Romancing the elements of nature, the witching-hour lyricism of the Swollen Members (Madchild and Previal) delves deeply into topics that have yet to be captured or pontificated on wax. SM are shaman-like oddities in this game, and judging from their topic matter alone, they would seem to fit in more at a Renaissance festival than in hip-hop's machismo-filled atmosphere. Prevail and Madchild divulge their cloak-and-dagger lyrics in a highly animated manner, and their chemistry is very developed for a group embarking on their freshman effort. Western guitar riffs and staccato high hats augment the duo's mental gymnastics on "Out of Range," and the Alchemist leads a one-man symphony on the possessed "Horrified Nights." Swollen Members enlist a stellar supporting cast throughout, with Dilated Peoples ("Counterparts"), Evidence ("Bottle Rocket"), Everlast, Divine Styler, and Del's Hieroglyphics ambiance, prevalent on "Left Field" with Unicorn. The witchdoctors of hip-hop are definitely at the forefront of developing a new style, and after listening to the Swollen Member's debut, your view of hip-hop may never be the same.

by Matt Conaway
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Tracklist :
01 Front Street
02 Out Of Range
03 Consumption (feat. Aceyalone)
04 Lady Venom
05 Shatterproof (feat. Others)
06 Bless And Destroy
07 My Advice
08 Brace Yourself
09 Circuit Breaker
10 Strength
11 Sunburn
12 Left Field (feat. Del)
13 Bottle Rocket (feat. Others)
14 Horrified Nights
15 Valentines Day Massacre (feat. Others)
16 Battle Axe Experiment (feat. Evidence)
17 Forceful (feat. Others)
18 Commited (feat. Son Doobie)
19 Counterparts (feat. Dilated Peoples)