Death.wav - For Knows No Bounds
Death.wav is a twenty-one year old Rapper, Singer, Producer, Engineer, and sound designer who was born in Fall River, Massachusetts and currently based in Taunton. An experimental artist, Death.wav takes inspiration from music artists old and new, crafting a sound that is undoubtedly his own. Today we are excited to share our thoughts on Death.wav’s fresh twenty-seven track album For Knows No Bounds!
For Knows No Bounds opens with “My World, Soulless The Void” which serves as a great introduction to the album. Death.wav’s smooth flow is on full display here, as are his personable lyrics. Moreover, you get a great introduction to the kinds of soundscapes this artist is able to create, as this one progresses through a few different, distinctive sounds -including a channel/radio shifter experience at the end of the song. “Joan of Arc” is next and I spent a lot of time trying to come up with something to say about it, only to always come back to the thought that it’s a vibe. It is one of my personal favorites from the album and I found myself coming back to it frequently. Slowing things down a bit is the excellent “Japanese Flowerbombs”. I am not used to rappers working with a backing instrumental that feels slow like this but I absolutely love the contrast between Death.wav’s flow and the instrumental here - the only thing I would change about this song is making it longer than its one minute and forty-six second runtime.
“All my pride” reminds me of some of my favorite Hip-Hop artists, especially the hook. I would pick this song to be released as a promotional single for For Knows No Bounds; this song has it all - it showcases Death.wav’s strengths, has incredibly moving lyrics and has a sound that aligns with what I would expect from the mainstream in the best way. I feel like “Burden of Love and Care” is a bit of a sleeper; the intro is twenty-five seconds long but builds into some of Death.wav’s best flow - and best lines - from the entire album. The confessional, reflective and ironically titled “Gift of Gab” stands out as a frantic and anxiety-filled song that stands out as unique even among the deeply distinctive songs from the rest of For Knows No Bounds. The way in which Death.wav speeds up his verses during this song reflect his lyrics perfectly and add an amazingly emotive layer to the listening experience; there were legitimately parts of this song where I forgot to breathe the first few times I listened, it has that kind of power. “Ballet” feels like it has its own plane of existence and I love how bizarre this song is. I love how experimental this song feels and you can really tell Death.wav is pushing his limits with this one, to great success.
From the outset, “Tranquility Lane” comes out swinging, though it progressively builds throughout its duration. The sound sample at the end was also a treat - some solid humor that will also get you thinking. “I CAN FIGHT” is one of the shorter songs from For Knows No Bounds but it certainly gets its point across. More than anything, I really enjoy the energy in this one - it will get you pumped up for sure. “No Nose Bound” and “not the one i was expecting” are two interlude tracks that flow well into each other - read on a bit later about what I think about the interludes - and I love how these songs act as a spacer and kind of soft reset for the album. The Mr. Krabs sample in “Sideways Land” almost killed me the first time I listened to it and the song is also quite intriguing as a whole. Things kind of devolve toward the ending of the song in a way that felt genuine and provided some truly impressive emotions. “Black Dahlia” is another song that I feel like would be a great promotional single, showcasing Death.wav’s skills while also serving as an appealing song that carves out its own unique listening experience.
“STEAL MY THUNDER” is quite literally thunderous. With boosted bass and some extremely varied percussion, this song really is something special. I also love Death.wav’s overall vocal performance on this - not speaking just of his flow here - you really have to check this one out. “THE ONLY EVER NEEDED GIFT” is up next and I really respect how Death.wav pours his heart into the lyrics for this one. His quick-hitting flow makes his words feel more personal while also giving the song an undeniable weight. The longest song from For Knows No Bounds is “Honest Hearts Bleed Over Dead Money”. Another song that progresses through multiple soundscapes, this one deals with existentialism, some feelings of dread and has a reflective and introspective nature that seems to come naturally. Listening to this song is an adventure in itself and I think it is my favorite from the whole album.
A personal an emotive song that will surely strike an emotional chord for you is “Heartache & Headache”. The instrumental for this one stands out quite a bit to me; it has some deep depth to its layers that makes me really admire it. Meanwhile, the vocal processing that Death.wav does not mask the emotion dripping from his vocal performance; this is one of those songs where you can really feel what the artist is feeling. “Never Involve an Innocent in The Violence” uses a sample of a news report to set the mood at the beginning of the song - and this one really is powerful. Death.wav’s performance on this song is particularly subdued and emotive, and, not to repeat myself, powerful. Although this song is not a quick-hitter or heavy-hitter, it still hits incredibly hard and will tear at your heart strings. “42” closes out the album in a big way, showcasing for one last time Death.wav’s deep-hearted lyricism and silky-smooth flow. Death.wav bares his soul here and speaks earnestly about his mother, making this one another emotional song that I am sure many of my readers - and many of Death.wav’s listeners - out there can relate with.
I would be remiss if I did not mention more about the interludes on this album. While I have skipped over them in the tracklist along the way, each of them adds some depth to the album that makes me glad that Death.wav decided to include them and whenever I listen to this album, I make sure I listen to them all. A few of my favorites were the literally out-of-this-world “A Lover’s Mother: The Prayer”, the humorous “I can actually rap fast too” (seriously, if you are an interlude skipper, do NOT skip this one), the psuedo-psychological “Insider Information” and “DONEIMDONEIMDONE” which had a soundscape so unique that I wish it was a full-length song. Really, they all add something important and they give unique glimpses into Death.wav’s psyche and artistry. Seriously, don’t skip any of them.
For Knows No Bounds is a truly special album and you can tell that Death.wav put his heart and soul into making this album as great as it is. The album was dedicated to Death.wav’s mother and also released on her birthday, truly serving as a stirring tribute. Indeed, the songs on this album are effortlessly emotive and, at times, stunningly introspective, and I respect Death.wav immensely for putting this much love and emotion into his craft. I feel like this is a can’t-miss album and I feel like you all will enjoy it a great deal. You can keep up with Death.wav through Instagram and Twitter and we have the entirety of For Knows No Bounds embedded below via Spotify - check it out and add these songs to your playlists!
