Album Review: HEROES AND VILLAINS

Review by: Shrija Shandilya

Artist: Metro Boomin

Rating: 5/5

As a sequel to the star-studded album NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES, HEROES AND VILLAINS plays to the strengths of all featured artists while incorporating Metro Boomin’s innovative take on trap to create a captivating yet cohesive album.  

The first track, “On Time”, starts the album off bright and uplifting, featuring a beat switch and transition to the next track, “Superhero”. Metro also presents themes of heroes and villains by sampling Homelanders’ climactic speech from the Amazon Original TV Series “The Boys”. “Superhero” brings back the self proclaimed “Dynamic Duo” of trap with Future’s smooth flow over a classic Metro beat. 

Continuously, Metro proves he knows how to highlight the talents of his features. Travis Scott’s melodic flow and sublime vocals are seen best in the chorus of “Lock On Me” and “Niagara Falls”. The piano loop and kick drum beat on “Niagara Falls” combine perfectly with Travis Scott’s vocals and 21 Savage’s classic monotone delivery to make it one of the best songs on the album. 

The diversity of this album alludes to the contrasting themes in the title. It’s best seen in the switch from “Around Me” to “Metro Spider. “Around Me” features Don Toliver’s haunting vocals on a pop adjacent beat. The following track, “Metro Spider,” featuring Young Thug, is a more energetic and active trap beat.

“Creepin”, featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage, is the most played song on the album thus far and for good reason. The Weeknd’s R&B vocals are astounding as always as he cover’s Mario Winan’s “I Don’t Wanna Know.” Metro utilizes a sample again in “Feel The Fiyaaah”, an underrated track that displays A$AP Rocky and Takeoff’s lyrical style and smooth flow.

While it could seem like the album depends on its features from well established artists, Metro Boomin perfectly balances many different styles which is no simple task.There is not a single feature or track on this album that feels forced. Metro Boomin’s genius production and narration from Morgan Freeman culminate to create a cinematic listening experience and give Metro Boomin status as an unforgettable name in trap.