I can always admire when musicians have different projects covering various musical styles, and when being active several years in one genre it seems legit discovering new ground. In this case Adam Darski, also known as Nergal, from…. you might have guessed it….Behemoth must have thought the same. While being infamous with Behemoth and spawning quality records since beginning of the nineties he started the dark folk/blues project Me And That Man a couple of years ago. Although I’ve missed the debut “Songs of Love and Death” , which was co-created with John Porter, the follow up “New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.1” is now making its debut on my digital media player.

I did mention solo project, didn’t I? Well this album still is the offspring of Darski’s ingenious musical mind. But with aid of fellow musicians it is a feast on your eardrums. And that is the strongest point of this album. Every track has a different dimension without forgetting to create a coherent impression.
And in this case it is gothic laced folk and unfiltered blues which is presented in fresh yet dark, sometimes even funny, manner making this album an interesting venture. At times it even reminds me of the magnificent Zeal & Ardor but then in a different style. Just listen to “By The River” and I will think you will concur.

Opening with the Tarantino-esque rock fuelled track “Run With the Devil”, it is the superb saxophone solo from Jørgen Munke (Shining, Norway) which makes this album immediately getting interesting. Follow up “Coming Home” is sung by Sivert Høyem (Madrugada) giving it an entirely other vibe with its unique and beautiful voice while the raw vocals on “Burning Churches” hailing from Matt mcNerny (Grave Pleasures) gives this excellent song something extra creating an instant camp-fire sing-a-long served in diabolical, dark and melancholy manner. In “Mestwo” Darski proves he can put his vocals to effective use and doesn’t get underwhelmed with all the other vocalists. In fact, his voice is so excellent it makes you wonder why other vocalists are needed.

Jerome Reuter’s (Rome) dark, distinctive voice on “Man Of The Cross” really suits with the atmosphere of this album while Matt Heafy of Trivium truly has a great, gloomy and high-pitched voice on “You Will Be Mine”. “How Come?” were Corey Tailer (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Mastodon’s Brend Hinds and Volbeat‘s guitar player Rob Caggiano make their entrance is simply compelling and fun to listen too. Funny fact is that the lyrics on this track contain an Easter egg. With singing the phrase “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel” a reference is being made towards Behemoth’s track from the album “The Satanist”. Me And That Man doesn’t forget its roots completely. Ihsahn (Emperor) is singing devilish chants on “By The River” and in collaboration with Swedish black metal legend Niklas Kvarforth the last track “Confession” can be regarded as a black country song with subtle infusing both musicians roots on this track.

Besides all the guest appearances the music is well crafted and has a superb production. A very clever decision of Darski making this album aided with such an enormous list of guest musicians. It gives this album a diverse character and makes it a thrilling and diverse ride. But without these collaborations the music stands on its own. I can only conclude that “New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.1” contains high quality songs, good song-writing and is a fun trip out of the metal arena. It might not be what you expect of mr. Darski but damn…I like what is being offered here! This album is pure pleasure to listen to. If you are open minded then you really should give this album a try.

Score: 8.1 / 10

Label: Napalm Records
Release date: March 27th 2020

Review made by: Erik

Tracklist:

1. Run With The Devil, feat. Jørgen Munkeby (Shining NO)
2. Coming Home, feat. Sivert Høyem (Madrugada)
3. Burning Churches, feat. Mat McNerney (Grave Pleasures)
4. By The River, feat. Ihsahn (Emperor)
5. Męstwo
6. Surrender, feat. Dead Soul and Rob Caggiano (Volbeat)
7. Deep Down South, feat. Johanna Sadonis (Lucifer) / Nicke Anderson (Entombed)
8. Man Of The Cross, feat. Jerome Reuter (Rome)
9. You Will Be Mine, feat. Matt Heafy (Trivium)
10. How Come?, feat. Corey Taylor (Slipknot / Stone Sour) / Brent Hinds (Mastodon) / Rob Caggiano (Volbeat)
11. Confession, feat. Niklas Kvarforth (Shining SE)