Th1rt3en – “A Magnificent Day for an Exorcism” (Album Review)

Th1rt3en is an East Coast hip hop trio consisting of Marcus Machado on guitar, Daru Jones on drums & Pharoahe Monch on the mic. The trio have been working together for a little over a year now but with Joe Biden being inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States earlier this week, it’s only right for them to come together for their full-length debut.

Things kick off with “Cult 45”, where Monch takes a well-written dig at the Trump administration over a dingy boom bap beat from Nottz. The next song “Triskaidekaphobia” gets on the horrorcore tip over a bloodcurdling instrumental from Monch himself alongside Parks of The Joe Budden Podcast while “The Magician” compares himself to such over a rap rock beat. The song “666 (3-6 Word Stories)” is a unexpected & decent recreation of the Black Sabbath joint “Hand of Doom” while the track “Goat’s Head” reminds listeners of his lyrical prowess over a beat with a crunchy ass guitar line.

The song “Scarecrow” talks about being on the yellow brick road over an anarchic instrumental from Shylow while the track “Fight” talks about racial injustice over a rock/boom bap fusion. The song “Racist” compares the skinheads to Satanists over an infernal beat while the track “Oxygen” talks about needing this woman in his life over a supernatural instrumental from Marco Polo.

The song “Kill ‘Em All Again” talks about those who can’t see the bigger picture over an impassioned beat while “The Exorcist” makes numerous references to the apocalypse & Medusa over yet another boom bap/rock fusion. The penultimate track “Amnesia” expresses his desire to hold this woman in his arms over a more unwinding instrumental & then the albums ends with “Kill Kill Kill”, where Monch talks about losing his mind some fast drumming along with a guitar & a organ.

When artists make an album stylistically departing from their signature sound, it can turn out 50/50. However, Th1rt3en knocks it out of the park. Not only do Marcus & Daru do a good job with the live instrumentation, but Pharoahe Monch comes through with some of his most political lyrics yet reflecting on all the hardships we faced in 2020.

Score: 9/10