Review of City Morgue's album My Bloody America | Pat Propst
The morgue is full again. After nearly two years since the last project, New York trap metal duo ZillaKami and SosMula have delivered, despite numerous promises, delays, and little communication from either artist about the state of the record. Whether My Bloody America was ever going to materialize became something of a point of contention among the City Morgue fanbase after the duo did a farewell tour named after the supposedly forthcoming project and played no new material. I even spoke to another fan recently who said they seriously doubted My Bloody America would ever release.
The road to My Bloody America’s release was a rocky one for the group. Last June, ZillaKami announced that he was on “probably his last City Morgue tour.” SosMula confirmed that the upcoming album would be City Morgue’s last shortly after. During this uncertain period for the duo, ZillaKami took a handful of breaks from social media, citing personal issues as the reason for his absence. SosMula remained active, occasionally going live to tease new music of his own. The aforementioned tour did not end up being their last, with the two continuing to tour together alongside the likes of $uicideboy$ and Ghostemane.
As for the record itself, City Morgue continues to do what they do best, jam-packing the album with guitar-heavy and angst-ridden instrumentals and lyrics that could make a monk enter the pit. If you came expecting some rock solid tracks from two of the angriest men alive, you will not leave disappointed. My Bloody America pulls no punches, opening with the explosive track “Skull & Bones 322,” a trap metal belter of a track, originally released in April of this year.
City Morgue wastes no time during the first leg of the record, with earth-shaking cuts like “Sauna” and “HAHA WACO.” “Sauna” features ZillaKami making references to Charles Manson amid a scathing, synthesizer-soaked instrumental, followed up by a verse from SosMula making mention of the Jonestown Massacre through clenched teeth. Keeping with the cult theme, “HAHA WACO” takes a similar tone with a bold, string-backed instrumental sounding like a riff on the infamous Psycho violin. Boasting one of the most creative beats on the whole album, this track sets the bar high for the following cuts.
The second half of the album is equally harsh, with songs like “Pros” and “Wicked,” sounding like they’d be right at home on any other City Morgue record. “Pros” in particular might be one of the best tracks on the album, with an unforgettable performance from ZillaKami and SosMula both and an earworm of an instrumental. “Wicked” is just that, with ZillaKami insisting he “just wants to talk” on a repetitive yet infectious chorus. The only parts of My Bloody America that feel unnecessary are the intro, interlude, and outro, which are devoid of any replayability and too stripped-down for their own good.
As the fourth and final album from City Morgue, My Bloody America is one hell of a send off, and cements the legacy of one of hip-hop’s most interesting and entertaining duos. ZillaKami and SosMula both played to their strengths in this project, whether it’s Zilla with his bone-crushing choruses or Sos with his characteristic griminess and visceral delivery. Despite this being their last joint effort, this is not the last we’ll be hearing from either artist. SosMula continues to tease his upcoming solo album and ZillaKami recently took to Instagram to say he wants to start making grunge next. It’s safe to say that with this last installment, City Morgue went out the only way they knew how: with a bang.
Pat Propst
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