After releasing his solo debut album, the former Black Knights leader Warcloud, West Coast rapper affiliated to the Wu-Tang Clan, publishes his second CD, always in 2002 through Skarekrow Music label as independent. While the previous effort was an almost "homemade" production, if you like, with a series of beats created by Skarekrow and a few others, and friends rapping abstract lyrics along with him, with the notable addition of Kurupt, this album sees a strong presence behind the keyboards of some of the best producers of the Wu-Tang Clan.
The RZA, 4th Disciple, Cilvaringz and ShoGun Assason arrive to assist Wu-Tang's spearhead on the other Coast, while Skarekrow remains the main producer, taking care of more than half of the album. The guests are Black Knights, ShoGun Assason of Killarmy, Professional, Soul Brady, Vulgar and Da Monstar Mob rappers Unique aka JuleUnique and Skarekrow.
After a brief intro over a pleasant beat, the disk is opened by "Dark City Choozer", a new version of a track realized as Architect Holocaust around 2000 for the album never finished. Solid bass in background, light drum, good loops by Skarekrow, Warcloud runs smoothly over this soundscape. The title track is an highlights of the career of Warcloud: Skarekrow pulls out a sample from The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman", the skit from Scooby Doo, Warcloud delivers with Unique aka JuleUnique of Da Monstar Mob over a robust rhythm, deep bass line, tight drum, vocal sample, solid musical carpet for both the emcees. The RZA produces "The Trap Door": obsessive and haunting rhythm, clear, xmas bells, hard drum, rough bass line, plucked strings from acoustic guitar, sound of rain, chorus by an uncredited singer, Warcloud delivers with one of his most smoothness flows, again flanked by JuleUnique.
Skarekrow returns behind the keys for the next track, that has a crazy hi-hats, uptempo scarce drum, roaring bass line, tight strings, shrill loop, Warcloud goes free here. Those slick piano keys for the chorus are icing on the cake of this beat. Must-listen track for Warcloud aficionados. 4th Disciple signs one of the best-produced ever Warcloud tracks. Sample from Del Shannon's "Runaway", then switchbeat with Killah Priest's "Tai Chi", produced by 4th Disciple himself. The soundscape is perfect for the abstract bars and thoughts of Warcloud, the emcee affiliated with the Wu opens raw, aggressive, almost screaming, with a devastating style. He kills the second verse, a shame the mixing failed to clean up his performance, which sounds dirty as hell, and perhaps even more exceptional for that.
The Wu-Tang affiliated artist Cilvaringz produces "The Last Hovering Castle": skit from the movie "Sleepy Hollow" (1999), loop of strings, dry drum, with a intense rapping Warcloud shows off his knowledge of ancient Norse tales over a very fitting beat by the Dutch beatsmith. "Battleship Starship Warcloud Shake'spear Cliff" is realized by Skarekrow: rough bass line, scarce drum, xylophone loop, JuleUnique spits bars and performs the hook, then Warcloud just goes [lirically] crazy. "9 Days of Wine & Roses" opens with the scene of Jimmy Malone played by Sean Connery that is killed by Frank Nitti in "The Untouchables" (1987). Skarekrow behind the keys, roaring bass line, dusty drum to accompany the slow delivery of Warcloud with some guitar loop, he spits abstract in this battle rap, but also leaves you with an embarrassing amount of quotable.
The next track has a cheap rhythm by Skarekrow: rough bass, uptempo fast cheap drum, the main rapper aka Alcatraz drops a extra-verse, then The Professional delivers few bars. While The Professional himself goes to get his haircut and Warcloud waits for him in the car, the latter plays Wu-Tang Clan's "Triumph" and writes over it, then recording this single verse over the beat stolen from The RZA: here Warcloud reminds us that he is part of Wu-Tang and that alliteration is his second home. "Raw Head Spear Howling Wolves/Royal Rumble" is opened by a skit from "Ninja Scroll" (1993), rhythm provided by ShoGun Assason of Killarmy. Intro by Crisis of Black Knights, then ShoGun himself struggles to spits on his own beat: rusty drum, cheap production, weak sounds, Rugged Monk, Doc Doom and Crisis drop a verse each representing Black Knights along with Warcloud, that closes this posse track.
In "Vampire Kung-Fu" the West Coast Killa Beez MC places a sample from Bach, then delivers a couple of verses over a quiet production by The Skarekrow: here something in the mixing didn't work because the voice of Warcloud is audible, the beat no. "Sleepwalker Drive-In Theatre" is another posse track with Warcloud, Vulgar, Skarekrow and Nu3tron (uncredited) over a good beat by The Skarekrow: roaring bass line, harsh drum, hypnotizing sample, dusty strings. Cilvaringz returns behind the keyboards for "MoJo-oodoov: The Dead Man & His Stepson" (though Skarekrow is sometimes credited), Warcloud delivers a vocoder-heavy intro, then piano loops, uptempo drums, a choked bassline, the rapper delivers between verses in a six-minute cut that could have lasted a third of that.
Another skit from "Ninja Scroll" opens "On the High Side of the Sky", Warcloud delivers a extra-verse in spoken word over a skeletal rhythm created by Skarekrow, Soul Brady in the second stanza, then the Wu-Tang rapper with another heavy verse, Soul Brady returns to drop some bars before the last hook and outro. The next choice presents Vulgar and Skarekrow on the mic with the main emcee: hypnotizing loop by Skarekrow, crazy hi-hats, poor drums, even in this case the rhythm is not awarded by the mixing. Cilvaringz is the beatmaker of "Weapon Factory Outro: Gun-Low-Stance" aka "Gun-Low Stance", sample from Elegants' "Little Star" for the intro. Then it starts another production, harsh, vivid, hard drum, Warcloud tears the track. The rapper brings Da Monstar Mob to close this LP in "Bloodline", bonus track. Dusty strings, discreet slow drum, tight loop, Warcloud spits along with Leviathan and Black Sun aka Onslawt.
Overall it's a solid album, even if it's clear that Warcloud gave up on mixing and mastering for economic reasons, relying on the quality of the production by their friend Skarekrow. Released as independent in 2002, is reissue by Chambermusik in 2006 with a new cover and remastered by G-Clef, then in reissue in 2024 by Black Stone of Mecca, with a third cover and remastered by Shaka Amazulu the 7th.
Rating: 6.5/10.
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