Year: 2026
Label: Long Live Evil

I wonder… is there a jab in a certain direction in the title of this album? Might Alla Xul Elu have some twisted turns of phrase to direct against some former co-operation partners? Ah, fuck it, I’m of course referring to Alla Xul Elu’s less than amicable split with Twiztid and their Majik Ninja Entertainment label, who’d released most of AXE’s recent output.

If I were a betting man, my money would be on yes, there is. I don’t think there’s much of a doubt in regards to that. The real question is: is this just a quick release to get in a jab at Twiztid, and establish their independence on their long-running own label Long Live Evil (on which they released very first releases back in 2015)?

After the first couple of listens, my answer would have been a slightly disappointed shrug and a “yes.” There weren’t many standout tracks to be found, and it all felt a bit run of the mill.

But given a bit of time, No Masters reveals itself to be better than that. For sure, it doesn’t give AXE’s best a run for their money. This ain’t The Almighty, Mauxuleum (review) or Head Of Horns (review). But it is better than last year’s Gods Of Evil Rise (review), AXE’s last release on MNE, which didn’t fare too well in the long run.

Compared to aforementioned Gods Of Evil Rise, which saw AXE co-operate with the legendary Mike E. Clark in taking their sound in a decidedly vintage Insane Clown Posse direction, No Masters is far more traditional AXE productionwise.

This means that the distorted, even pseudo-industrial beats are back. AXE have not lost their pitch-black, twisted sense of humour, but the overall feel of the album, in comparison to the predecessor, is far darker, more sinister and gloomy. With the odd exception, gone is the sort of bouncy, groovy mood that the ICP throwback sound brought to Gods Of Evil Rise; AXE are back doing what they do best. Dirty, mid-tempo, nasty horrorcore rap.

After a few listens, the album reveals itself to be solid. However, the standout tracks still remain missing. Compared to aforementioned crown jewels of AXE’s discography, which transcended from good to iconic thanks to classic tracks such as AXE Is Family and the title track of Mauxuleum, the material on No Masters is considerably more faceless and nondescript.

There are a few tracks worth noting, though. INLOVEWITHAGHOST humorously references the classic love song Rigor Erectus. The very topical REALFAKEAI comments on the current AI fad – with a typically dark AXE twist. UNDERNEATHTHEFLOORBOARDS harks back to the very earliest AXE albums in delving deep into classic boom bap territory – a sound aesthetic that suits murky horrorcore surprisingly well. None of these are necessarily classics-to-be, but warrant a mention nonetheless.

Bottom line time. My initial disappointment has changed into an appreciation of the album for what it is. It’s not AXE’s best, but it’s a solid album that showcases the masked trio can make it independently too – as if there was any doubt of that.

But: perhaps the album was slapped together a bit hastily. Who knows? I can’t entirely lose that feeling, considering how most older albums contain at least one truly killer track and this is a bit more meat-and-potatoes in nature.

What I like about No Masters, though, is that it’s a return to the style AXE do best, and the terrible trio’s dynamic still seems to work like a treat. Gods Of Evil Rise really felt out of character, and didn’t entirely work because of that, so a step back in a more familiar direction is welcome.

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