Gangrene – Gutter Water

Hip-hop duo Gangrene consist of emcee/beatsmith Oh No and renowned producer The Alchemist; a combination which should be a match made in heaven for any beat junkie, especially when you throw a slew of hip-hop's most gifted — including Raekwon and Guilty Simpson — into the mix. And for the most part Gutter Water does its job, no more and no less.

Opener Boss Shit finds the duo at full force, delivering a spot of bravado-filled, verbal sparring over string-laden, boom-bap; but the duo struggle to keep momentum over the ensuing thirteen tracks, and things soon revert to predictability. Even Rae fails to impress on the title track, and it soon becomes apparent that Alchemist's microphone skills don't quite match his beat-making nous. There are some impressive tracks here — the menacing Brass Knuckle Rap for one — but ultimately Gutter Water feels like what it is: a side project. [Martin Skivington]