[This review is courtesy of guest writer freshman Nicolas Bermudez, a student in the fall 2022 intro to journalism course.]

In “Visions of Bodies Being Burned”,  ‘clipping.’ did an excellent job surpassing their last effort, the sister album “There Existed An Addiction to Blood”, with the vision of a horrorcore themed experimental hip hop album, while alluding to many influential franchises in horror fiction.

The production across the entire album is as unique as it can come. I’ve never heard any other album like it, it is entirely something only ‘clipping.’ could pull off. The artistry and professionalism radiating off of this project is enough for me to love it, but the many aspects and layers within it make it even more enthralling. Fans of horror and experimental/industrial hip hop will be addicted to it.

Overall the album is extremely dark and gritty, just like the subject matter that they used as inspiration for its creation. The samples used across this record are very creative, with the group sampling audio of thunder, rusty doors creaking, construction sites and the clacking of wood on the floor. Pairing these samples with the bone chilling and brilliantly delivered lyrics of vocalist Daveed Diggs is an audio horror match made in heaven. In each song Daveed is able to paint a perfect picture of the vivid imagery depicted in these songs. Each song is easily able to be seen as a new story in a horror mini-series following a protagonist who will slowly and painfully meet their demise. With Daveed already putting you in this position of fear and hopelessness, the production of the beats is there to beat you down even more and tear you up like the monsters depicted in these stories. But horror stories aren’t all it has to offer either. Like “clipping.”’s many past projects, there’s varying subject matter throughout the record including subjects such as gang culture and what it’s like to live in the streets, female empowerment, death, racial profiling and the countries history. All of these subjects are brilliantly tied together into a cohesive experience, while also depicting many of modern society’s issues as horror experiences of their own.

The sound of the project could be compared to artists and groups alike such as Death Grips, Dälek, JPEGMAFIA and Injury Reserve with how harsh and off putting it can come off as on the first listen. While Daveed’s flow and rhyme scheme could be compared to earlier hardcore Memphis rap such as Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony. Many people who listen to this album, may also recognize Daveed from his popular role as ‘Thomas Jefferson’ and ‘Marquis de Lafayette’ in the hit broadway musical ‘Hamilton’, due to his distinct voice and speed of rapping. 

I would very highly recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of horror and experimental hip hop, or even just a fan of someone like Daveed Diggs. This album, even though it may not seem like it, is much more than just a quick little spooky experience to enjoy. It will stick with you for a long time. If I am going to rate this album out of ten, I’d honestly give it a 10/10. It is perfect in every aspect it tries to master.