News on upcoming material from Madchild had been quite quiet since the release of 2017 album The Darkest Hour. Madchild toured with Necro towards the end of 2017 and a later toured with Swollen Members for the fall of 2018.
Demons was announced in December of 2018 and released on April 26th of the following spring. The album was released through Battle Axe Records and the renewed Suburban Noize records. It debuted on number two on the Canadian iTunes charts with production being handled by Rob The Viking, C-Lance and newcomer Sean Chapman.
The album kicks off with the famous scene from Juice where Bishop confesses to Q about being crazy and saying, "You know what? I don't give fuck!". It reminds me of the Anthony Perkins quote that kicked off Lawn Mower Man. Swollen have always had great taste when it comes to skits and quotes.
I was instantly absorbed into the opening song "Brainstorm". It's not the hardest song you're gonna hear on the record but it is intricate. Rob pulls you in fast with wondrous pianos and sinister drums while Madchild details his reclusive tendencies and imagination with impressive vocabulary. It's one of my favourite opening tracks Madchilds had since Untold Story in 2015. The penultimate lyric of "When I'm finished writing I get Viking on the horn" still boggles my mind. I love the hook on this song as well.
"Han Solo" wasn't initially my favourite track but it is growing on me. It's more banger than anything with overblown horns and crashing cymbals. The snares are especially tough I'm just not into the rest of the instrumentation. Madchild is right at home on a beat like this and C-Lance is right at home making it. To me, in comparison to some of the forthcoming songs that have a similar tone, it comes up short. But, even if the beat isn't doing it for me Madchild brings some of his better punchlines like "My demons I don't want to battle them no more/so I wrestled with myself, threw my shadow on the floor." Shits fire.
The title track is pretty solid too. C-Lance & Aaron Hiltz make an easy beat to like. Opera chops and wild keys runs through some real heavy drums. Madchild doesn't usually choose a beat this tough for personal subjects so its memorable that way. Mad opens up about the last handful of years where he was supplementing the void left by sobriety with gambling, cocaine and Xanax. You can hear his voice clench with frustration and that adds so much to his delivery. That combined with the writing of his third verse make for one of the best moments on the whole album.
"Watergate" isn't that bad. I could tell from comments sections that the song would be a "love it or hate it" thing among fans. The hook has pretty forceful singing and there's a pretty techno-esque instrumental to go with it. I quite like the rhythm and the verses. I'm still on the fence about this hook but, I do think it works as a song for clubs and parties. It's not my favourite song on the record but it's a lot of fun. Madchild also does a great job of keeping the lyrics dark despite the veneer of the beat.
Another strong song leading up to the release of Demons was probably "Times Change". The Viking beat here is pretty mellow to match Madchilds contemplative lyrics. Mad recounts his early appreciation for being able to tour with his music and contrasts it with recent years of being pampered as a headliner. I enjoyed him touching on the VIP experience and the expectations fans build before meeting him. It's an honest song that's easy to like.
My absolute favourite song on the album was the second single,"Death Race". The instrumental fades in slowly with maniacal laughter from Madchild before the drums and lead synth riff come crashing down on us. Madchilds assures his fans that he's pursuing sobriety and his career more viciously than ever through flow switch-ups and razor sharp punchlines. The hook is equally brisk and aggressive which I also like. This is probably the most Viking beats we've had on a Madchild solo album since Dopesick and it's great to see that chemistry being so easy to fall back into for both of Mad and Rob.
"My Turn" marks about the middle of the album. It sounds like Christopher Walken but I'm not sure what film its from. It conveys the same sort of hunger and restlessness that Mad feels when his career falls behind his expectations.
My least favourite song was easily "Dreaded Force". The beat is okay. We have some eerie strings and pounding bass hits. Madchild is mostly just throwing punchlines together. It's very reminiscent of something we might have heard on Lawn Mower Man in that there's not really an organized idea to the song, its mostly focused on imagination and syllables. I'm not usually turned off by songs like this but Mads delivery is pretty animated and silly for most of the song. I also found the hook a bit tacky. It's a skip worthy track for me.
"No Separation" is another favourite of mine. Contemplative guitar strings and shuffling drums from Sean Chapman make a perfect backdrop for Madchilds verses. There's almost a religious tone to this song as he details his gratitude through making it this far. Mad is also promising to his listeners than you can get through anything with lyrics like "The gods and the heavens and the hells are within you." But there's a good serving of punchlines here too. The singing is amazing as well though I'm unsure if the singer is even credited.
