Almighty is the attempt to create a solid Wu Killa Beez group in response to the vacuum created by the temporary end of the activity of the two biggest groups affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan after the mid-2000s, the Killarmy, already stopped since years, and the Sunz of Man, in addition to the Royal Fam. Bronze Nazereth of Wisemen is the co-author of the project along with M-80, Wu affiliate, and leads the album producing most of it and participating in half of the tracks as a rapper. The other members of Almighty's early lineup are 5 Star, a Wisemen-affiliated rapper, Son One, another rapper close to the Wisemen, C-Rayz Walz, and Killah Priest of Sunz of Man, whose many collaborative projects over the years have not taken off.
The production is provided, in addition to Bronze and M-Eighty, also by Kevlaar 7 of Wisemen, Maja 7th, Purpose, Davey D, Krohme, Pro the Leader, Hala-X, Kap Thinking, M-Eighty, DJ Woool and Preservation. The guests are Canibus of The Four Horsemen, Keith Murray, Planet Asia, Kevlaar 7 of Wisemen, Warcloud of Black Knights, Timbo King of Royal Fam, Doe Boy, Born Sun, 60 Second Assassin of Sunz of Man and Solomon Childs of Theodore Unit.
After the intro on an exquisite production, the album arrives at the first of many posse tracks, "The Saga Begins". The track is structured like a cypher that the guys decide to release. Boom bap production by Maja 7th, samples with oriental vibes, then comes the heavy, rough, underground boom bap, hardcore entrance by M-80 who spits out a below-average battle. Loop of raw violins in the background, C-Rayz Walz picks up the mic and has a good smooth delivery. Hook with various samples, then 5-Star, slow, raw, rough, average flow in this cypher. Similar speech for Son One, who spits on a change of beat, raw boom bap, heavy samples, good switch. Bronze in the fifth verse, still on the switch, slow, irregular delivery, better than the previous two for sure. Killah Priest closes the track with a slow, dark, gloomy flow, while the others dedicate themselves to simple battles, he brings the rhythm more into his lyrical territory and steals the show from everyone.
"Handle the Heights" follows, a beautiful rhythm created by Bronze Nazareth and Stenchman. Cinematic soundscape, almost like a TV series theme song, boom bap with clean violin loops, soul sample chopped and looped correctly. Dusty, dry, raw, perfect drum, roaring bass in the background. Canibus and Killah Priest (both part of the group The Four Horsemen) on the hook, then Canibus opens the piece with his rough, raw, hardcore style, good job, there's an interesting contrast between the cleanliness of the rhythm chosen by Bronze and the dirt of Canibus' voice that scratches the cut, good job. M-80 in the second verse sounds good with his battle and in this case the contrast between beat and rapping sounds less good than before. Bronze in the third verse with a more flowing choice and more cleanliness than the previous emcees, approaches his beat differently and the result rewards him. Keith Murray closes the track with a good flow, inspired, concentrated.
Purpose of Tragic Allies offers a wonderful musical carpet for Bronze Nazareth's solo, silky flow on a beautiful production, boom bap, perfect drum, impeccable samples, fantastic bass, tambourine, Bronze flies in a single verse on this beat. Among the best cuts of the edition, it would have ended after a minute and a half, but reaches three with an outro by Mayweather and letting the rhythm breathe for another half a minute. With "Obey (The Statesmen)" we return to the posse. Boom bap by Davey D, chopped and looped female soul sample, sparse drum, tight, uptempo rhythm, great entrance by Planet Asia, good flow, ideal opener for the group. Killah Priest enters hardcore and runs freely on this fast rhythm. Son One presents a slightly more irregular delivery, but goes away very well. C-Rayz Walz attacks well and delivers smoothly, slow, regular, good cut even if it doesn't go down in history.
Khrome is the author of the rhythm of the next posse. Intro by Bronze Nazareth, first stanza by M-80 who enters quickly and with a mainstream delivery à la Eminem on a different beat than the previous ones: there's a crazy hi-hat, downtempo drum, chopped and looped soul sample that after a while becomes obsessive, also this sample is slow and gives calm and relaxed vibes that contrast with that hi-hat that gives urgency and pressure. M-80's choice of rapping style is quite curious, because he chooses to go with a flow that allows him to distance and detach himself almost completely from the beat, he sounds as if he ran parallel to the rhythm without crossing it, as if it were in a separate track, which is why the listener can focus either only on the music or only on his verse, not on both and this choice doesn't reward neither the production nor his contribution.
