Horse Power

REVIEW: SCRATCHEDVINYL.COM Swamp Thing is the three-headed Canadian group formed by Backburner emcees and producers Timbuktu, Chokeules, and Savilion. Now, they just released an EP along with Ghettosocks just this past August, so you might have thought that we’d heard the last of them for a while. You would have thought wrong, though, because Swamp Thing wasn’t about to break their streak of Halloween releases that goes all the way back to 2013. So on Halloween 2018, we get Horse Power. The main idea of Swamp Thing as a hip hop group was that they were going to be a horror and sci-fi-themed project. We’ve seen this over the years, as they’ve released albums with titles like Planet Murk and Outer Limits, which explored the eeriness of science fiction, the horror of monsters, and so on. A title like Horse Power might not immediately jump out at you as a scary title, but there are a few ways in which they explain the theme over the course of the album, the first being that the artwork seems to be referencing one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. There is also songs like “Horse Kick” and “Project Pegasus” which gives them room to talk shit, but also bring in the ways in which horses have always been used as springboards for powerful, mythological imagery. Everything is then brought to a close with the last track, the posse cut, “Horse Man,” which amongst other things references Sorry To Bother You and some other audio clips that once again reinforce the idea that while we don’t always think of a horse as something scary, it is a creature that walks the line between something we revere and something we fear, and Swamp Thing plays up the fear. Aside from that theme, we have an album that works well on its own as Timbuktu and Savilion both cook up some beats that both bang and sound spooky, such as “In The Murk,” and some that just bang like “Datsun.” As a three-headed monster on the mic, Chokeules, Timbuktu, and Savilion do a good job of finding the right mix of horror-themed imagery, pop-culture references, and just good old fashion shit-talking. The only song that doesn’t quite work is “Space Yachts,” which just seems like an odd way to squeeze in some sex and party raps into the album, and it just feels out of place, especially when Ghettosocks hops on the mic and really goes to town with the sex rhymes. It’s an odd blemish on an otherwise really enjoyable Halloween album. By now, you should know to mark your calendars. Halloween isn’t just a day for trick or treating, it’s a day for listening to the latest Swamp Thing album. Horse Power is another fun entry to their catalogue for those that like their hip hop flavored with classic science fiction and horror. ~~ Chi Chi 8/10 scratchedvinyl.com?q=node/4054 PRESS: NORTHOFTHEBORDER.CA On October 31, 2018, Toronto-based rap-trio Swamp Thing dropped Horse Power. The new studio album, which represents the 8th collaborative effort by Timbuktu, Chokeules & Savilion... ~~ northoftheborder.ca/2018/10/31/swamp-thing-releases-horse-power/ PRESS: UGSMAG.COM The seventh album from Toronto’s Swamp Thing (Timbuktu, Chokeules & Savilion) is out now on Urbnet. Produced by Savilion and Timbuktu, Horse Power also features D-Sisive, Esoteric, Bazooka Joe, Ghettosocks, More Or Les, Birdapres, Wordburglar and turntablist DJ iRATE ~~ 319 ugsmag.com/swamp-thing-horse-power/ BIOGRAPHY: Toronto's three-headed rap monster, Swamp Thing (Timbuktu, Chokeules & Savilion) have delivered a special sonic treat every Halloween for close to a decade. This year is no different. Horse Power is their seventh full length studio album and anticipated follow up to their 2017 release, The Octagon. Produced by Savilion and Timbuktu, the thirteen track LP showcases the electric chemistry, creativity, and swagger that the three emcees bring to the table, along with some talented features including the all-star turntablist DJ iRATE, Wordburgular, and D-Sisive. The new release is dusty, murky, and fully charged, taking you on a freak show tour of lyrical styles, far out concepts and production prowess. Horse Power will be made available via digital, CD, and cassette format through the online URBNET shop. Halloween 2018, baby. Get ready.