforward and simple, as opposed to the far catchier and even anthemic choruses of newer releases.

One thing has remained a constant during this past decade: quality. Considering this is their debut release, Head Of Horns showcases a nascent AXE in fine form. The first proper song on the album, Crawling, instantly sets the tone right. Dark, ominous, savage – and this one with a viciously effective chorus. The simplistic backing with a gritty synthesizer is just right.

AXE have made strides forward in terms of memorable songwriting and catchy hooks – both of the melodical and the lyrical kind – since their earliest releases. As such, it’s pretty obvious to me that this is one of AXE’s lesser albums. But that’s a very relative judgment: compared to Mauxuleum and The Almighty, most other horrorcore albums pale in comparison. In essence, what I’m saying is “Those are totally fucking awesome. This one is just very good.”

As far as debuts go, Head Of Horns is a most impressive game opener. It showcases a rap act who’ve got their image and identity figured out, and who’ve got the tunes to back their mask clad image up with. The fact that they’ve taken their thing to whole new levels since then is in no way an indictment or dismissal of Head Of Horns. On the contrary: the fact that they start out from something as solid as this, and raise the bar… well, that’s one of the reasons why Alla Xul Elu are the best horrorcore act out there right now, bar none.

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