dälek is an industrially abstract hip hop outfit from Newark, New Jersey now comprised of producer Mike Mare & none other than MC dälek himself. Their 1998 debut Negro Necro Nekros was a great introduction except the sophomore effort From Filthy Tongue of Gods & Griots and Absence are both widely considered to be their best. Abandoned Language, Gutter Tactics, Untitled, Asphalt for Eden, Endangered Philosophies & Precipice were all solid with some being better than others. My personal favorites around that time gap being Abandoned Language & Gutter Tactics. Anyways, they’re reuniting after 4 years for their 10th LP.
“Better Than” sets the tone for this new era of the pairing’s career with an industrial boom bap instrumental venting they’re frustration with everything going on nationwide since last January whereas “Knowledge | Understanding | Wisdom”goes for a noiser vibe defying the oligarchs who want to keep us stupid. “Normalized Tragedy” fuses industrial hip hop & boom bap talking about never going numb to brutality while “Expressions of Love” talks about suffering after the voices have been given to the dumb.
Kicking off the 2nd leg, “Substance” takes a jab at all these rappers whose music lacks any significance while the dustily haunting “I’m a Man” reiterates the message that African American men used to protest segregation 6 decades earlier in a modern context. “For the People” combines industrial hip hop & boom bap again talking about refusing to stop the fight until all US citizens are equal while “By The Time We Arrive in El Salvador” criticizes the maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center where 300 Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members were sent despite only 12 of whom being charged with crimes.
These guys have been amongst the most underappreciated industrial hip hop acts alongside The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, but dälek’s comeback nearly a decade in the making will undoubtedly be heralded as their strongest opus since Untitled. Mike Mare’s production embraces an experimental boom bap sound rather than sticking to their industrial roots & MC dälek’s lyrics are heavily inspired by what’s been happening throughout the world, more specifically the rise of fascism in America & resisting it.
Score: 9/10