Album Review: Every Hero Needs a Villain by Czarface

Czarface, the hip-hop trio comprised of Wu-Tang man Inspectah Deck, plus veteran Bostonian operators 7L and Esoteric, created a fair buzz with their self-titled debut album, a work characterised by its superhero fixations and rugged beats and rhymes. Housed in a brilliantly illustrated box replete with a comic book, this sophomore effort repeats the same trick, though it’s a significantly stronger release than its predecessor. Producer 7L, in particular, has upped his game, unfurling a brutal series of rock-inflected backdrops that astutely modernise the boom-bap style.

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The rhymes are as crippling as kryptonite on Every Hero Needs A Villain, Inspectah Deck's sophomore effort with Boston battle rap legends 7L & Esoteric. Deck — who was the Wu-Tang Clan's unsung hero before this villainous new turn — unleashes one hilarious doomsday diss after the next on the LP, while Esoteric spouts boasts worthy of the zaniest of mad scientists. On "Red Alert," they mock their rivals for being gluten-free, celiac disease-afflicted yuppies, and on "World Premier," they boast about their "piss (that can) cut toilets in half.

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P.O.S. :: Chill, dummyDoomtree RecordsAuthor: Patrick TaylorI've been a fan of Stefon "P.O.S." Alexander since his debut nearly 10 years ago. On "Audition" and 2009's "Never Better," he proved himself to be one of the few artists who could successfully meld punk rock and hip-hop. Fellow Minnesotans ….

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Two years ago, fans got a pleasant surprise in the first CZARFACE album. Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck and Boston duo 7L & Esoteric joined forces to create what became some of the most exceptional work in their respective careers. It seemed that working with each other brought out the best in both sides as Deck delivered his finest performance in over a decade while 7L & Esoteric got back to hardcore, boom bap raps that helped the duo stand out in the early 2000s.

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In films, comic-book sequels typically enjoy an inherent advantage over their predecessors: Once the requisite origin story has been told, our heroes can get down to the business of flexing their awesome powers. Such is the case on this seecond collaboration between 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang’s Inspectah Deck, on which the principals evolve from three guys working well together into a singular entity. Opener “Czartacus” sets the tone: Eso and Deck come out over a snarling guitar, reveling in their rivals’ disdain (“your tracks be sounding flat, our tracks Kate Uptons”).

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