"Follow" is another contender for my favourite song on the album. Madchild goes through his own journey of being a young kid raising hell and falling into his career path. The first verse he tells the youth to keep plugging away at their dreams and have patience in how it will all unfold in due time. The second verse might be one of my favourite moments of Madchilds solo discography period though. He describes being homeless in his twenties, being on bad terms with his family and losing touch with his friends while still keeping his head up through rapping. From writing in his spare time and delving to trafficking to build his studio budget. The hook is mellow and catchy as well. Rob The Viking and Madchild make perfect music together every time.
We get our last couple of bangers in the third act beginning with "Cold Blooded". C-Lance laces wild strings and big resonating bass to this beat. It might be one of his hardest loops out of the whole year. While the pattern of the drums is not very intricate, it might be right up there with Death Race in terms of how many syllable schemes and flow switch-ups Madchilds moves through. There's awesome quotables on here too like "Did more pills than the back of a pharmacy" or "Thank god I can spit a sick sixteen/drug money, rap money ain't worked since sixteen." This album as a whole has him owning his mental health and history of addiction in such a confident way. Despite the scrutiny he faced while relapsing there no shortage of confidence in his lyrics no matter what tone he goes with from song to song.
"Soiled In Regret" has one of my favourite beats from C-Lance out of the year as well. Somber piano keys and complex drums wind their way through as Madchild keeps up with razor sharp punchlines like "Automatic weapons and my firepower merk 'em/Fuck these Satan rappers a higher power lurkin", or "Ruthless, on the loose troops my boots laced/Tight still walk angrily with a screwed face." The hook is bananas too with that Jedi Knight line. Easily replay-able.
The fourteenth track "Forget About You" is a pretty outside the box adventure. Rob The Viking weaves together great guitar work and what sounds honestly like a live drum set. Madchild muses over his lost love that he was on and off with for almost a decade of his adult life The song is a great cross section of regret and longing. From describing how his health deteriorates when he was grieving his relationship to his obsession with who shes seeing and what shes up to. The hook and pre-chorus are great too and he matches this subject matter with the same black comedy we've heard on songs like "Dickhead" and "Slut" I can see this being a hit with fans. It's one of the better experiments on the record.
We're reminded on "Rocket Fuel" that Swollen Members is still one of Canada best hip-hop acts. Its a quick song with Viking on the beat and Prevail kicking it off with imaginative lyrics and flow switch ups. I love the hook where Madchild boasts "We show up to the show and your gang departed". The beat switches and moves through some different tempos and Madchild and Prevail don't shy away from riding the beat flawlessly. I always picture a house party of kids sharing a mic when I hear this song. Just a funky beat with two MCs flipping out and having fun. Another contender for best track on the album. Hurry up and make a new Swollen album k? K.
Our penultimate song "Terror" is my favourite of the three beats Chapman brings. Piano keys chime away while synthetic bass kicks and slaps keep your head nodding. There's no shortage of quoteables here either such a "I wore a mask like I rob bodegas/Became the boogie man I'm baba yaga." I also like the hi-hats that enter during certain moments across this song too. The hook is okay I'm not super attached to it. It's alright as a whole I can dig this song. We've trudged through a lot of personal and introspective songs so a few more bangers to polish off the record is fine.
On the tail end of "Terror" we're hit with a bonus track entitled "Myself". I quite like the instrumental, particularly the snare and organs. There's not a whole lot of quotables and some of Madchilds wordplay gets a little thin. I do however dig the line about "I got to sleep when you wake up from restlessness" it's a nice hint at the genuine struggles he has and adds another layer to the theme of regret that this album focuses on. I'm glad he added this song its not bad.
Honestly, I think this is Madchilds best album. I didn't really notice the absence of features on the first listen and to be honest there's not really a void in their place either. Madchild takes each song and beat by storm and has more then enough to say. There's a tight trio of producers that build a consistent sound for Demons and seeing Rob The Viking return to Madchilds music is especially exciting. Obviously some territory and song subjects are being carried over from other albums but we have more than enough progress to balance that out.
Pros: Production from Viking, C-Lance and Chapman is consistently potent and colourful. Madchild details the behind the scenes struggle that led to his relapse and we're pulled into his journey of pain and regret through great raps and exciting hooks. There's a huge serving of the core Madchild sound as well as lots of surprising instrumentals like "Watergate" and "Forget About You".
