Ho99o9, Cyber Warfare, Album Review


Ho99o9
Cyber Warfare
Album Review


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The triple 9 death cult are back again with their newest album Cyber Warfare, which appears to be a spiritual sequel to their previous EP, released towards the end of 2018, Cyber Cop.

While this band is one of my favourites to come out of this decade for their unique and near perfect blend of hardcore punk and hip-hop elements, I wasn't ecstatic about their previous effort, which purposefully had an aesthetic which made it sound like an illegally downloaded album with a lower, almost muffled sound quality and the tagline "Unauthorized MP3".

While this album does slightly follow suit, there are still quite a few improvements. For one, its a full album this time around rather than an EP. Ho99o9 have also seemed to be a bit more conservative with the lower sound quality aesthetic, making sure that the majority of tracks are audible in a satisfactory fashion. And lastly, this album sees the disappearance of the "Unauthorized MP3" slogan and instead simply staples "(Error)" to each track title. All in all, it still captures that kind of cyper-punk aesthetic, but does it in a way that doesn't detract from the overall quality of the record.

 Another thing that favours the album is, as Ho99o9 tradition calls for, that the group go absolutely all-out. While this additionally seemed ever-so-slightly lacking on Cyber Cop, it is cranked up to 11 on Cyber Warfare.

 This album begins brilliantly, with the first track "Master of Pain" being what could be the most Ho99o9-esque track to date. And when I say this, what I mean is that it captures a markedly horror-centric aesthetic. Beginning with a haunting organ melody and a highly creepy and gory narrative, this track then explodes into a hyper-paced and unrelenting punk riff. Ironically, "Master of Pain", despite being the first track on the list, already trumps my favourite track from Cyber Cop, fittingly titled "Leader of Pain".

 Many amazing tracks follow in the trail blazed by the first track, these include "Plexiglass", which is arguably the best track to listen to for those who became fans of Ho99o9 through their similarities to Death Grips, "Simon Phoenix" (featuring the talent of JPEGMAFIA"), which is very classic, more hip-hop oriented Ho99o9 in its style, and "WiFi Punx", which is, if you haven't guessed already, very punk in its sound.

 However, my favourite track on the album currently might be the seventh and final track "F.O.G", which sort of combines everything that Ho99o9 are notorious for into a total abomination of a track, you can truly feel the rage and intensity going through this number, from the dynamic start, to the much slower, and utterly monstrous finish.

 Despite its runtime of just 21 minutes, Ho99o9's latest piece have still packed enough in to confirm that the band are far, far away from slowing down anytime soon. It is a horrifically awesome and captivating album, which hasn't failed to entertain the ever living soul out of me.


Thank you for reading

 Booth Boy

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