'Grime's Son', the debut mixtape from North London's Revolver, pulls no punches. Where 140 Grime Street and the highligted 'grime' on its cover misleads, Grime's Son stays true to its fifteen track path until the finish. In the current climate of cross-over Chip Diddy Chips, Revolver offers his own antidote as respite. It's too strong.
The full-effects take time to set in, so Z Dot's opening, laid-back production on
Exposure, and the more intense one for the following
You Don't Know What Hard Is, get things off to a good start.
It's not soon after that the CD fully lives up to its title. Grime's Son is straight gutter. Of course, I very much enjoy a spot of greaze in the safe confines of my bedroom, but here it's relentless and, consequently, heavy listening.
Respirator epitomises the CD's mood, with a blunt hook that claps you on the head like a frying pan. The beat is effective, but probably too much so; Brizzo The Warlord's claustrophobic production drones in your ears and it's all a little unsettling. The following
Crews Firing has similar traits. The greaze and dark production do conjure an atmosphere, but its ruthless and chilling.
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed
Battle Scarz so much. The track assumes a personal and retrospective angle, with an emphasis on loss that gives sincere emotion. The song is my favourite on the CD, and it's a very good track that could stand on its own merit anywhere.
Escape is similar, and again one of my favourites. Revolver switches things further by adapting his greaze to more comic ends and
Controlling The War, with sends for Cookie and Wiley, is a highlight on a dubstep backdrop which isn't as acute as earlier productions.
Revolver has gone all out on an unapologetic grime release which, in itself, will make it memorable, and I appreciate his approach with Grime's Son. Maybe I just have to find some balls from somewhere, but nevertheless this is gutter. I'm gonna have a lie down now.
Grime's Son is available now from Uptown Records, OT Music Store and Rhythm Division
