You all remember by now; this mixtape is pretty new. Released last year - technically, it was Twiztid's first release off the label. It was also the duo's first-ever mixtape. Since it'd be Twiztid's first release off the label, it was a spectacle for a lot of the fam. Everyone wanted it or was interested because it was practically going to be a representation of what Twiztid was and would be up to, now that they aren't with Psychopathic. It was recorded during the latter leg of the Abominationz tour, if I'm correct, and features a lot of the guys that were touring with them at the time. There was also a pre-order incentive (That I missed) where they'd sign it if you pre-ordered it. That's about it for that, I'm going to move on now.
Graphics:
This is Twiztid's first mixtape, and as such, was released in a typical mixtape format.
The cover here is pretty cool. It features Twiztid, in a spiraling staircase, with dark clothing. They're looking up menacingly with fierce looks on their faces, at the viewer. Their name and the mixtape title are on the front aswell.
On the back is the track listing in red, with a vectored picture of Jamie and Mono's faces against the dark and metallic background, behind the text. Contact information; copyright shit. On the inside of the front flap is the skull logo Twiztid has, pictured upside-down and against another metallic background. CD art is the same as the cover, just on a CD. In the CD rest there's a picture of Twiztid, with a heavy red filter that makes the image look a little glossy. It looks really nice, actually, and might be the coolest graphic on the mixtape. It's also upside-down; I'm assuming you're meant to turn the tape upside-down to see the art correctly.
There's also a small booklet that comes with the mixtape, inside, that houses a few things. There's a big red curtain on the first flap, announcing "The new full length album by Twzitd", "The moment you've all been waiting for". This is interesting to note - at this point, there still hasn't been a new full-length album by Twiztid. Given that the tape says it's coming soon, I can't help but wonder what they think that means, or when it will come out. On the other flap there's production information for the entire album - the beats, the photography, the features, all that. Adorning the backside is an ad for Twiztid's online website with a collage of a bunch of the gear they have up on there, and the Twitter tag for the shop. The graphics for this mixtape aren't good. They're okay, I've seen better mixtape art for sure, and I don't really own that many mixtapes.
But now I'm going to move on to the part that matters the most - the part I'm looking forward to writing.
Content:
If you were paying attention during that debacle that spawned when it came out that Twiztid was leaving Psychopathic Records, you know that this mixtape was going to be seen as a expectation and/or archetype of things to come of the Demented Duo. That said, expectations for this tape were mostly high - it would, after all, be their first release off the label. "What will their new sounds be like?" "How will they fare?" "Is ICP gonna be featured?" "ARE TWIZTID GONNA GO MANESTEAM ZOMG!!!11" and all that assorted mess. But I'm here to give to you straight, a ninja to a ninja, without embellishment. And here I go.
Not good. You don't need it.
I'm not sure what was happening during the production of this album. It doesn't feel rushed - it feels like there was a lot of time put into the production of this mixtape. I think what happened - what it seems like to me, is that Twiztid put in a lot of effort trying to make a different sound, a different flavor for the fam. Something fresh and new. But, there's one problem...
It doesn't really sound all that great.
There are other issues I have with this mixtape, too.
It seems like this mixtape jumps all over the place. It's like a whole handful of different subjects just crammed together - the tracklist doesn't flow very well, at all. On top of that, a lot of these songs are just way different, it's not even horrorcore. There are some tracks that are heavy with singing, and that's great on one end. To me, that is fucking awesome. I feel like if you went back to Mostasteless-era and told Monoxide to sing his ass off and hold a high note, he'd tell you to fuck yourself with a screwdriver. It's great that Twiztid got together a bunch of different people and decided to try out some new noise for the fam.
But on the other end, it just doesn't sound that great! Unfortunately for them, this new approach just doesn't sit right. It doesn't feel like horrorcore; it doesn't sound like wicked shit. Most importantly, it doesn't feel like Twiztid. That might sound really bad, but it's not a be-all-end-all. This tape just doesn't feel right. It's not what I expected, and it's not what I wanted either. It's something else.
I'm no cynic, though. I had been waiting to review this mixtape for a long time, but I kept dodging it because I felt like it was going to be a chore. Of course, it wasn't terrible. The production is solid. This tape is well-produced, and like I said, it sounds different. Very unique. But unfortunately, it just doesn't ring right. It's just off, and it can't be pinned down to one variable, no one track that is the culprit here.
The features are good, but they are everywhere. I feel like I saw more features in the track listing than I saw of Twiztid. There are seriously a lot of features on this album, and they're all great rappers. But at times, I feel like they break up the flow of the album. An extra verse by Monoxide or Madrox would have been more welcome than just another feature I don't recognize. This album didn't need all the features it had, and it felt overdone on this mixtape.
That summarizes all the major feelings I have for this mixtape. I don't think it determines the noise we're gonna hear from Twiztid in the future. I think they're still doing great, and have a long road ahead of them. This entry though, this mixtape? It wasn't stellar; wasn't great; wasn't even good. It's not worth your money, not even worth your time. There are only a few redeeming tracks, but they don't make up for the rest of the content on the CD.
That's it, ninjas. It's old news, but I had to do it.
JRH gives "A New Nightmare" by Twiztid a: 1.7/5
(Nah, homie. No, it doesn't bump...)
Weak points:
- Inconsistent track listing
- Experimental sound is good, but ultimately doesn't sound too great
- Tons of features that kind of break up the flow of the mixtape
- The amount of good tracks stacked up against the rest of the content is primarily why I don't think this tape is worth anyone's time. The tape has a lot of tracks that just aren't good.
Strong points:
- Even though I don't think it sounds great, I think it's really good that Twiztid decided to step outside of what they usually do and try something different. Too bad it turned out like this, though.
- Solid production, and that goes for the whole tape, more-or-less.
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