clipping. continue their streak of Stockholm Syndrome with Visions of Bodies Being Burned – Review
clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned
Review by Evan Rubin
On Visions of Bodies Being Burned, clipping. have certainly presented some of their most ear-shattering tracks to date. Considered a thematic sequel of sorts to last year’s horror-core inspired There Existed an Addiction to Blood, the band continues to hone their harrowing narratives and detailed atmosphere. While their last full-length album still maintained a creepy tension, this newest release ups the pure violence from a sonic perspective. Producers William Hudson and Jonathan Snipes have always incorporated harsh noise into clipping. but this album presents some of the most intense maximalist beats that the band have ever constructed. Layers of crushing sound effects build on top of industrial crunches and drum hits, often producing climactic cacophonies. When it comes to the tracks that are more based on ambient soundscapes than groves, a staple of the clipping. sound, the band still brings an additional level of fear. Even these tracks are filled with harrowing details; little squeaks and scuttles that paint the backdrops for the bars being spit on top. I love how these build into dirty squirming sound collages; even the relatively laid-back tracks can be so grating in a way that’s quite entertaining and adrenaline pumping.
Daveed Diggs’s rapping on this album thematically reflects this increased focus on intimidating sound, as he seems pretty confident in himself and his ability to brutally murder and cannibalize the listener, although the dark personal side of this persona is also explored. This is still a clipping. album as opposed to straight up horror-core, and so a lot of the intensity comes from Diggs’s intricate lyrics and rapid-fire technical flow as opposed to gritty and messed-up vocals. His swaggering speed-fueled bars still definitely bring the energy here though and there are tons of amazingly gruesome one-liners that will make you chuckle while simultaneously shuddering. A handful of the hooks on this album can come off as a little more comedic than spooky, but don’t write off Diggs as a horror lyricist; every buried line provides new details that add to the tangibility of these horrific scenarios. The more you tune in to what is being said, the more effective these terrifying tales become, especially when experienced together with the instrumentals which really feel like they are intentionally projecting the atmosphere behind what is being described.
Ultimately, although this album contains some of the scariest individual clipping. tracks, in particular from an instrumental standpoint, it isn’t quite as much of a cohesively cursed experience as There Existed an Addiction to Blood. Instead of being an album that leaves you legitimately scared by the end, this time it feels like the band have delivered an experience that is a little more all-over-the-place, with a couple of cuts that don’t stand out as especially horrific by clipping. standards. You might even hear a couple of these bangers blasting at the next party you attend despite the album’s often dark lyrical themes. This album as a whole comes off as a lot more fun because of the relative lack of cohesion and upbeat vocal delivery. Those who preferred clipping’s initial mixtape and first album over their last two conceptual albums will probably be excited about this. As much as I love the overwhelming fear of There Existed, Visions of Bodies Being Burned is still a great album that is engaging from start to finish, with some of clipping’s most varied and intense production choices and many individual tracks that still set a disturbing mood. This is an album I would recommend to fans of hip-hop, electronic music, and horror in general, as long as you’re not averse to music that will absolutely blow your speakers and ear-drums.
You can stream/purchase Visions of Bodies Being Burned below.
