With
Twiztid off ICP's Psychopathic label since late 2012, it seemed the ICP+TWZTD supergroup
Dark Lotus was a dead and buried project, but the 2014 arrival of
The Mud, Water, Air and Blood proves it ain't dead, just zombified. At least, partially zombified as "My Head Is Haunted" is hyped-up horrorcore hip-hop with some kick, while "45 Minutes" is an operatic, over-the-top movie on wax that centers around the gallows, but often, the ICP camp seem to be reading their lines for the first time and the overall chemistry between the two crews is lukewarm. Still, when Frankenstein met Dracula it was a shallow spectacle that thrilled hardcore fans with its "more, more, more" attitude, so save this plodding zombie for the annual Gathering-goers and those who installed the "Find Faygo" app on day one. ~ David Jeffries