With a name like ‘Kung Fu Vampire’, no doubt I’ve sucked most of you in already. Releasing his 5th studio album in August, Come Dawn; I picked it up a week ago and I’ve been listening to it often twice a day ever since. Kung Fu Vampire is a tough act to label, who has a distinct and personalised flavour honed over many years spent mastering his craft, and I don’t know of any other acts who adhere to his style.
KFV is a great example of an artist who is as comfortable rapping at fast and intense speeds as he is slowing down for a more impactful and deliberate delivery. Not only that, but combined with the fact his lyrics remain fully coherent even at top pace (something most fast rappers completely fail to achieve), there is a level of talent on display here that is absolutely not to be ignored.
Come Dawn sets out to bring, and totally delivers on, an altogether different sound to his previous album from just three years ago, Look Alive. The tones from song to song switch things up and mix together very well, particularly from the chilled out My Time channelling directly into the heavy and hungry bass of Madonna. This album is fully packed with bangers and there are no skippers to be found here. My personal favourites from the album are Love At First Bite, 1986 and The King.
The King is such an incredibly memorable track for me as it was the last track to be released featuring Gorilla Voltage, one of my favourite ever rap duos (who announced they had split in September of this year), and in my opinion offers one of the best verses of their career.
I want to draw particular attention to the track Be Alright, as it is now the first song I go to when I’m stressed out or pissed about something, as it’s impossible for me to listen to without getting a smile on my face for how relaxed it makes me. To completely juxtapose the uplifting feeling behind Be Alright, lurking within the album is also one of the most chilling tracks I have heard in years, Weep In Silence, and the first artist I can remember who captured such a sinister vibe like this was Boondox in his earliest days.
Kung Fu Vampire has recently released a new music video to promote Come Dawn, called Rubix, which is linked below and an absolute must watch no matter your musical preference.
I am certainly loving Come Dawn and I’m sure I will still be bumping it come the time Kung Fu Vampire’s next project, Double Dragon (with Bukshot), drops in 2020.
I hope you will give the album a listen, and I can promise you that your time will be well spent. Let me know in the comments what your opinion on the album is and as always you can find me on Twitter @MaliceVER and on YouTube at Void Euphoric Records. Thank you for reading this review of Come Dawn by Kung Fu Vampire, and I will catch you soon.
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