Among the many releases emblazoned with the Wu-Tang phoenix logo, the consumer never really knows what they are going to get. Each member has carved out their own niche, not to mention the abundance of affiliate member releases from the Clan’s alleged 300+ member roster. Then there are the compilations, and then there’s releases like this one, which falls somewhere between album and experimental side project.

What separates Legendary Weapons from something like The 8 Diagrams is that this album is produced entirely by The Revelations, a back-up band that emulates the RZA and company’s sound with live instrumentation.

One of the cooler aspects of the project is the inclusion of several guest collaborators, all of whom have the respect of the Wu-Tang Clan, with some of these like-minded individuals never having collaborated with them before. Roc Marciano hops on the hollowed-out, piano driven “The Black Diamonds”, along with Ghostface and underrated Killarmy emcee, Killa Sin, while AZ and M.O.P. join Ghost for the title track in a no-brainer collaboration. Ghost seems to be the one most open to collabo, as he also enlists Sean Price on the classically fashioned “Laced Cheeba” and the new blood driven “Meteor Hammer” with Termanology and Action Bronson.

The Revelations’ production isn’t quite as tight as what we heard from El Michels Affair on Enter The 37th Chamber, but instead is a sound all their own. Their muted basslines and sparse drums sound sampled, giving a dark, murky sound that compliments the Clan’s grimey rhymes. No, it’s not RZA, but gives a unique sound that eventually grows on the listener. Not groundbreaking, but definitely solid.

Besides a few tracks that miss the mark, the only real flaw about this record is that it does sound like a compilation, despite involvement from almost the entire clan. With so many personalities in the crew – many of them having carved out their own niche – the sound jumps around a lot. While this doesn’t replace what we’d hear from a new Wu-Tang Clan LP, it satisfies just enough to fill the void for a short while.