Kung Fu Vampire Releases Highly Anticipated 6th Album “Blackheart Machine” (Album Review)
Kung Fu Vampire is a 36 year old MC from San Jose, California who began breakdancing 3 decades ago & taught himself how to rap & sing while playing drums & bass as a hobby. He then began to make his presence in the underground felt by releasing his full-length debut Blood Bath Beyond in the fall of 2003, which would be followed up 5 years later by signing a 2-album deal with Mad Insanity Records for the sophomore effort Dead Sexy & eventually Love Bites. The Kung Fu Vampire returned after 3 & a half years in the form of Look Alive & again a few summers afterwards with his previous full-length Come Dawn after founding his own label Ultra Violet Entertainment. The last we heard from KFV however was the self-titled debut from Double Dragon & is finally unleashing his 6th album.
“Sugar” is a futuristic opener produced by Charlie Beans making it clear that he just wants to bite something sweet whereas the title track has a more cheerful tone to it talking about how he used to be happy. “How I’m Livin’” dives into trap turf courtesy of Seven trying not to change & advising to stay up out his way, but then “Gimme Skull” takes fellatio to a whole new level down to the electro-tinged instrumental.
Continuing with “5am”, we have the Kung Fu Vampire over a dubstep beat getting wild early as fuck in the morning leading into A-Wax tagging along for the guitar-tinged “Neck & Neck” as they talk about their significant others bagging killers. “Fur Sure” boasts that he ain’t got shit to prove at this point over a robotic instrumental just before “These Days” continues to draw from dance music talking about taking what he wants & running.
“Bigger Than Rap” makes it clear that they started a trend over a clinky trap beat until “Torment” with Trizz sees the 2 joining forces for a morbid wicked shit banger. The song “Eddie Money” returns to an EDM-inspired groove needing tickets to paradise while the penultimate track “Expired” talks about nothing being left but revenge & vedetta over another dancy beat. The closer “No More Bad Days” though ties everything up to an optimistic look at brighter days ahead.
Look Alive & Come Dawn have both ranked themselves high as amongst the best bodies of work throughout KFV’s discography with Blackheart Machine joining them rather quickly. The production that Action Paxton mostly handles is rather versatile pulling from EDM to trap & rock as opposed to the heavy 80s influence throughout the predecessor as the San Jose horrorcore veteran delivers amongst his fiery performances to date with a couple dope guest verses by his side.
Score: 8/10