Cons: There is definitely a few spots on the record where the sounds becomes somewhat stagnant. Songs like "Dreaded Force" and "Terror" don't bring much to the table other than to pad out the tracklisting with another run of the mill banger. The album certainly could've been a bit tighter.
The album kicks off with the famous scene from Juice where Bishop confesses to Q about being crazy and saying, "You know what? I don't give fuck!". It reminds me of the Anthony Perkins quote that kicked off Lawn Mower Man. Swollen have always had great taste when it comes to skits and quotes.
I was instantly absorbed into the opening song "Brainstorm". It's not the hardest song you're gonna hear on the record but it is intricate. Rob pulls you in fast with wondrous pianos and sinister drums while Madchild details his reclusive tendencies and imagination with impressive vocabulary. It's one of my favourite opening tracks Madchilds had since Untold Story in 2015. The penultimate lyric of "When I'm finished writing I get Viking on the horn" still boggles my mind. I love the hook on this song as well.
"Han Solo" wasn't initially my favourite track but it is growing on me. It's more banger than anything with overblown horns and crashing cymbals. The snares are especially tough I'm just not into the rest of the instrumentation. Madchild is right at home on a beat like this and C-Lance is right at home making it. To me, in comparison to some of the forthcoming songs that have a similar tone, it comes up short. But, even if the beat isn't doing it for me Madchild brings some of his better punchlines like "My demons I don't want to battle them no more/so I wrestled with myself, threw my shadow on the floor." Shits fire.
The title track is pretty solid too. C-Lance & Aaron Hiltz make an easy beat to like. Opera chops and wild keys runs through some real heavy drums. Madchild doesn't usually choose a beat this tough for personal subjects so its memorable that way. Mad opens up about the last handful of years where he was supplementing the void left by sobriety with gambling, cocaine and Xanax. You can hear his voice clench with frustration and that adds so much to his delivery. That combined with the writing of his third verse make for one of the best moments on the whole album.
"Watergate" isn't that bad. I could tell from comments sections that the song would be a "love it or hate it" thing among fans. The hook has pretty forceful singing and there's a pretty techno-esque instrumental to go with it. I quite like the rhythm and the verses. I'm still on the fence about this hook but, I do think it works as a song for clubs and parties. It's not my favourite song on the record but it's a lot of fun. Madchild also does a great job of keeping the lyrics dark despite the veneer of the beat.
Another strong song leading up to the release of Demons was probably "Times Change". The Viking beat here is pretty mellow to match Madchilds contemplative lyrics. Mad recounts his early appreciation for being able to tour with his music and contrasts it with recent years of being pampered as a headliner. I enjoyed him touching on the VIP experience and the expectations fans build before meeting him. It's an honest song that's easy to like.
My absolute favourite song on the album was the second single,"Death Race". The instrumental fades in slowly with maniacal laughter from Madchild before the drums and lead synth riff come crashing down on us. Madchilds assures his fans that he's pursuing sobriety and his career more viciously than ever through flow switch-ups and razor sharp punchlines. The hook is equally brisk and aggressive which I also like. This is probably the most Viking beats we've had on a Madchild solo album since Dopesick and it's great to see that chemistry being so easy to fall back into for both of Mad and Rob.
"My Turn" marks about the middle of the album. It sounds like Christopher Walken but I'm not sure what film its from. It conveys the same sort of hunger and restlessness that Mad feels when his career falls behind his expectations.
My least favourite song was easily "Dreaded Force". The beat is okay. We have some eerie strings and pounding bass hits. Madchild is mostly just throwing punchlines together. It's very reminiscent of something we might have heard on Lawn Mower Man in that there's not really an organized idea to the song, its mostly focused on imagination and syllables. I'm not usually turned off by songs like this but Mads delivery is pretty animated and silly for most of the song. I also found the hook a bit tacky. It's a skip worthy track for me.
"No Separation" is another favourite of mine. Contemplative guitar strings and shuffling drums from Sean Chapman make a perfect backdrop for Madchilds verses. There's almost a religious tone to this song as he details his gratitude through making it this far. Mad is also promising to his listeners than you can get through anything with lyrics like "The gods and the heavens and the hells are within you." But there's a good serving of punchlines here too. The singing is amazing as well though I'm unsure if the singer is even credited.
