MF Doom - Metal Fingers Presents: Special Herbs Vol 3 & 4

The late MF DOOM's instrumental output as Metal Fingers offered as much wit and imagination as his lyrics, just without the mask talking. This volume from the Special Herbs series is a case in point: a garden of woozy loops, off-kilter soul chops and eerie lullabies named after plants with folkloric potency. 'Dragon's Blood Resin' staggers like a blunt-lit walk home while 'Star Anise' unfurls with layered flutes and syrupy calm. 'Calamus Root' and 'Bergamot Wild' capture DOOM's knack for chopping the prettiest phrases into something blunt yet hypnotic. Some beats reappear from his vocal releases - 'Arabic Gum' rings familiar from 'Hoe Cakes', 'Four Thieves Vinegar' from King Geedorah's 'Next Levels' but context shifts them. They're eerie and bare and now incantations, not backdrops. Even at his most laidback, the production brims with hidden intent. It's proof that DOOM knew the rules well enough to warp them into ritual.