Intensely heavy bass and experimental trap tones back up the distantly soulful contemporary vocals of DENIS-ROW, as his thirteen-track hip hop album ABOV33RROR hits the scene.
SIMI kicks things off, fast-paced and dissonant, multi-layered and meandering through various flows as ROW takes full command of the mic.
Elsewhere the sound proves eclectic enough to withstand the modern listener’s fleeting attention span, with PUREBLOOD instantly softening the blow, promising a contemplative, mellow and heartfelt track that again focuses on the soulful, RnB-style flavours of ROW’s vocal ability.
To further that degree of contrast, 4DEAD cranks things back towards darkness and heavy bass, with a haunting voice that feels almost freestyle in its descending melodic dance.
ROW masters these qualities throughout, consistently finding some new rhythmic or melodic edge to back up a surprinsgly thoughtful, emotional series of stories. The likes of APENDEX and X/O shine light on the journey of the individual, rather than loading up on familiar, modern references; as is the case for too many indie rappers of late.
ROW’s performance backs up the sentiments of each track well, the passion increasing when necessary, and even the vocal tone and dynamic well-employed to reflect changes in mood or theme. The artist showcases a fearless way with rapping and writing, and the overall sound and style that is ABOV33RROR speaks volumes on behalf of the freely creative direction that hip hop seems to be heading in.
Grab the album ABOV33RROR here. Check out Denis-ROW on Instagram.