"Follow" is another contender for my favourite song on the album. Madchild goes through his own journey of being a young kid raising hell and falling into his career path. The first verse he tells the youth to keep plugging away at their dreams and have patience in how it will all unfold in due time. The second verse might be one of my favourite moments of Madchilds solo discography period though. He describes being homeless in his twenties, being on bad terms with his family and losing touch with his friends while still keeping his head up through rapping. From writing in his spare time and delving to trafficking to build his studio budget. The hook is mellow and catchy as well. Rob The Viking and Madchild make perfect music together every time.
We get our last couple of bangers in the third act beginning with "Cold Blooded". C-Lance laces wild strings and big resonating bass to this beat. It might be one of his hardest loops out of the whole year. While the pattern of the drums is not very intricate, it might be right up there with Death Race in terms of how many syllable schemes and flow switch-ups Madchilds moves through. There's awesome quotables on here too like "Did more pills than the back of a pharmacy" or "Thank god I can spit a sick sixteen/drug money, rap money ain't worked since sixteen." This album as a whole has him owning his mental health and history of addiction in such a confident way. Despite the scrutiny he faced while relapsing there no shortage of confidence in his lyrics no matter what tone he goes with from song to song.
"Soiled In Regret" has one of my favourite beats from C-Lance out of the year as well. Somber piano keys and complex drums wind their way through as Madchild keeps up with razor sharp punchlines like "Automatic weapons and my firepower merk 'em/Fuck these Satan rappers a higher power lurkin", or "Ruthless, on the loose troops my boots laced/Tight still walk angrily with a screwed face." The hook is bananas too with that Jedi Knight line. Easily replay-able.
The fourteenth track "Forget About You" is a pretty outside the box adventure. Rob The Viking weaves together great guitar work and what sounds honestly like a live drum set. Madchild muses over his lost love that he was on and off with for almost a decade of his adult life The song is a great cross section of regret and longing. From describing how his health deteriorates when he was grieving his relationship to his obsession with who shes seeing and what shes up to. The hook and pre-chorus are great too and he matches this subject matter with the same black comedy we've heard on songs like "Dickhead" and "Slut" I can see this being a hit with fans. It's one of the better experiments on the record.
We're reminded on "Rocket Fuel" that Swollen Members is still one of Canada best hip-hop acts. Its a quick song with Viking on the beat and Prevail kicking it off with imaginative lyrics and flow switch ups. I love the hook where Madchild boasts "We show up to the show and your gang departed". The beat switches and moves through some different tempos and Madchild and Prevail don't shy away from riding the beat flawlessly. I always picture a house party of kids sharing a mic when I hear this song. Just a funky beat with two MCs flipping out and having fun. Another contender for best track on the album. Hurry up and make a new Swollen album k? K.
Our penultimate song "Terror" is my favourite of the three beats Chapman brings. Piano keys chime away while synthetic bass kicks and slaps keep your head nodding. There's no shortage of quoteables here either such a "I wore a mask like I rob bodegas/Became the boogie man I'm baba yaga." I also like the hi-hats that enter during certain moments across this song too. The hook is okay I'm not super attached to it. It's alright as a whole I can dig this song. We've trudged through a lot of personal and introspective songs so a few more bangers to polish off the record is fine.
On the tail end of "Terror" we're hit with a bonus track entitled "Myself". I quite like the instrumental, particularly the snare and organs. There's not a whole lot of quotables and some of Madchilds wordplay gets a little thin. I do however dig the line about "I got to sleep when you wake up from restlessness" it's a nice hint at the genuine struggles he has and adds another layer to the theme of regret that this album focuses on. I'm glad he added this song its not bad.
Honestly, I think this is Madchilds best album. I didn't really notice the absence of features on the first listen and to be honest there's not really a void in their place either. Madchild takes each song and beat by storm and has more then enough to say. There's a tight trio of producers that build a consistent sound for Demons and seeing Rob The Viking return to Madchilds music is especially exciting. Obviously some territory and song subjects are being carried over from other albums but we have more than enough progress to balance that out.
Pros: Production from Viking, C-Lance and Chapman is consistently potent and colourful. Madchild details the behind the scenes struggle that led to his relapse and we're pulled into his journey of pain and regret through great raps and exciting hooks. There's a huge serving of the core Madchild sound as well as lots of surprising instrumentals like "Watergate" and "Forget About You".
Cons: There is definitely a few spots on the record where the sounds becomes somewhat stagnant. Songs like "Dreaded Force" and "Terror" don't bring much to the table other than to pad out the tracklisting with another run of the mill banger. The album certainly could've been a bit tighter.
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