One of the modern hip-hop eras reigning underground legends is back with new music. Ghostemane continues to roll out a series of EP’s that transcend the already loose borders of hip-hop, exclusively exploring outside and into the realms of different genres with Opium. Following last months release of his hardcore project Fear Network – Opium is Ghostemane’s disturbing take on acoustic grunge.

This EP is a masterpiece, composed of everything that the best of grunge is. It’s dark, scary, heartbroken, honest – ruthlessly shameless. In under 10 minutes, the three songs take listeners to revisit a sensation of sounds somewhat familiar to those from the early Kurt Cobain home recordings. Each song starts somber, with quiet strums of a lonely acoustic guitar and Ghostemane’s raw harmonious voice drug out gently over the top, sometimes being distorted in his own soft-toned mumbling hum.

Ghostemane has an established past with genres beyond rap. Having jumped around from one hardcore band to another as he traveled down the path of evolution in order to become the icon he is today. This past in hardcore is easy transcribed in his music. From lyrics of violent thrashing tongue-twisters and the periodic sequence coming as a yell from the top of strong lungs to instrumentals that are enveloped in heavy with distorted bass and guitar. Much of his music is a blend, lacing the two genres together. Opium is not this way. It is a definitive example of grim acoustic grunge in every essence, a seemingly effortless and successful attempt in creating this brief classic.