Los Angeles trio clipping. always gravitated towards disturbing sounds for their unlikely mix of industrial noise and experimental rap, but when they dove deep into themes of horror and gore on 2019's There Existed an Addiction to Blood, the group's gruesome tendencies that had floated through various articulations seemed to lock perfectly into place. Taking inspiration from both early '90s horrorcore rap acts and the early '80s slasher movies that inspired those acts, clipping. delivered lyrics of demons, monsters, serial killers, and violent murder over unconventional beats heavy on synths and distorted bass. Visions of Bodies Being Burned picks up directly where Addiction to Blood left off, with material written around the same time serving as the second volume of their deep dive into horrorcore. The album title itself is a line from Houston rap legends the Geto Boys' ubiquitous 1991 hit "My Mind Playin' Tricks on Me," and in the boiling tension of "Say the Name," clipping. samples the line and also references other lyrics from the anthem to paranoia and psychosis. Paranoia is a more apparent feeling than wariness of monsters and paranormal activity throughout Visions. "Check the Lock" follows a drug dealer constantly looking over his shoulder due to shot nerves and a guilty conscience. Throughout the album, clipping. repeatedly showcase their encyclopedic knowledge of both classic rap and horror movies, dropping subtle lyrical references to obscure rap songs and sculpting instrumentals made up of even shares horror-movie soundtrack synth lines, chopped and screwed Southern rap production, and caustic tones borrowed from the American noise underground. The dread that percolates throughout the album comes from the ominous production and burly subject matter, but Daveed Diggs' quick-witted and masterfully controlled flows amplify the anxiety. Like the masked killer in a scary movie, Diggs seems supernaturally several steps ahead at all times, ready to lunge for the jugular with precision rhymes on "'96 Neve Campbell," and firing off wordplay on "Say the Name" so complex it takes several spins to unpack it all. Not many acts find the midway point between Wolf Eyes and Three 6 Mafia, but by the time Visions reaches its apex at the brutal centerpiece "Looking Like Meat," that's exactly what clipping. sounds like. It's a particularly threatening chapter of horrorcore that renders even some of the more severe acts that came before almost cartoonish by comparison.
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