Written by: The Administrator
Once more, we bear witness to yet another 2025 rap album that, if released any other year, would have easily served as a strong AOTY contender. The competition this year is fierce, almost unbelievably so. The arena is packed to the brim with viable champions, and the brilliant (albeit confusingly entitled) Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only has found a comfortable position among my roster of 2025 favorites. And yet, despite demonstrating a clear artistic vision whilst running the gamut from badass bangers to heartfelt introspection, this project has received far less hype than it deserves. Indeed, Leikeli47 has been unfairly overlooked and underrated for far too long. In this era where rappers are lauded for their lyricism, experimentation, and willingness to put in the effort, where are the laudations for Leikeli47? With every release, she only gets better. While 2022's Shape Up undeniably contained some very high highs, Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only is her most cohesive album to date from a quality standpoint. There's pretty significant variety on display here, with a radiating assurance and an infectious energy permeating the project as a whole.
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In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool shit. Without further ado:
Written by: The Administrator
2025 has been an undeniably incredible year for rap, and while this particular collaborative project was one of the first albums of the year to make a splash, I fear it has been largely forgotten in the flood of post-February releases. It's currently sitting within the loose confines of my favorite 25 albums of the year, and after many listens, I'm itching to write about why I enjoy its strangely seamless meeting of minds. So here we are. Given the seemingly distinct lanes Larry June and 2 Chainz have historically operated in, I will concede that on the surface, this seems like an unwieldly collaboration. There is uncommon genius in the oddity, however. An interesting tension exists between Larry June's understated raps and 2 Chainz's often outlandish near-mythical character. The former is an introspective corner lurker, the latter tends to bask in a bombastic larger-than-life persona. I do find that their individual projects have the tendency to lose momentum, but here, when their styles meet in the middle, their togetherness provides a level of intrigue that forces a sense of balance. 2 Chainz has certainly leaned into a more understated delivery; Larry June embraces a little more braggadocio. Both exercise a maturity that feels confident and lived-in. The lyrical substance often focuses on aging in the business, fatherhood, emotional regulation, words of motivation. Grown man raps. And notably, when their verses meet, they do so without a ripple. Nothing is jarring, everything is effortlessly smooth. The album flows. And, lest he be forgot: at this stage in his god-tier career, I'm confident that The Alchemist understands intrinsically how to make any song sound regal, lavish, luxurious, and otherwise heavenly. While the drumless minimalism across the board is generally gorgeous, the integration of the vocal sample in the bold "Bad Choices" in particular is absolutely sublime. The whole project is gloriously nonchalant, occasionally even disengaged...but in a way that feels like "cool and confident escapism" rather than "boring dad rap." If that's not a rousing endorsement, I don't know what to say. Larry June x 2 Chainz x The Alchemist - Life is Beautiful was released February 7th, 2025 via The Freeminded Records / 2 Chainz / ALC / EMPIRE. Find it on Bandcamp here! 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Ohio’s Vindicator have been around the block a few times since their formation in the mid-2000s, staying relatively consistent in releases. As they approach the beginning of their third decade of existence, 2025 saw the return of frontman Marshall Law, allowing former replacement Vic Stown to return to full-focus on the axe. It’s been four years since the last full-length and fifteen since this vocal-guitar duo, leaving plenty of room for anticipation. The outcome would be the fresh and refined Whispers Of Death, seemingly reflecting the earlier days under a tighter complexion. With a tighter complexion comes a cleaner approach and slightly more elaborate songwriting, neither of which dip into technical wankery or overly shiny surfaces. Despite these changes, I’d argue that Vindicator has crafted even heavier cladding, with vocal approaches feeling harsher and rhythms raking in thicker trembles. “Charnel Pastures” is the obvious example, dropping a payload of blast beats and aggressive artillery on the guitar, while the shorter “Exhaustion” deals this deck emphasizing breakneck speeds and fret-happy solos. We also get a taste of that in “Ripper Attack” near the end, pairing well with a bouncy chorus. Such approaches could potentially appeal to the death metal crowd, especially with the growling snarl in the vocals. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
A longer record that uses an extremely clean atmosphere, described as “gothic” doom metal; talk about a one way ticket for me to hate something. Except, it turns out that there are exceptions to even this rule. The Canadian outfit Tribunal seems to be one of those, considering their second record titled In Penitence And Ruin managed to worm its way into my ear for more than one visit. Perhaps the intriguing album artwork made me more interested in lending my attention. If my little metaphor didn’t make this clear, Tribunal’s style takes some growing. At first glance, it’s built on the doom template that leans towards the epic end, dropping extremely dense guitar passages that draw out their momentum, topped by powerful vocals, all cleaned up for maximum clarity. The “gothic” elements arrive in the form of piano and string passages, rather than synths, and I might say that this is part of what sold me. Hell, maybe an electric keyboard is used for all of that, but the execution is convincing enough to not matter. They’re ultimately a background trait that add spice to an otherwise typical dish, but this choice alone is enough to invoke interest. Breaks like the middle of “Angel Of Mercy” are where they thrive the most, borrowing the forefront every now and then. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Like I always say, discovering a blackened thrash band from South America is a fast way to grab my ear by the lobe, being an easy sell. Yet, some do just a little (or a lot) more than others, and Mayhemic is a fantastic example. Having formed in 2018, last year saw the Chileans’ first full-length hit the ground, entitled Toba. Considering this is named after a massive volcano in Indonesia, the music couldn’t be more fitting. At first glance, one could lump Mayhemic into the endless sea of bands that go for this exact same style. It’s a swift blow around the thirty-five minute mark, making speed and aggression its main aims, coated in a finish that’s just the tiniest bit clear without ruining the dirty foundation. Yet the delivery alone goes the extra mile, crushing up some of the meanest outbursts into tiny, dense, riff-sandwiches that hold the weight of an anvil. Pairing with that is a vocal snarl sounding like Millie Petrozza, but perhaps even nastier, to complete the general feeling of being trapped under smoldering hot magma. |
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