Swollen Members was founded in the mid-1990s by Vancouverites Mad Child (Shane Bunting), Prevail (Kiley Hendriks), and Moka Only (Daniel Denton). Having begun a solo career while living in San Francisco, California, Mad Child returned to Vancouver to work. There he met Prevail and Moka Only, who had been working together. They joined together under the name Swollen Members.

In 1996, Mad Child and Prevail went to the B-Boy Summit in San Diego, California, where Mad Child won several rap battles and was initiated into the Rock Steady Crew. Swollen Members is one of only three rap groups affiliated with Rock Steady, Others include Dilated Peoples and The Arsonists.

Their first releases were three 12″ singles on Mad Child’s record label Battleaxe Records, between the years of 1996 and 1998, then came the debut album Balance in 1999. Balance received wide critical acclaim and has since sold over 47,000 copies in Canada. Featuring collaborations with artists such as Everlast, Divine Styler, and Dilated Peoples, the re-issued album received the 2001 Juno Award for Best Rap Recording.

Following Balance, Swollen Members recorded and released Bad Dreams, released on November 13, 2001, and featuring guests such as Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Son Doobie, Joey Chavez, and former member Moka Only. It appealed to both underground and mainstream audiences, reaching platinum status in Canada. The album earned Swollen Members their second Juno Award and four MuchMusic Video Awards including best rap video, best director and best independent video.[1]

2002’s Monsters in the Closet, their third release, brought official group membership for Moka Only and Rob The Viking to Swollen Members. Monsters in the Closet was a collection of B-sides and outtakes along with three new songs, “Breathe” which featured British Columbian pop singer, Nelly Furtado. Production credits include Evidence from Dilated Peoples.

In 2003, the band released Heavy. In the same year the songs “All Night” and “Deep End (Utah Saints Remix)” were featured in the videogame SSX3. In 2004, the Swollen Members song “Bottom Line” was featured in the videogames WWE Day of Reckoning and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw.

In 2005, Moka only decided to break off from the group for a second time and continue work on his solo career. The following year, Swollen Members released their fifth full album, Black Magic. It is understood that Mad Child and Prevail made an attempt to return to their previously critically acclaimed style and method. Their previous album Heavy was unlisted on their official site discography. A single from the album, “Put Me On (feat. Everlast)”, was released in August 2006. Later that year, Nettwerk Management dropped the group due to Mad Child’s affiliation with the Hell’s Angels.  Armed to the Teeth was released October 27, 2009 through Swollen’s new label Suburban Noize Records. Featured artists on the album include La Coka Nostra, Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne, Tre Nyce, and a return of Moka Only on the previously-released track, “Red Dragon”. This release was followed by a North American tour with Australian Hip-Hop group Bliss ‘n’ Eso.

Swollen Members scheduled the release of a studio album, Dagger Mouth, for April 2011, under Suburban Noize. Its first single is “Mr. Impossible”.[3] The second single released off Dagger Mouth is “Bring Me Down” which features rapper Saigon. A compilation album titled Monsters 2 was released August 2, 2011.

On December 6, Swollen released a compilation of previously unreleased tracks from 1997, titled 1997 the rap group Dilated Peoples was featured on the track Canada 3000.

Swollen Members recorded the song “Lost In The Music” with the Insane Clown Posse on the album, Mike E. Clark’s Extra Pop Emporium released August 14, 2012.

 

Track listing

1.      Inception

2.      Death to You Feat Ill Bill, Slaine, & Vinnie Paz

3.      BAX WAR

4.      King of Diamonds

5.      Juggernaut

6.      The Difference

7.      River Monster

8.      Mercenary

9.      Colossal Beasts Feat Esoteric, Celph Titled, & Apathy

10.  Almost Famous

11.  Death Warrant

12.  Fear Feat Snak the Ripper

Track by track review and rating

1. Inception:  Track has a really good beat.  Madchild does the work on the hook.  The hook itself is really catchy.  All of the verses are really well done and very heavy lyrically.  8/10
2. Death to You Feat Ill Bill, Slaine, & Vinnie Paz:  The music backing on this track does not blend well with the verses.  The levels between the two really need to be evened out better.  Vocally the verses are not recorded well, very tin can sounding.  6/10
3. BAX WAR:  The music in this track is very unique and very different than the last track.  The verses are well done and the varied styles in the vocals work well here.  8/10
4. King of Diamonds:  The beat in this track is very easy to bob your head to.  The verses are once again very heavy lyrically.  It works well.  The hook is done well.  A very good track to chill to.  8/10
5. Juggernaut:  This track is a great blend of rap and Dubstep.  The mix of the two is obvious but the track really is out together well.  The hook is infectious and the whole track bumps.  10/10
6. The Difference:  This track is a definite chill track.  Smooth beats and smooth verses make this very enjoyable to bump while driving around.  9/10
7. River Monster:  A hard hitting beat comes in after a short intro.  The vocals sound tin can again which is a little distracting.  The lyrics are good and the hook is well done and pushes a good message.  The music backing is put together well.  8/10
8. Mercenary:  A very nice piano backs a smooth beat in this track.  The vocal levels are perfect and the lack of a real hook does not take away from the track.  7/10
9. Colossal Beasts Feat Esoteric, Celph Titled, & Apathy:  The beat in this track is very repetitive and that works in the track.  The verses are very well written and make the track flow well.  The featured artists round out the track with great verses.  8/10
10. Almost Famous:  A simple beat makes the verses stand out in this one.  The hook is simply done but pushes a very solid message of unity.  This track ranks among the top tracks on the album.  9/10
11. Death Warrant:  The piano backing on this track is distracting.  It takes away from the ability to hear the lyrics in the verses.  The verses themselves are not on the same level as most of this album.  6/10
12. Fear Feat Snak the Ripper:  An old school beat and great featured verse make this track.  It is very easy to chill while listening to it.  8/10

Overall Album Rating: 8/10

 

Conclusion- This album is another in a long line of albums that makes a positive mark on the industry.  It gives listeners a new perspective on the group while sticking to a lot of common sounds.  This album is a definite chill album making it really easy to listen to from beginning to end.  Swollen Members will find some new fans with this release while still giving their lifelong fans an enjoyable album.

Favorite Tracks:

1. Juggernaut
2. The Difference
3. Almost Famous

Length:

• 45 Minutes 02 Seconds

Record Label:

• Subnoize Records

Release Date:

• 03/19/2013

Purchase:

• Suburban Noize - $9.99
• iTunes - $10.99

Websites:

• Swollen Members

Reviewer:

• Juggalotus