PixlBit

 If you had have told me back when "My Name Is" dropped that Eminem would not only become a cultural juggernaught, one of the best selling artists of all time, and would still be releasing albums in 2013 I would have laughed. I would also be confused as to why you were telling me since I was a seven year old who thought the song was catchy... you know, like every other seven year old at the time. See, while the song was funny and catchy as hell, it was also juvenile, oddly dark for its sound, and overall came off like it would merely be a one hit wonder. Obviously that wasn't the case. The Slim Shady LP sold like hotcakes, and caused more controversy than Elvis being a pedophile. Well, obviously, because we all seem to block out the fact that Elvis was a pedophile, and writing obscene lyrics are obviously a worse crime than diddling a minor. Ironically, Eminem rapped about fucking a minor, so I guess it just runs in the blood of white people who try to make black people music. Anyway, he made the Marshall Mathers LP, and became bigger than Jesus.

 Fast forward to the year 2013. Hey, that's this year! Eminem has released one decent album (Eminem Show), one middle of the road album (Recovery), and two stinking piles of shit (Encore and Relapse). So his new album held no promises of quality, as Eminem had released both classics and disasters. So how does it hold up?

 Thankfully, quite well. This is by far his best album since the Eminem Show. Hell, I'd say it's even better than that album. Is is as good as The Marshall Mathers LP? Hell no. Realistically though, how could we expect a 40 year old man to deliver something as passionate and volatile as someone in their 20's?

 The first thing you'll notice about the album is the new sound. This album features a lot of bright, old school rock backing tracks, some of which sound like Buddy Holly, The Doors or even The Beatles could have written. And you know what? It works. There are the usual instrumentals you would expect from Eminem, sure, but they are actually quite few, with Eminem preferring an old school rock pallatte. The song you've all heard sounds a lot like a Beasties Boys song, and it's arguably the weakest track on the album lyrically. Fortunately it's so fucking catchy you won't care.

 The best thing by far about this new album, however, is that Eminem actually moves forward. Sure, he dwells on topics like his daughters, his dad leaving, his fame, his mum and so on, but he does so through a different perspective. On the track "Headlights," he forgives his mum, reflecting on the past and asking why his dad leaving drove them apart rather than drawing them together. On the track "Legacy" he raps about how weird and shy he was at school, how he used to be beaten up and how he escaped to comics. Old material, right? Been covered on Brain Damage and countless other tracks. This time however, he focuses on the positive. He tells the story of how after school he would listen to rap music which would drive him to say the things at home he wished he could to his bullies. He tells of how he eventually took that side of himself and created his character "Slim Shady" with it and became a cultural zeitgeist. He takes old topics and puts a new, more reflective spin on them.

 So, with this new reflective nature, the question, must be asked: Is Eminem still Eminem? Fuck yes. His twisted humour is still here. Some of his raw anger is still here. Dark lyrics and controversy bait are very much present. He repeats his Columbine joke from the original Marshall Mathers LP that actually got censored originally and says he'll see if he gets away with it now that he's more famous.

 That said, this album isn't perfect. Lyrically, all of the singles apart from "Rap God" seriously suck compared to the rest of the album. Then again, that's always been the way with Em, hasn't it? There are a few knda meh songs as well, however, I don't think there are any songs that are actually terrible, just some filler. Then again, this is a 16 track album with one skit. Oh, and while Eminem has gotten over his homophobia, he still hates women, and isn't afraid to tell everyone about it.

 Overall however, this is definitely going to put a smile on the faces of most Eminem fans, and is definitely a worthy album.

 9/10.

 Songs to check out: Rhyme or Reason
                                 Legacy
                                 Love Game (Eminem totally gets outrapped by Kendrick Lamar on this
                                 track, which is kind of hilarious.)
                                 Headlights.