He goes full throttle out the gate, laying down the law (“Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily”) on the intro, and most songs stick closely to his assassin’s creed, with viciously violent lyrics and stark, sinister production that show Paz on the warpath. As “Kill Em All” attests, any and everybody, from wack rappers and dumb d-boys to shady politicians and money-hungry capitalists, can get it.
A guest turn by RA the Rugged Man makes “Nosebleed” even more menancing, and “WarMonger,” produced by M.O.P.’s Lil Fame, is one of the album’s best songs, its crisp rimshots, scattershot congas, and trumpet blasts giving Paz the perfect platform to run down the many ways he can maim and malign his enemies. Though he’s brought more than a few friends along (“Going to war with my people is how I define brave” he declares on “Monster’s Ball,” and true to word, Beanie Sigel, Clipse, Paul Wall, and Ill Bill all make appearances), Season shows Paz on his Big and Pac shit — it’s just him against the world, he’s ready to die.
But just when you start to think Paz’s just in it for the guts, he drops jewels that show you that, quiet as its kept, he might just be in it for the glory. The conspiracy theory stream-of-consciousness rant “End of Days,” warns of impending doom, and repeated but subtle references to religious philosophy, symbols and icons add to the mysticism of Paz’s one-man hip hop jihad. “Keep Movin’ On” and “Bad Day” are poignant portraits of the everyday American with a serious case of the red, white, and blues, suffering at the hands of the same political power brokers who’ve pushed the fast forward button on Armageddon.
When the going gets tough and mysterious truths unfold, Paz becomes even more focused on eliminating enemies and deading potential threats, sounding indignant and irritated on “Righteous Kill” and “Role of Life.” You can begin to understand how the bloody ends justify his violent means.
With 20-plus tracks, the album’s about as bloated as its creator, dragging on at times, some tracks sounding too similar to others. Had he trimmed the fat, you could really appreciate hidden gems like “No Spiritual Surrender,” the Madlib-produced “Aristotle’s Dilemma,” or “Drag You To Hell,” where JTM’s DJ Kwestion smartly samples Onyx’s “Last Dayz” and Paz insists, “I’m trying to deal with my personal demons.” Even an executioner deserves a redemption song, but Paz sounds so right when he’s spitting about all he’s done wrong.
Published on Okayplayer.com
