American record producer Leland Tyler Wayne, famously known as Metro Boomin, released his ninth album on Dec. 2. Boomin has been a fan favorite with his upbeat melodies and noteworthy production. After several years of not coming out with his own album, however, these same fans almost forgot about him. HEROES & VILLAINS helped him secure his spot once again as one of the best producers in the industry. 

The album’s cover art seems simple, with two men shaking hands, but it is so much more when looking at the detail. The man on the left is dressed in half of a grey suit and half fire but seems perfectly fine based on the look of his straight face. It’s almost like the two are making a deal of some sort, and the fire represents that this deal will turn the man on the left’s life into flames. It resembles the Pink Floyd album cover of Wish You Were Here, an album about the emptiness of the friendship amongst the band.

The track count of the album was 15 songs long, with each and every one worth the listen.

The opening track on the album, titled “On Time,” featuring John Legend, sounds just like you’d expect a John Legend song to sound—heavy on instrumentals, deep and strong voice and a powerful message. The song has a beat switch in the middle of it that seems almost confusing (although both beats sound great together), but it all makes sense when the transition from this song to the next comes along. It didn’t even sound like the song switched.

This next track is named “Superhero.” It is one of the most popular songs on the album among listeners, and that is for a reason. The heavy trumpet-like beat, along with Future’s deep yet melodic voice, helps reveal Future’s perception of himself; his arrogance, but not in a negative way. The style Future decided to rap with was so nonchalant yet appealing to the fans—the way he sounded like he didn’t care while rapping made me want to listen more. The song ends with a new beat that Chris Brown takes over to sing passionately as he always does, and his message about being a villain balances out the music to go from an empty message to a significant one.

The track following “Superhero” features Don Toliver and Future again, two artists commonly on this album. The song’s name is “Too Many Nights.” It is my favorite for several reasons; the different beats throughout the song that are all extraordinary with the various instruments utilized, Don Toliver taking these beats over with his hollow and emotional singing, the clean production that enunciates every lyric almost perfectly, the message being about not to care too much, and Future’s short yet impactful feature to conclude the song. My favorite line was, “Feel like I’m runnin’ from my past, I can’t slow it down,” because it can relate to many listeners. 

Along with “Superhero” and “Too Many Nights,” a few other of my favorite songs from the album are “Umbrella,” “Walk Em Down,” “I Can’t Save You,” and “Niagara Falls.” However, every song on the album sticks out to me— there is not one song I would skip due to the clean production and noteworthy featured artists. These songs have incredible contrasts of artists, clever lyrics, and unique vocals of each artist like I’ve never heard before.

Overall, HEROES & VILLAINS was a 10/10—I will confidently admit that this is in the top two albums of 2022. Going out of the year blasting “Creepin'” excites me in ways that other albums haven’t. Although Metro Boomin made us wait a while after NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES, it was absolutely worthwhile.