Here we have the 9th full-length solo LP from Philadelphia underground veteran Vinnie Paz. Breaking out as the MC of Jedi Mind Tricks & the leader of the Army of the Pharaohs collective, he put out his first 2 solo albums Season of the Assassin & God of the Serengeti in 2010 & 2012 respectively until returned in 2016 with The Cornerstone of the Corner Store. The Pain Collector would become my favorite of his since his first 2 but since as above so below, Paz has been staying consistent by delivering a new solo effort every year. Tortured in the Name of God’s Unconditional Love spawned a trilogy & All Are Guests in the House of God continued it, only for it to come to a close on God Sent Vengeance.
After the “Abudadein” intro, the first song “Shepherd’s Rod” is this soulful boom bap opener courtesy of Hobgoblin talking about slapping a few rappers because of them moving backwards whereas “2 Knights Forced” produced by Evidence asks if he has to tell anyone time & time again that they’re flat out wack. “Bulldozer” featuring Young Buck darkly makes it clear neither one of them are trying to be righteous in any way thanks to Stu Bangas while “Head of David” ruggedly talks about being the real bad man.
Ill Bill & Lord Goat joins Paz on “Acid Teeth” aggressively venting what it was like for them to be born into pain just before the August Fanon-laced “Timetravel_0” talks about everyone adapting if it comes down to him having to drop a body. “Megaton Swords” featuring Cappadonna teams up to take aim at sucka MCs together leading into “Rafiki Books” talking about learning to take a stand instead of taking THE stand.
“Perfect Enemy” reunites with C-Lance behind the boards telling all his rivals to be moving quietly going forward since everything his squad be smoking is loud just before “Battle Scars (Pharaoh Overlords)” comes through with this raw ass AotP posse cut. “Chico’s Bail Bonds” ominously continues forward having the feeling that somebody’s gonna end up dying tonight, but then “All Guns Full Ammo” featuring Onyx finds the trio shooting shit up together.
Sick Jacken appears on the rugged “Sacrificio (De Muerte)” to send shots towards any man’s way while “Heavy Chains” hauntingly talks about being afraid of himself. “Wings of Azrael” featuring Napoleon da Legend suggests for everyone to dance with the wolves while “Mao’s War on Sparrows” talks about there less Indians & more thieves these days. “Noise Drug” featuring Boob Bronx & Recognize Ali ends with all 3 of them coming for the weak.
Although the Jacinto’s Praying Mantis EP from last summer was a minor step down from the previous installments of the God trilogy, I still enjoyed it as a prelude & the final chapter of the saga finishes it off the way it started. The production is a mix of established veterans & lesser known beatsmiths on the come up focusing less on the trap elements of its predecessors in favor of a general hardcore hip hop direction.
Score: 8/10
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