The Department of Darkness is the pairing of emcee Schaffer The Darklord and producer Vince Vandal. Vandal actually produced all of Schaffer’s 2015 EP Sex Rhymes, but this marks their first official venture as a duo. They now present their self-titled album.

The first thing that hit me about this album is just how much fun it is. While this is technically an album from a duo, there are so many guests on the album, it really feels more like a posse album. It’s a who’s who of nerdcore artists, from old guard to newcomers. You get spots from Ohm-I, Coolzey, Mikal kHill, Francine, Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Miss Eaves, LadyJ, Lex the Lexicon Artist, MC Lars, and Shubzilla. Vandal gives everyone some huge beats that bang to hop on and do their thing, from classic boom bap to dance tracks like “Settle Down.” Subject matter ranges from serious political and social commentary to ridiculous and absurd roleplaying, such as the arguing lawyers on “Overruled,” which puts Schaffer and Frontalot in the courtroom where their case arguments quickly devolve into petty name calling. My personal favorite on the album is “Witch Hunt,” which features the coven of Miss Eaves, LadyJ, and Lex all trying to outdo each other and up the game as they take on their witch personas and put the rest of us on notice. Really, you can’t go wrong, because this album is a start-to-finish nerdcore party.

The Department of Darkness is a new name, but the project involves artists that have known each other and worked together before, so the chemistry is on point all the way through. Everyone gets to contribute their part, and Schaffer and Vandal steer the ship with confidence.