Atom Tha Immortal's newest release is a fresh take on the rap genre. The unique production beats and varied instruments found in every track will leave you wondering where he came up with his ideas. Somehow, the unlikely combinations he creates definitely work, and his sound will stick in your mind long after you've played the disc through.

The production on Sword of 77 Faces is tight. Atom takes it all over the board with sounds of violins, saxophones, organs, pianos, and sounds like something that may have been pulled from a video game in the eighties. And they all sound great. Atom has a very smooth sound vocally and brings some clever lyrics such as "you couldn't rock it if you had mics made of granite" and "you couldn't cut me if your first name was Obi-Wan." A must listen track would have to be "The Evil One," a song about Satan and God rapping against one another. The unique concept of the song definitely makes it worth hearing.

Initially, Sword of 77 Faces sounds like good stuff - the beats are nice; the production is unique. Based on those factors, you might think "I can play this all night." However, the more you listen to the album and the closer you pay attention, you'll begin to notice that most of the lyrics fall short of the beats they accompany. It's similar to the songs on the radio with a familiar catchy chorus, but no one really knows what the song is about. And no; I'm not talking emo here, just confusion. Atom drops the Lord's name on just about every track, and he does hit on a few scattered topics with some wisdom and have a clever line or two throughout, but the tracks are mostly filled with disjointed lyrics comprised of Atom telling us his name, describing what good rap should sound like, and things to that effect.

Overall, Sword of 77 Faces is mediocre for a rap album. The unique sound is great, but it doesn't make up for the lack of depth or meaning in the lyrics. Atom Tha Immortal has a lot of potential and a lot going for him and I expect to hear bigger and better things from him in the future. Sword of 77 Faces will not be anything that will change your life, but it's worth a play if only to hear those sweet beats.

- Review date: 1/5/08, written by Kevin Hoskins