In the second verse, Phillie of Wisemen's approach is totally different. The boy calmly enters the beat and lets himself be lulled by its sweet current, he's flowing, clean, clear, relentless, excellent execution that allows him to stand out much more easily than his previous one, exploiting the rhythm and delivering with pleasure. Things get complicated on the hook, which is a mess of sounds, a sonic chaos that doesn't let you understand anything, there should be a chorus by C-Rayz Walz in theory. Bridge with a mix of orgasms and scratches. The beat for the Son One verse returns, also calm, concentrated, clear. Kevlaar 7 of Wisemen brings the posse to the bottom with his contribution, also calm, quiet, solid flow, good. Unfortunately, the cut isn't the best both because of the messed up hook and because of the sexual theme of the piece, not very necessary in an album of this kind.
"Daylight" is tearful, highlight not only of the album, but of the entire career of the performers. Bronze Nazareth is a genius. Hammering loop, there's a male soul sample that wants to start but is stopped at the beginning, then chopped and looped very tightly in the background, Bronze almost seems to want to silence it several times in the background during the first verse. Skeletal drum, dusty, midtempo, perfect, fat bass in the background, magical samples, poetic violins, dope boom bap, among his best rhythms ever. First verse of Killah Priest, in one of his best moments in career, he seems in his debut album.
His entrance into the beat is clean, he continues to flow beautifully like silk over the beat with a fantastic style and some of his best lyrics: with an anthology narration, Killah Priest accompanies a soldier who has just fallen dead on his journey to the underworld and on his path on the Dantean riverbed Styx as if the emcee himself were a modern Virgil. He's extraordinary, magnetic, clear, elegant in his macabre and exquisitely detailed poetic narration. He sounds wonderfully ethereal together with a production of rare purity. Around the middle of his verse, Masada stops and Bronze finally lets that male soul loop that had been stuck until now breathe, giving life to a great bridge.
Priest doesn't make a mistake, he continues and in the second part of his verse, the historic affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan looks up to the sky and gives us a glimpse of the other situation, in Heaven, where everything is fine, just like in the Divine Comedy. Masterpiece. One of Killah Priest's best contributions ever. Kevlaar 7 in the wake of Killah Priest, delivers calm, quiet, fantastic flow that fits the rhythm so well that it becomes one, it's beautiful even with these spooky lyrics. At the end of his verse, Bronze lets that loop start again and lets it breathe freely, attacking the loop again and starting the beat all over again while delivering smoothness, clean, crisp, loose, at his best with spectacular style, keeping with the theme of the track and making one of the best cuts a Wu-Tang Clan affiliate could ever make.
Pro the Leader makes the beat for "Planet in Peril". Boom bap, bare drum, dry, midtempo, decent samples, one spooky, Killah Priest attacks with a composed flow, he doesn't steal the track here. C-Rayz Walz sounds more inspired, even if the slightly subdued music seems to drain everyone's energy. Warcloud on the third verse, one of the few guests on the record: the boy lets the beat breathe and takes his time, half a minute, so much so that you'd be led to think the track is over, then he attacks straight ahead with a frightening confidence. It can't be said that Priest and C-Rayz are strangers to this type of rhythm, but in this case Warcloud sounds just like he was at home and as if this sound painting was waiting for him, he rides headlessly into the night on this rhythm and kills the cut with an irregular, unusual, rough, totally fit style.
A skit precedes "Killa Be Swarm", yet another masterpiece in Bronze Nazareth's discography. Two sample skits anticipate the entrance of Bronze himself. Quality boom bap, perfect midtempo dusty alkaline drum, chopped and looped female soul sample, trembling piano, raw bass, vinyl crackling sound that accompanies you in a loop giving a vintage feel to the beat. Bronze enters with a good flow, energetic, raw, rough, loose, great contribution. The boy keeps it between the Killa Beez bringing Timbo King of Royal Fam to the following verse. Timbo King drops gangsta bars with a rough, raw, irregular flow, 5-Star follows with an effortless style, velvety, rough, good contribution. Killah Priest closes, calm, smoothness, excellent. Closing sample skit.
"Keep Hustlin'" is produced by Trillbass and Hala-X. Killah Priest opens the cut on a mainstream production born for the club: boom bap, fizzy bass, drunk drum unconscious at the tables held up by friends who still has fun with this pop trumpet that appears every now and then in the piece together with a random vibrating keyboard, disco dance samples, Killah Priest drops bars on a rhythm atypical for him and in fact it sounds quite curious. Very long pop hook by M-80 who tries to make a hit in this piece, without success.
