This is the second showcase compilation from Grand Rapids, Michigan indie label Dirtcore Music, founded by local rapper, singer/songwriter and producer Crossworm. The latter was the only officially signed artist for the first 20 years of its existence until he formed Bodies Below Sea Level with Samson Samson, Madd Maxxx, Mumm Ra, Sleep Lyrical, J Reno and he formed Misery Coast with & Grounds. Others such as Gavyn Gunn and Oblivia also spent a short time signing to Dirtcore, with Gavyn’s debut EP Malevolent providing a strong start to his ongoing trilogy, celebrating Devil’s Night with Overkill.
Crossworm eerily opens with the homemade intro “Halloween Sucks,” talking about him spraying mace on anyone who knocks on his door, while J Reno’s “The Veil” takes the trap route, instrumentally discussing the line between life and death. Sleep Lyrical’s “Mask On” showcases the Memphis influences seen with an evil eye in the kitchen every Halloween, while Madd Maxxx’s “Agree to Disappear” talks to his therapist on wax.
Adopting a funky industrial style, Samson’s CR4V3 M3 tells the story of a woman pining for J Reno before the comeback craze of The Old Man, vividly describing the only house in town that’s regularly being skipped during trick-or-treating this year. Mumm Ra’s “The Warning” aggressively asks if anyone wants to smoke with him since he has nothing to lose, which leads to Crossworm’s “The Dead Can’t Die” industrializing about the undead being immortal.
Misery Coast dropped their self-titled debut EP earlier this week, with the dusty “Never Wanta Guessed” admitting they didn’t imagine they’d be sucked six feet underground, and Samson Samson’s horrorcore/industrial “Scream” about making innocent victims scream while walking across a room. Madd Maxxx and Sleep Lyrical’s “Demon Me” is a trap, banging together and feeling like you’re losing your mind, while Grounds’ closer “Nobody” sends the collection off in a metal style closer to his debut EP Walking into Tragedy.
Last Christmas, Dirtcore teamed up with Dirtcore Music to put together a collection of songs that would give casual listeners who haven’t heard of the label a sense of who each person is, both artistically and humanly, to end 2024 on a high note. Overkill, for their part, are changing that, letting the entire roster write songs that celebrate Samhain through a variety of styles including horrorcore, industrial, metal, and a dash of spoken word.
Score: 8/10
