Vol. 2

the take

Not gonna lie, I found DEVILISH TRIO's music to be background music from this project on after my first listen back in 2021. It wasn't bad, but I thought it came off as kind of a knock-off of Three 6 Mafia. That's up until I rediscovered the opening track "Ritual", which is fucking amazing(!!) and it led me to run the trio's discography back. "Volume Two" is a noticeable step up from their self-titled debut mixtape. Tenngage's production sounds more cinematic to where you feel like you're actually in a horror movie. That really meshes well with both Baker Ya Maker and Hydra's lyricism about being "anti-everything", which makes what they're saying much more impactful and important to listen to. Baker and Hydra both made sure to create a visual into their respective beliefs to help make the listener question their own thoughts/ideas on life in general. Plus, it helps that "Volume Two" is more consistent this go-around. The first half pales in comparison to the second half, in my opinion. Tracks like "Ghost Stories", "In My System" and Hydra's solo track "Ideal God" are my three reasons why I have that belief. But even still, it's difficult to top a banger like "Ritual" that pretty much might be the best DEVILISH TRIO track up to this point. "Volume Two" is not background Phonk music, and I'm glad I'm finally able to see the light... or in this case, the darkness.