producers: catch 22, harry krum, ohmega watts, freddie bruno, faze blaze, sirrocdomz, eleazar, others.

In the accompanying sheet, Syntax Record wrote about the mystery Man Of War is, about the confusion his album will cause. And interestingly enough, they didn't put a straight forward interpretation or answer on said sheet themselves. So who is he, what is he doing? We shall give you the same answer Syntax gave us: listen to the album. However, as we are listening to the album anyways, we shall share some of the ideas we get with you. Deal? Deal.

There's a truckload of tracks on this "10 Horn Daggers" album, with some being very short, some being rather good, some being rather not. But if we shall jump the process, then we can say that the total is bigger than its parts, meaning, that the impression you'll get from the whole album, is better than when you analyze each and every track, and add the findings together. That's due to some of the tracks that are making it hard for us to truly enjoy them. For example "Subhuman" feat. Faze Blaze (who also produced the cut). Man Of War's voice is too quirky on here, and he tragically is even doing the chorus. The beat suffers from the sounding like live instruments mishap too. And when Man Of War gets into Manowar mode on "Ten Horn Daggers" (feat. 3rd Root and Green Olive Tree), that is pushed by live guitar bashing, we can understand the chorus and all, but are not really into moments of metal, despite some of the words being rather flowed.

Strangely enough we get a couple (actually too many) strange and short intermissions, where one artist gets a moment to shine for himself, that is also bearing his name. And the artists getting this opportunity are Braille spitting over an Ohmega Watts beat, 7-locks rhyming over a Harry Krum offering, Lord Knowledge over a self produced offering, further there's DJ Trey Qel, Ohmega Watts, Drumz and Apocalypse gives us a snippet of "Secta7 - The Conquest", an upcoming album.

There are still enough tracks that get our okay. One of them is the "Warmen" cut, that features Scotti on the mic and Harry Krum on the production. It's a simple offering, that is not holding back to start spitting about the believes of these cats, and it's the first chance for us to catch the demanding flow of Man Of War. And if we believe the previously mentioned sheet, one word at times represents a whole sentence. Maybe that's why we are pleased that this album features many guests, and on "Silent Words" it's DizOrgan, who is not only taking care of her verse, but also the chorus. The war against the 'ten horn demon', representing all the bad, is continued on "Bring Forth The Warfare", a cut featuring Dirt and Mr. Tru, and produced by Sirrocdomz. While it will not move any mountains, "Deep" comes correct, and so does "Alone", one of the few solo tracks on here, that however struggles to have the drum connect with the rest of the beat.

And if we even dig for the amazing cuts, then we find 'em in the form of the opening "Journey", that samples some Asian guitar from the "Ghost In The Shell" OST, right? On "Verbal Junk" we are hearing Man team up with a bundle of fellow artists, like Catch22, RedCloud, Mr. Tru, Cal 86er and Sojourn, and the collaboration of these cats is dope, with them also allowing themselves to go and spit, rather than say something that has to be pondered. The quite possibly best track on here is the very dramatic "My Saviour", that is giving us an Eleazar beat, that is epic, overpowering, and fitting the final words by Man. Strangely enough this is over after just a few moments, and we are left urging for more. And once more this is name a snippet off the up coming album "Secta7 - The Conquest". "Butterfly" is the next cut that is almost able to catch up to the intensity, despite it being rather rolling. Man is speaking of nightmarish visions, that are having him come to realization. And the insane chaos is furthered on "Subliminal Messages" feat. Luke Geraty and Cal 86er, that comes across angst ridden.

Despite the live sounding drum, "Painful Road" is getting us going, and having us rest here and follow the lyrics closer, to prove the mentioned sheet wrong, that said that most listeners will only vibe to the flow and beats. While not intense but rather smooth, and also hopeful, we are also enjoying "Lyrical Longevity" a lot. Here Apocalypse and Man team up over this dope Eleazar beat, to do some clearer verses, that allow us to follow some of the artists opinions, without having to first separate them from all the obscurities surrounding them. The last cut finally drags us into a beat that sounds like a night forest, and here is called "Life And Death", and it is used to make it a prayer.

We are given an album that will be hard on you, and demanding enough from you, that it can be a burden to carry it, if you try to make this some past time entertainment. And the many detours are not helping the cause too. But despite or actually because its complexity, the effort to pick it apart can be worth it.