It would be hard for any hip-hop group to live up to the legacy of the Wu-Tang Clan’s first two records, and that includes the Wu-Tang Clan itself. New album 8 Diagrams—their first in six years—comes damn close to the imagination and urgency of the Wu’s classic work. Thankfully, they refuse to resurrect the themes and sound of the past; instead, 8 Diagrams reflects a better understanding of an extreme and often nihilistic world. These are men with wizened perspectives, but that doesn’t diminish the impact—these new songs might be darker and more menacing than anything yet. “Gun Will Go” and “Starter” are troubled and troubling; roundtable “Campfire” is rough and wild, and “The Heart Gently Weeps” features Raekwon and Ghostface spinning a nightmare scenario. The Wu have always been about the real struggle of survival, and when they lapsed into cartoon thuggery, they went off the rails. Diagrams does intermittently falter because the MC interplay often sounds more competitive than complementary, with individual verses sometimes too-clumsily stitched together. And while Method Man (who is stellar here), Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, GZA and Inspectah Deck all have become stars in their own right, they still have most impact as a unit. RZA’s production finds him reaching out of the gutter and grasping for color to complement his usual shadows; the dank beats and eerie Eastern influences are still present, but some tracks surprisingly swing with live instrumentation and vocal hooks (Erykah Badu, we miss you). Ultimately, Diagrams is a coherent and compelling vision—Wu-Tang still nothing to fuck with. One of the surprises, however, is the relative lack of verses by Ghostface Killah—maybe he was too busy cutting The Big Doe Rehab. Ghost’s solo records have easily been the best of all the Clan, and this is another focused and soulful set of songs. Ghost is the primo narrative lyricist in hip-hop and Doe is filled with smart, taut storytelling, witty lines and downright harrowing imagery. Many members show up to support but it’s Ghost’s show, and his reedy voice is obviously in command.