Jedi Mind Tricks & Ill Bill - Heavy Metal Kings
My metal artists feature at Stylus today highlights Larry Carroll, who did the covers for Slayer's Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and Christ Illusion. He's also doing the cover for The Hour of Reprisal, the upcoming album by Ill Bill of Non Phixion fame.
It's no coincidence that the title is a Slayer lyric. Ill Bill and his brother Necro once played in a death metal band called Injustice, and Non Phixion's logo was a tribute to Voivod's. His MySpace has a song that's hip hop lyrics over full-on metal, but the flows don't mesh well with the riffs. Bad Brains' H.R. and Daryl Jenifer contribute to The Hour of Reprisal, which evidently will include vocal hooks from Max Cavalera and Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage.
The metal doesn't stop there. Ill Bill dropped a verse on Jedi Mind Tricks' "Heavy Metal Kings," in which "heavy metal" refers to guns, not music. But JMT'S Vinnie Paz says, "We're basically trying to convey the energy of old-school metal, real rugged shit - but in hip hop." The single's cover is totally metal, as is the title of its album - Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. The album even takes song titles directly from Slayer, Venom, Amorphis, Sinergy, and Trivium.
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Ill Bill's verse features the lines, "I'm a Slayer album personified," and "Blast the black metal at you like Danny Lilker." The latter is technically true, as Lilker has done time in black metal bands Hemlock and Overlord Exterminator. BM is hardly Lilker's calling card, though, so maybe Ill Bill's metal knowledge runs deep?
In the song's video, Paz wears shirts of Iron Maiden and Terror (he seems to be rocking Nike's Iron Maiden trainers in the making-of video below, ). A limited edition of the album even had a remix of the song with Terror on guitars. R.A. the Rugged Man makes a cameo in the video; he's oddly reminiscent of SFU's Chris Barnes. The making-of video below is quite enjoyable, so check it out
Labels: artwork, clee, features, hip hop, usa, videos, writing
8 Comments:
Metal cred 101: Let's namedrop Slayer. The number one band that heavy metal idiots like (which doesn't necessarily reflect on Slayer themselves... let's say).
I have no idea what this is trying to accomplish.
Slayer and Pantera are probably the metal bands that have most universally spoken to the aesthetic of pure testosterone and aggression. As you say, this doesn't necessarily reflect on them, but it invites attention from unexpected and sometimes unwelcome quarters. In this case, though, I don't doubt JMT's and Ill Bill's metal devotion; anyone who works Cannibal Corpse and Dillinger Escape Plan into hip hop rhymes gets geek points from me.
that's so wild, dude; I do a quarterly column dedicated to visual artists (namely album covers) in Pit magazine called "Artists of the Macabre." For instance, I'm wrapping up right now with Vince Locke of the Cannibal Corpse covers and Deadworld comics.
Yeah, Vincent Locke! His fine art stuff is so different from his CC covers. I'd be curious what he had to say.
"I don't doubt JMT's and Ill Bill's metal devotion"
I don't care about metal devotion. I don't see what this [the metal connotation in hip-hop] is trying to accomplish on the artistic level besides being vaguely gimmicky and cross-overish. I see no merit.
People are reading way too much into this. ILL BILL is a fucking metalhead who happens to choose hip-hop as his artform. When he puts metal and rap together, it's not a gimmick at all - it's from the heart. he's not some fool who just like Slayer or Metallica. His roots with the music and the culture run deep. You dig or you don't, but don't debate where it's coming from or whether or not it's valid.
helm ...you obviously think you know alot..so before spouting your opinions about ill bill jmt or the psycho logical outfit, do a bit of research mate, even check out necros pre fix for death or even find out about ill bill and necros metal band..the one they started before they rapped...they are talented musicians who "cross-over" rap and metal because their good at it. as for merit. go fuck yourself cunt.
JMT is an underground group, unlike many others who are in it for money and fame, these guys are actually trying NOT to go mainstream. This will be hard for them though as they are becoming popular very quickly. You should have some respect for them just for that alone.
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