Darke Bros, a duo comprised of Cas Metah and Wonder Brown of Scribbling Idiots, was an album that we've been waiting for since 2009. Last summer Cas came to Athens, Ohio for a show that never ended up happening and said the project was still coming. A little more of an anecdote, on my way back to his car he told me he had a copy of “Darke Bros” on him, but he took them out of his car. Here we are in 2012 and the album is finally in our hands…..it was worth the wait.
The album kicks off with Nan Knew where we get the two Scribbling Idiots playing off each other with Theory Hazit on the beat. This track doesn’t really fit the theme of the album, but it honestly doesn’t matter, this track is just two brothers clowning on each other and the end of the track will have one cracking up.
The album is divided into four distinct sections with interludes separating them all and with loose themes in each section. The first section was not as strong as the others (not to say it’s bad). Mind Bender is a storytelling track where both Cas and Wonder tell the possible story of someone who broke into their house. It makes one curious to know if the story is fiction or if there’s any truth to what we hear in this song. Vintage made the beat and the snares hit really hard and will have you nodding your head.
This is where reviewing the album gets really difficult because from here on out the album is too dope for words. The second segment starts with I Know which features Lyriz, apparently this track was recorded a real long time ago, but it still hits hard. They all talk about their own stories and experiences they've had. Lyriz speaks on his stories of struggle, Cas Metah speaks on the drug life and Wonder Brown speaks on his friends that are still in the ghetto. Back and Forth is a favorite on the record. MattmaN made the beat and once the 8th bar passes on each of the emcee’s verses the beat makes a change. A change that is more intense and the emcee’s follow suit. Both Cas and Wonder bear all on this track and you can feel the pain that both are going through.
The loose theme of the third section of the record is love, but the track Hurt strays away a bit from this topic. The track is produced by and features JustMe. The topic of the track is pretty self-explanatory and touches on every facet of pain, what causes it, how you deal with it and more. A first run through might not have one feeling this track through, it definitely grows on you the more you rock it. Famous Lovers Pt. 2 is the favorite track on the album, the beat is too fresh for words, Vintage made it with such a deep bass line and a dark piano loop that I had this song on repeat for a long time. Mouth Warren is also featured on this track and all three tell stories of three people that are withholding deep dark secrets. From drug use, cheating in relationships and more.
The last section of this album, is the best on the album, all three songs are dope and promote the theme of hope. It’s the perfect way to end this album, it has such a dark tone to it and to have such a positive ending is perfect. Drowning Man is the only track in this segment that has dark tone to it, yet still ends with positivity. This track is the single off the record and rightfully so, it features Elias (of Scribbling Idiots) and Copywrite. Cas, Wonder and Copywrite all speak on their faulty walks with Christ, but also talk on how they’re working on it and how it will get better. The last song on the album is Winding Down. It features Holmskillet (who makes a number of guest appearances on the album) and speaks on how fast pace life is and how much hard work we have to do. At the end of the day however we need to step back, calm down, and wind down.
“Darke Bros” was as expected and more. It’s a very dark, personal album, but it also shows that there is hope in these dark times that we’re living in. Production was on point with the usual from Vintage, Theory Hazit, MattmaN, but we also had some newcomers show up on the beats. Producers like DT of Clan Destined, So Crates and Lil Jay all bring amazing sounds to the project. As of right now it’s in the running for album of the year.
-Michael Stover
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