3Mind Blight – “Subliminal” is crushing in some of its lyrical declarations

Tulsa, Oklahoma, multi-genre artist, 3Mind Blight continues to break boundaries on his latest intense, innovative single, “Subliminal”. The singer, rapper, musician and songwriter has been on quite the journey since his debut – at war with demons, challenging the boundaries of genres, collaborating with fellow artists, and ultimately building his muscular catalog into a mission statement. 3Mind Blight’s hybrid of vocal roars, pained melodic crooning, and sharp rap flows have been prominent throughout his career. With “Subliminal”, however, the artist has done more than play to his strengths, he has broadly expanded his parameters.

Sure, “Subliminal” is pure 3Mind Blight – raw lyrical aggression, percussive momentum, a well-crafted melody and a profound narrative. But it goes way beyond. It’s a cohesive piece built on duality, fueled by ebb and flow and permeated with dark atmosphere.

3Mind Blight’s singing is as emotional as ever, and this time it dominates the sonic template. Given his toeing of various stylistic lines, and astute navigation of trends, 3Mind Blight’s body of work really shows he is not of music’s normal kind.

3Mind Blight’s snarl at the front of the mic has always been ubiquitous, but on “Subliminal”, his voice has numerous nuances. The electronic inputs into 3Mind Blight’s music, and how he harnesses or employs it, has always made him a unique entity.

Here the 808’s and the skittering hi-hats form an unusual backdrop to his abrasively raw vocals. There is hardly an artist that uses these kinds of sounds and vocals together so overtly, without them sounding forced.

The percussion and brooding bass that sit beneath 3Mind Blight’s vocals really bridges the peaks, and does a lot to maintain the track’s tension, while the singer-songwriter draws out every single emotion he can from the lyric sheet, pulling every single ounce of his pain and rage. “The deeper that I fall in the darkness. It surrounds me and makes me heartless. It’s almost too much for me to take. I cannot see a way to break free. And escape, escape, escape.”

3Mind Blight

What makes 3Mind Blight so beloved by his fanbase and reviled by metal, rock and rap fans in general, is that he is not a purist. 3Mind Blight won’t hesitate to be catchy, melodic or throw in completely unexpected curveballs if it fits what he is trying to do with a song, and it couldn’t be any clearer than on “Subliminal”. That’s what makes this single so cool, it is going for a mood as much as it is going for a sound and a message.

Often 3Mind Blight paints his themes in a dim light of hopelessness. Even “Subliminal” is crushing in some of its lyrical declarations. “Subliminal thoughts of criminal thoughts. Is all that I’ve got as I slowly rot and fade away. Because all of the voices and all of the choices. Looking at me like I feel I’m rejoicing. I decay everything is gonna be okay. Watch me decay watch me decay.” The menace becomes more unsettling the deeper one descends into it.

3Mind Blight, who has always impacted his audiences with unrelenting energy and presence – has now delivered one of the most interesting tracks of the year, regardless of any genre, a song that in my opinion will unequivocally go down as one of his most complete solo single efforts.

“Subliminal” is a great 3Mind Blight record. It delivers amazing songwriting, and gutsy production that never really gets out of tone with the artist’s overall aesthetic and passionate performances.