The Serial Killers are a West Coast supergroup consisting of B-Real, Demrick and Xzibit. On Halloween 2013, they released their self-titled debut mixtape under Open Bar Entertainment, followed by extended versions of The Murder Show and Day of the Dead a few years later. Their debut album, Summer of Sam, will be released in the fall of 2020, and despite its title being more political than the trio’s previous work, the second album was produced by Scoop DeVille.
“SK Anthem” sets the tone with this creepy bap intro that features rap that will make you want to punch someone in the face, while the title track talks positively about the trio building a circle of trust together. “Call the Cops” gives off an old-school hardcore vibe that has people snitching on the FBI, leading into the horn-filled “Fired Up” advising people not to push their luck because every one of them is troubled.
From here, “Levels” talks about how if someone worked their way up to the top before “Hand Grenade” went full rap rock, they could improve themselves so they could end the first phase bragging that they could walk through hellfire and commune with the dead. “High Energy” continues the second half of the album, talking about life being a journey and time being money, while “Anarchy” encourages those listening to start preaching about the power we have and not the other bullshit.
“Slippin” comes close to the conclusion of This Thing of Ours, with some strings talking about watching the other side and not letting them catch you, while “By Any Means” talks about constantly staying stronger than concrete and representing the West Coast. “We’re the Killers” closes out the album with this ghostly boom bap about fearlessness, while each member’s lyricism proves more deadly than fentanyl.
Summer of Sam was more interesting to me than Murder Show or Day of the Dead, but Serial Killers returned in the mid-2020s, with Scoop DeVille behind the scenes, making This Thing of Ours their greatest record ever. Scoop’s production takes a bigger hit from top to bottom, and while the predecessor has some lackluster moments instrumentally, I like that they don’t have any guest verses and focus more on their synergy.
Score: 8/10
