ALBUM REVIEW: New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 2 – Me And That Man
Some artists spend years trying to get their band out of their hometown. Some artists spend their entire lives trying to make a masterpiece. Others dedicate every waking moment to becoming a cultural icon. Many fall at the first hurdle, let alone tick it all off the list. Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski, however, has achieved all three. As the visionary frontman of black metal institution BEHEMOTH, he has taken extreme metal to heights its underground roots would’ve thought unthinkable. It would be enough for most artists to retire happily, but Nergal isn’t most artists.
On his solo project ME AND THAT MAN, he shakes together classic blues, gothic-folk, and outlaw country for a cocktail only devil worshippers and western gunslingers could order. 2017’s Songs Of Love And Death was a darkly lit affair, and 2020’s New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1 brought light and guest spot glamour to the project. On New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 2, the two combine for a tour with one twisted troubadour.
Whilst Vol. 1 often felt like a revolving door of inconsistency, Vol. 2 takes you on a journey that doesn’t feel so disjointed. From the heartbeat pulse of HANK VON HELL’s imposing opener Black Hearse Cadillac, to THE BLACK KEYS-inspired electric blues on Blues & Cocaine, to MYRKUR‘s waltz through a gothic-folk wonderland on Angel Of Light, everything has its place and fits perfectly.
Under The Spell is the soundtrack to a John Wayne shootout, a grandiose rise and fall of bluesy country led by Mary Goore (aka GHOST’s Tobias Forge) that flows effortlessly into All Hope Has Gone’s mid-90s MAIDEN meets blues-rock menagerie of a supergroup including Blaze Bayley, Gary Holt and Jeff Mantas Dunn. If you were to look at these from a birds-eye view, you’d argue that it’s the same man, same songs, and same shit.
But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that Vol. 2 is anything but the same songs, same shit. Year Of The Snake is the outlaw country duet you never knew you needed, as Nergal and David Vincent wear their sins on their sleeves like a modern-day Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Elsewhere, Alissa White-Gluz haunts your eardrums like a ghost whilst Devin Townsend lends his progressive wizardry to Nergal’s western world on Goodbye. Closer Got Your Tongue sees TURBOWOLF’s Chris Georgiadis step in the ring for an occult-blues punch-up that puts ROYAL BLOOD and THE BLACK KEYS in the same realm as Satan himself.
Whilst the likes of Coldest Day In Hell and Silver Halide Echoes miss more than they hit by playing their cards a little too close to their chests, Vol. 2 offers more replayability than its predecessors. From gang vocals to worldly strings, whispering harmonies to twiddly riffs tucked away – it’s all here for you to find if you’re willing to dive in. Vol. 2 is an evolution of everything that’s come before, without sacrificing the core sound Nergal has spent half a decade delicately designing. It’s yet another testament to the genius of one of heavy metal’s most mystical icons, and whether you like it or not, ME AND THAT MAN are well and truly here to stay.
Rating: 8/10
New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.2 is set for release on November 19th via Napalm Records.
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