Doe Boy is the only guest on this track, going off carefree and effortless on this dance production. Son One in the third verse, also out of sync on the beat, carries the cut forward, there's still the hook before the closure. M-80 gets behind the keyboards for the next cut, flanked by Kap Thinking, and creates an exquisite musical painting for this piece of Almighty. Series of introductory samples, light boom bap, bare drum, raw bass, dark piano keys, lively keyboard, violins, rich and varied rhythm. Bronze Nazareth with a careful and solid delivery on the first verse, good flow on a quality production.
Killah Priest enters and flies on this sensational beat with a stream of consciousness at times autobiographical during which, somehow, he manages to both place the typical traits of his lyricism, including biblical, religious, metaphysical, philosophical, historical references and his artistic career seasoned with bravado, reciting his bars with a loose, effortless, irregular, at times syncopated style, maintaining the high quality of his contribution. This piece is a three-headed dragon that is completed by C-Rayz Walz, who enters hardcore and delivers his battle with an excellent flow, loose, fluid, not exactly clean, but suitable for the rhythm.
DJ Woool, who has previously collaborated with Killah Priest, is the author of the beat of "Top Hat Rap". Boom bap difficult to handle, samples chopped and looped in an obsessive and annoying way, poor drum, excessively cheap rhythm. M-80 tries to annihilate him with a hardcore delivery energetic straight for straight, C-Rayz Walz keeps his foot less pressed on the accelerator, the rhythm seems to be able to absorb it, but the boy manages to stay out of experience by pulling out a good careful delivery. Son One in the third verse with a contribution halfway between the previous two, with an energy high enough to stay above the rhythm and a flow smooth enough to manage to keep the listener's attention. The beat unfortunately doesn't help here.
Skit that precedes "Rising Sunz". Production credited to Preservation, quality boom bap, skeletal drum, crazy hi-hat, hint of cymbals, trumpet loop, heavy and deep bass in the background, splendid rhythm. Killah Priest comes in right away and delivers smoothness on this production, also executing a substantial chorus. Son One offers a great attack and delivers bars with a loose, confident, raw, excellent style. Born Sun is a guest of this posse, the boy delivers bars with inspiration but his style isn't at the level of the others. C-Rayz Walz closes the piece with a loose, energetic, clear flow, good contribution. Bronze Nazareth returns behind the keys on "Dead Flowers": beatless intro by 60 Second Assassin of Sunz of Man, honest boom bap with chopped and looped soul samples, dusty drums midtempo, good samples, raw bass, dirty violins, silky delivery by Bronze who adequately addresses his beat, offering an extra verse. The hook is formed by samples from Cappadonna, Killah Priest, Inspectah Deck and Nas. C-Rayz Walz unfurls a storytelling to close the track, a rare duet, long closing chorus.
Parson with Bronze's brother Kevlaar 7 behind the keys on "Now or Never". Quality boom bap, raw bass, dark echoing piano keys, chopped and looped female soul samples, guitar licks, intro hook by Solomon Childs of Theodore Unit, guest on the track. Son One attacks so well that it seems like a legitimate Killa Bee, great flowing rapping, it goes away silky, effortless, clear, splendid, accompanied arm in arm by a rocking, rusty, beautiful music, great work by the guys in production who also let that soul loop breathe in the middle of Son One's verse. 5-Star in the second verse, offers a good entrance and delivery with an honest flow, effortless, regular, average, inspired, honest contribution. M-80 in the last verse decides to tackle the musical carpet with a syncopated and irregular style to distinguish himself from the production instead of flowing with it, a somewhat questionable choice. The fifteenth and final cut is "The Almighty". DJ Woool behind the keyboards. Simple boom bap, raw bass, bare drum, curious samples, cheap rhythm. The track is a solo by Killah Priest, the only solo on the album by this group, honest flow on a below average production.
The album is released by Babygrande and doesn't get any particular feedback from critics, the public or Wu-Tang fans. The acronym "SIN" stands for "Strength in Numbers". The album is mixed by Bronze Nazareth. Consisting of eighteen robust tracks between three and five minutes for a total of over an hour of material, the project is well-done, without making fireworks. The production is made up of Wu-beats typical of the East Coast scene, never surprising, and the rapping is fine, the guys don't disappoint. "The Saga Begins" is the only track where all the members of the group are present and it's my least favorite song. "Handle the Heights", "Come to Life Faster" and "Daylight" are some of the joints that stand out in the bush, although when you pick a song with Killah Priest you are never wrong. 7/10.
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