My review / opinion on Sulfur Surfer
Just wanted to write it down somewhere eventually, so why not post it here. I wasn't expecting much from this album honestly, because I'm not really into the "darker" side of Bladee. And Blondie lyrics set the bar pretty low for me (particularly for that moment when I thought he said "your ass is so nice", when he actually didn't). But I was instantly surprised right from the start. The very first track sets the tone with Whitearmor's production that sounds unlike anything he made before, and Bladee's vocals and lyrics are exceptionally good there.
Throughout the whole record there's so much going on. Production is complex and layered, almost maximalist at times. Bladee's vocals are very different from one song to another and he's always trying something new here, and lyrically he's at his strongest here. Sometimes he sounds triumphant, sometimes he's at the depths of his despair, sometimes it feels distant, like he detached himself from certain emotions on purpose for the sake of self-protection and looks at certain things not from a human standpoint, but as someone who's above these feelings. Seen too much and felt too much. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into it and seeing things that are not there, but this speaks to me on many levels and my favorite thing about this album. As someone who's previously been at both his lowest and his highest and now left confused and unsure, I haven't felt so deeply seen by someone's music in a long time.
There's also a lot of nods to fantasy / Dungeon Synth / Black Metal stuff throughout this album. I think Sulfur Surfer was heavily inspired by these - Bladee's character on the cover and Bladee on photos from before the release are covered in some kind of a corpse paint, there's a portion of Black Metal-ish screaming across a couple of songs, mystical plucks (like the one towards the end of Blondie, which grew on me), ethereal synths, which is usual for Whitearmor, but there's some genuine non-human feel to them here.
Both Bladee and Whitearmor transcended and outdid themselves on this record, when I was expecting less than average from them, just the "evil" Bladee which I'm not really fond of. Turns out it's so much more than just this. Not every track is equally amazing, but there's a lot of very high highs on this album. It feels "profound" and very personal at times, there's a lot to relate to. Second part of "Scab" touched me as no other song managed in a long time. It's an album from someone who feels lost, abandoned, uncertain about now and tomorrow. Someone who's already matured, experienced both joy and woe, and now burdened by time and questions about one's life choices and regrets. For me, It's the most existential and bittersweet thing Bladee and Whitearmor ever made.
Favorite tracks: Sulfur Surfer, The Dark Mirror, Black Fire, Scab.