It's angry, in-your-face, metallic hardcore that would sound great whenever you listen to it, but which especially feels cathartic with all the anger in the air right now. Splinters From An Ever-Changing Face, their first full-length, only further cements this. END put out their debut EP From the Unforgiving Arms of God back in 2017, and they've spent the time since then solidifying themselves as a force of their own who stand tall next to the members' more famous projects. The word makes END sound like some ego-fueled, too-big-to-fail rock star side project rather than a vital hardcore band whose members just happen to also play in other vital hardcore bands, and END are very much the latter. I wanna try to refrain from using the term "supergroup" to describe END - whose lineup includes vocalist Brendan Murphy (Counterparts), guitarist Will Putney (of Fit For An Autopsy and producer for Knocked Loose, Vein, Every Time I Die, and tons of other cool bands), guitarist Gregory Thomas (ex-Misery Signals, ex-Shai Hulud), bassist Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme, ex-Blacklisted), and drummer Billy Rymer (ex-The Dillinger Escape Plan) - because even though each member in this group is obviously pretty super, I feel like it somehow takes something away. Even with the avant-rap niche that Billy, Elucid, and their usual collaborators have carved out for themselves, Armand Hammer remain in a lane of their own.
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With psychedelic, experimental production coming from Earl, Navy Blue, Kenny Segal, and others, Shrines partially falls under "abstract rap," and sometimes Billy and Elucid's metaphors and tongue-twisters contribute to that too, but usually they contrast the trippiness with a loud, clear delivery and lyrics that are full of venom.
Ferreira, Moor Mother, Pink Siifu, Quelle Chris, Akai Solo, Fielded, and others. Shrines immediately resonates as top-tier work from these two, and from the album's many impressive guests: Earl Sweatshirt, R.A.P. Billy also put out Terror Management since then and Elucid has put out a couple recent releases too, but these guys are never too prolific for their own good. Armand Hammer - the duo of veteran New York underground rap greats Billy Woods and Elucid - are back with their first album since 2018's great Paraffin, and first since Billy got some pleasantly unexpected, long-overdue acclaim for last year's Hiding Places with Kenny Segal.