The killer bees may be the most dysfunctional unified clicks ever in the history of hip hop. The once nine man crew has been responsible for some of New York’s greatest rap albums, but not without their fair share of family squabbles. The old homage "united we stand, divided we fall" seems to bear no relevance for most of the Shaolin soldiers. Throughout their 15 year tenure Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, ODB, Method Man, RZA, and Inspectah Deck have each dropped solos of near classic status at least. The group as a whole can’t seem to function quite as properly on the other hand though. 8 Diagrams marks the Clan’s first work since the untimely passing of the well outspoken ODB.

As soon as 8 Diagrams opens avid Wu Tang listeners will realize that they’re in for another over-hyped and disappointing group effort. The opening "Campfire" sounds like some classic Shaolin shit, and with Method Man’s fluid delivery sounds like it could have major promise but things drastically dull out as the track wears on. From early on it’s easy to point at RZA’s unspectacular production as much of the album’s problems. Even the smooth feeling "Get Them Out Ya Way Pa" with its west coast inspiration and reoccurring Chinese melody is more bad or ugly than good.

Less than a quarter’s way into the album and most will find it difficult to find a reason to keep listening. Even more favorable tracks such as "Rushing Elephants" and "The Heart Gently Weeps" don’t do enough to help rinse out the shitty taste. RZA’s all too chaotic rhyme patterns are enough to make you want to snap the disc in half i.e. "Sunlight." The Mathematics produced "Stick Me For My Riches" proves to be the album’s only track worthy enough to repeat. However, it’s the collection’s final offering that will be remembered most. All eight members lay down a heart heavy eulogy for ODB on "Life Changes."

Upon completion of this album one thing is very evident. Obviously, every single member’s mind was somewhere other than this album. Maybe they were missing ODB, or maybe they were thinking about more lucrative solo deals. Either way, 8 Diagrams is a complete disgrace. Not an ounce of creative energy was put into this not assertive effort. This is by far the worst Wu Tang album to date. Maybe Ghostface Killah was right a couple of weeks ago; this album should have never been released!