Ho99o9, “SKIN.”

The fusion of punk and hip-hop have had a tumultuous history, dating all the way back when Dee Dee Ramone briefly became Dee Dee King for one of the most out there rap albums ever made. Naturally, things did improve over time with artists like The Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Show Me The Body. Ho99o9 easily walks among the ranks of these revered artists.

The group’s newest album, SKIN, follows last year’s Territory: Turf Talk, Vol. 1, as theOGM and Eaddy return with robust and wrathful energy to rock the spot and the moshpit all at once. To quote Alex DeLarge from “A Clockwork Orange,” SKIN is a “real horror show”—pun intended.

The album opens with “NUGE SNIGHT,” which pays homage to the cofounder of Death Row Records and paints a picture of the viciousness of the music industry. Fuzzy rumbling and static feedback build until the cymbals and snares come crashing in.

“BATTERY NOT INCLUDED” includes an audio snippet of people bashing techno music while a rapid synth pickup tears out like a bat out of hell. Distorted electric guitar strains become intertwined in this beastly melody. The lyrics paint a dystopian vision of a rogue AI that could mimic outcasts from society and lash out. With phrases like, “Is this your God” and, “I am a product of my environment,” Ho99o9 evokes the words of Harlan Ellison and “The Terminator.”

The grungy “BITE MY FACE” features the shrieks of Corey Taylor of Slipknot. Bun B follows suit on “Slo Bread,” which takes a more laidback approach (unlike the other songs on the album). It features a lighter and bass-heavy melody, with slight G-funk strains in the background while the artists brag about building their success. “PROTECT MY BITCH PT. 2” kicks off with buzzy feedback hits that set the tempo. Snare hits speed up to a breakneck speed, while the song challenges people who front like they’re tougher than they are.

“SPEAK TO THE DEVIL” takes on a more somber tone about losing self-control. A steady guitar melody wails in the background, creating a noticeable emo undertones. This song leans more into singing than rapping.

“SKINHEAD” features a heavy electric guitar slide that picks up into heavy strikes with snare hits that get louder and louder. It will make you wonder how many sticks and drum sets Brandon Pertzborn tears through on a regular basis. This is the kind of aggressive moshpit anthem that’s bound to get blood pumping, but it abruptly closes out with a spoken-word piece by musician/actor/poet Saul Williams.

“LOWER THAN SCUM” doesn’t hold back whatsoever, blasting listeners with ferocious screamo flows and riffs.

We then come to the bouncing synth melody of “DEVIL AT THE CROSSROADS,” with Ho99o9 revisiting themes of self-control, particularly in the face of mortality under the eyes of a watchful God. “THE WORLD, THE FLESH, THE DEVIL” opens with a countdown into a heavily distorted bass melody drowned in reverb. The sanguinary lyrics paint a picture of someone out for blood.

Jasiah appears on “LIMITS,” matching the energy of theOGM and Eaddy as they rap about their desire and ability to surpass limits that society has imposed on all of us, before SKIN concludes with “DEAD OR ASLEEP.” Ho99o9 gets political about people’s propensity for freedom and lust, while also taking a sharp critique of police and state violence. “There’s a psycho with a badge/ You don’t believe me until I’m dead,” they sing.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.