Dead Players - Freshly Skeletal LP - OneLion Review

By Benjamin Hewin

Dead players are set to hit the stage with their new album ‘Freshly Skeletal’ which drops on the 26th Oct next week. We here at One Lion Sound have copped an early pre-release copy and man does it deliver.

Jam Baxter, Dabbla and GhostTown with their hard-hitting, bouncy beats and in your face bars have gone all out on this one. The gutsy delivery of the first two tracks speaks for the whole album, a loud welcome back from the trio we all love. Baxter’s lyrics are as lucidly visual as ever, a talent which has pushed him into the limelight of the UK hip hop scene over the last few years. The track ‘Call us now’ which dropped last month, in which we see Baxter prying his eye apart; ‘eyes like a tourist attraction, these exceptional hydraulic hands conduce a whole room in just one smooth action’ has had us all raring to get our hands on the latest development from Dead Players. Jam Baxter as ever takes us on an ambiguous lyrical journey, of mental experiences and chemically induced wonder. Leaving, as ever, an album which will get your brain working overtime to decipher his unique brand of pithy imagery.

Dabbla seems to just be getting better with every track he drops, his effortless delivery and cheeky bars ‘for now back to the buzz well it’s still there, she promised she’ll be sticking my dick in a wheelchair’ (Track 6 Do It ft. Lee Scott) make for an album appropriate for any moment, with GhostTown’s beats bound to get you nodding your head up and down with your headphones on in public. Among the most prominent of these beats - ‘Nah’ is just begging for a mention. A defiant display of perception, with a similar bounce to everyone’s favourite ‘Yeah’, but with a darker vibe and a particular emotional rawness.  

This album is host to a few great additions, with guest appearances from Lee Scott, Sox, Illaman and Orifice Vulgatron on ‘Infinite Limousine’. Illaman’s previous bars with Dabbla have always been a lot of fun and this track is no different ‘your girl heard my voice now it’s stuck in her head, she moans in her sleep and wets up the bed, so don’t be a plonker don’t be a prat cos I’ll fly kick your nan into a wardrobe fam!’ On this track we also get bars from Ocean Wisdom, the Brighton rapper who has seen his music take off since the release of ‘Walkin - prod Dirty Dike’ back in Jul 2014. With his new album Chaos 93 set to drop at any time, Wizzy is another great voice coming out of the High Focus label, definitely one to be watching right now, and a great addition to ‘Freshly Skeletal’.

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With the recent announcement of a tour in Australia, stopping off in Austria and Switzerland, Dead Players are set to spread the UK hip hop sound across the globe, where it is quickly becoming deservedly recognised.
Dead Players are lined up to play at Phoenix in Exeter this weekend for the 6th birthday of One Lion Sound, this week is gonna be a banger. Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Freshly Skeletal and if you’re about on Saturday and don’t have tickets yet, head over to our shop and make sure you don’t miss out!

Freshly Skeletal OUT NOW! : http://bit.ly/1NLOIIW Limited edition vinyl: http://bit.ly/1MIwfOC Digital: http://bit.ly/1NLPp51