Conway The Machine - You Can't Kill God With Bullets (Album Review)
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Written by Jack Butler-Terry
Conway the Machine is not one for taking a rest. It’s where the ‘Machine’ part of his moniker comes from, after all, and as he continues his run of releasing an album or mixtape every year since 2014, it becomes clearer year on year what a supreme talent he is.
‘You Can’t Kill God With Bullets’ is his fifth solo studio album, expanding on everything he’s done to amass critical acclaim up to now. Immediately, the production sparkles. It sounds every bit like the top shelf hip hop that Conway has long aligned himself with.
Horns, keys and strings made the singles Se7enteen5ive and Diamonds feel lavish without losing the grit that shows the work he’s put in, and the rest of the record follows suit.
Conway’s story is a true rags-to-riches tale, and nobody is more proud of it than he is. The Lightning Above The Adriatic Sea hears him admit: “I was just in and out of central bookings / now it’s Coachella bookings.” On BMG he reminisces about “the times we was doin' illegal crimes just so we can survive” before bragging about being “in France spendin' my leisure time drinkin' this wine.”
His performance hits new heights as well. Amid the swaggering braggadocio and mean-muggin’ lie a number of voices, such as the jauntily pissed off jibing of The Painter, and the mournful spoken word delivery of The Undying. Conway’s ability to not only put these different modes in such close proximity within the album, but also to make them all feel authentic and affecting, is an achievement all on its own.
Meanwhile, features from Tony Yayo (Hell Let Loose), G Herbo (Nu Devils) and KNDRX (Parisian Nights, Attached, and Organized Mess) add more texture to proceedings. Across the 18 tracks on offer, ‘You Can’t Kill God With Bullets’ rarely dips in quality. This is yet another fascinating chapter in the life and times of one of New York’s most important voices.
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