Exmilitary - Death Grips
Exmilitary Image
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Zach Hill's side project, a Sacramento hip-hop group, self-releases a mixtape.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 9, 2012
    90
    What at first appears to be aggression is actually 100 per cent anguish, and the prevailing sense is that, like Black Flag, every ounce of that angst has been funnelled into edge, bone-crunching rigour and the sculpting of their largely unprecedented style into austere angles.
  2. Consequence of Sound
    Jul 6, 2011
    80
    From the blood-curdling yells in which the anonymous MC delivers lines about dead cops and human sacrifice, to the positively chilling Charles Manson sample that begins the album, Exmilitary is the real deal, the absolute extent of your parents' worst nightmares when you came home with your first rap album.
  3. The Quietus
    Jan 9, 2012
    80
    Track-for-track the birth of a new legend? Absolutely.
  4. The Guardian
    Jan 9, 2012
    80
    You come away thinking, despite all the aggro, these Death Grips guys must be an awful lot of fun.

See all 7 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. AlvaradoKTA
    9
    I don't remember how I got into Death Grips, but i glad I did. As soon as MC Rides' cut throat voice hits the high notes, and immense energy is felt. Each track has the potential to raise hell. I can barley understand the lyrics at times, but even the smallest concrete sentences make sense on a weird level. All one can do once listening to this, is fade into darkness and wittiness "this cold guillotine death sentence".… Expand
  2. Brian_Thrillson
    8
    This intense piece of experimental hip hop is one of my favourite full length releases of the year so far. A potent music of brutally aggressive production and nightmarish lyrics, this is also one of the most original records you're going to hear this year. Each track is built around Zach Hill's unrelenting percussion which somehow manages to remain both precise and jarring at the same time. The vocals provided by MC Ride go from gutturally delivered black humour to out and out screaming about everything from police brutality to drug abuse to sex. The album is laced throughout with well selected and executed samples which serve to almost ground this nightmarish trip in reality. There is enough variety here however to ensure that it doesn't become monotonous, with instrumental tracks,monologues and guest vocalists placed throughout. There are one or two moments where Death Grips probably go too far into the unrelenting and the pure lack of empathy here may alienate some and it is entirely possible that the aggressive beats here may leave some listeners cold. It should be clear after the blistering opener 'Beware' which features a sample from none other than Charles Manson whether Exmilitary is for you. However I can wholeheartedly recommend this LP to anyone wanting to here something a little different and very dark from their Hip-Hop this year.… Expand
  3. 2hip2beahipster
    8
    The only phrase I can use to describe this album is: brutal. Death Grips is such a refreshing piece of music and is completely different from all the other "indie" rap acts out there right now. "Takyon" has to be my favorite song on this album and one of my favorites in 2011.… Expand
  4. ForTheDeaf
    0
    This review is being written in hopes that innocent ears aren't rendered useless once filled with the demonstrably awful noise that is Death Grips, unless of course you're in to that type of music. This band, if you can call it that, is basically trying to make as much noise as possible in their tracks in as many 'new' and 'unique' ways that they can. How this collection of noise has received a User Score of 9.0 is beyond me. Usually it's the critics who try to see/hear the things that just aren't there to sound smart, or in this case, ignore all the raging atrocities "Death Grips" throws at you and call it great music because it's doing something 'different'. There is a thick line, nay, there is a line as bold as the Wall of China between creating a new sound that is not only intelligent but truly revolutionary and between just recording noise no one else has dared to before because it literally sounds like a feces-fueled Waterpark. A normal person, God forbid we use the word normal when reviewing this band though, listens to the song Guillotine and instead of enduring the noise, they turn it off almost as soon as it starts (unfortunately I did not have the luxury as I've had to give this album a fair review) while the "indie" crowd cringes and pretends to like it because only they are smart enough and capable of enduring such music, normal people just don't understand. The band provides nothing more than pretentious lyrics that truly have no substance unless analyzed and misconceptions are put therein, a vocalist (excuse me, just the lead) who literally sounds like a dog barking at you throughout the album and a pedophile backing voice, simplistic beats that an angry three year-old marching towards time-out could accomplish, and incoherent instruments that serve no purpose other than to add to the chaos. Many will tell me I just don't understand the music, that I am ignorant. But take a step back. Actually listen to this monstrosity. This is not music, it is a collection of noise.… Expand

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