Releasing a record after the death of a driving force behind the project is a daunting task. I remember seeing Avenged Sevenfold trying to keep the feeling alive after the death of The Rev, and while Nightmare was absolutely killer, it did feel like something was missing. More recently, Static-X finished off some of the final recordings of its namesake frontman Wayne Static with a pair of Project Regeneration albums, giving longtime fans some sense of closure in the years following his untimely passing.
Such is the case with Dropout Kings’ latest effort Yokai, which comes after the unfortunate death of co-vocalist Adam Ramey just days before his 33rd birthday. It is unclear what the future will hold for the band after unspeakable tragedy like this, but at least the man went out with one hell of a swan song with this album. Dropout Kings are forefathers of a subgenre known as “trap metal,” blending elements of trap, hip-hop, djent, and nu metal into an aggressive, affecting final product. With plenty of wordplay and groove for days, Yokai is a great, if unintentional given the circumstances, send-off for Ramey.
Across thirty-four minutes and eleven tracks, the raps of Black Cat Bill are one of the most attention-grabbing things about the music. Even on songs with dead simple composition, such as “Devil Fruit,” Bill’s rhymes are tightly delivered, weaving into the fabric of the song effortlessly. To that end, the title track is easily the most pure hip-hop track, and Bill’s delivery is more unhinged and unraveled, allowing the co-frontman to show his full range as an MC.
As for the more metallic fare here, “Brace Yourself” feels like a Korn song at times in the verse, with Bill’s rapping going more towards singing without sacrificing any of its percussive, pointed nature. With prominent turntable scratching and the quiet verse, loud chorus dynamic at work, this feels like the band’s attempt at being Linkin Park, and it works. “Guillotine” is the most hybrid song on the album, balancing the trap and metal flavors the best, and as such would likely be the best choice to show someone who’s never heard of the band before. “Eye Bleach” would be a close second choice, with it feeling the most quintessentially nu song on the LP.
To bring things back to the departed, Ramey’s melodic vocals serve as a great counterpoint to Black Cat Bill. The dynamic feels like a take on the “beauty and the beast” trope that has served metal well for the last couple of decades, and the balance never feels like it’s weighing too heavily to one side or the other. Of course, knowing what we know about Ramey’s death, it feels that much more bittersweet, particularly on a song like “Fake It.” But his work commanded quite a following in life, and his legacy in death has only grown.
Yokai is going to be a dubious achievement in the band’s overall story, remembered for the worst possible reason: the death of one of their own. In spite of that, Dropout Kings have delivered a great work here, with a great variety of melodic moodiness and bold braggadocio. In this new nu world we live in, the name Dropout Kings should be one on more people’s lips, no matter what the band’s next move may be.
Yokai is available now via Napalm Records. RIP Adam Ramey.
