Review: Iron Braydz – Verbal Swardz

Back with a bang in 2014 comes Iron Braydz with his latest release, ‘Verbal sWARdz’. With a collaboration roster featuring some of the heaviest hitters from across the pond and the Triple Darkness family, expect to be verbally aggressed for the best part of an hour. With an incredibly successful few years under his belt, critically acclaimed from all angles, how does this newest drop fare in the landscape of UKHH?

The ferocity of this release is immediately apparent. Wu Tang style old martial arts samples accompany the sounds of tortured men and John Rambo peppering the tracks. Iron Braydz and Kyza kick off with ‘Scorpion Sting’ – Braydz proving his skills in the lab once again with a self produced banger. Kyza brings the chorus in his inimitable style laced with verses from Braydz ready to kick your door down.

An air of unease and impending doom is woven into the very fabric of this EP, complementing the verbal swardz unleashed on weak emcees pump-faking their way to the success. The beat smithery seriously sets the tone with haunting Piano and electric guitar samples while an eerie church bell tolls in ‘Millenium’. Prince Po and Daniel Taylor throw down in equally heavy measure, their metaphorical wordplay touching on any controversial subject.

‘Dredd’, the first video release from the album, is another 100% Iron Braydz production from beat to bars. If you still don’t know what Iron Braydz is all about, this one lets you know. ‘Rambo’ is 100% uneasy, beat and cadence bouncing off each other and popping your speakers. Kyza and Skriblah lend bars to this lyrically focussed opus, keeping it live over the looped beat.

Rounding the EP off is the title track ‘Verbal sWARdz’ comprising every single aforementioned element. Featuring fellow Triple Darkness emcee Cyrus Malachi flowing over a chopped up choral selection of Allegri’s ‘Miserere’. I absolutely dig this track, even if it isn’t the biggest hitter – I see it more as an epilogue bridging the gap to the next drop.

This is unquestionably an informed, aggressive commentary on the evolution of current social trends. Since the release of ‘Devil May Cry’ and ‘Holla@Braydz’ and of course joining the line-up at Triple Darkness his notoriety within the industry has grown to exceptional levels. Considering the overwhelming self sufficiency in the studio, with his new label ‘Unorthostract’ and with his indubitable lyrical skill, 2014 is looking exciting for Braydz. Rumour has it this is only the first release of a plethora of projects set for detonation this year. Not that his addition to Triple Darkness needed any justification…but if you needed it, here it is.

Kop Verbal Swardz here.