Solid album, but not the Holy Grail of AOTP releases
James C. Janssen | portland, or | 04/13/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My problem with the 2nd album was the lack of Apathy. Well, Apathy is back, but now Esoteric is missing (one of my favorite AOTP members). I just don't find Des Devious, Demoz, Doap Nixon, King Syze, etc. to really add much to AOTP. Sure they can deliver some great lyrics, but the other more talented emcees could do that better (Vinnie Paz, Celph Titled, Apathy, Esoteric, Reef, Planetary). This album still feels like it has a lot of "filler" emcees on the roster. Not saying that anybody is particularly bad, it's just that I'd rather hear more Apathy, Vinnie, Celph, etc. (like I mentioned above).
I thought the beats on the second album sounded a bit too "commercial" on a few songs, and this album seemingly ups the ante. There's some great beats on this album, but it seems like AOTP is slowly shifting towards a more mainstream sound (unintentionally). Don't get me wrong, this still oozes that underground vibe, but some of the newer artists coupled with some of the newer beats seem out of place when compared to the sound of the first AOTP album. Again, this is personal preference.
Still, a very solid album and worth a purchase.
"