Revival
by Eminem
User Score
6.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1269 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 690 out of 1269
  2. Mixed: 207 out of 1269
  3. Negative: 372 out of 1269
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  1. SchroederRock
    Dec 24, 2017
    6
    Rap's once-unstoppable force is now facing an identity crisis nearly two decades after he flashed onto the mainstream radar. Instead of being a true revival, this new album shows that Eminem isn't sure of who he is or what he's trying to do. It's neither a big political statement nor a cultural one. The jokes and jabs at whoever lands in Em's crosshairs are far and few between. To makeRap's once-unstoppable force is now facing an identity crisis nearly two decades after he flashed onto the mainstream radar. Instead of being a true revival, this new album shows that Eminem isn't sure of who he is or what he's trying to do. It's neither a big political statement nor a cultural one. The jokes and jabs at whoever lands in Em's crosshairs are far and few between. To make this tougher, the beats are only occasionally strong and memorable. "Believe", "Chloraseptic", "River", "Bad Husband", "In Your Head", "Castle" are the tracks that I think most people will get behind and make this album worth a listen. Cuts like "Nowhere Fast", "Like Home" and "Tragic Endings" might find limited appeal but two of those tracks are clearly trying to reproduce some of that "Love The Way You Lie" magic, without having much magic to offer. There are tracks that can be hard listens, such as "Untouchable" which features a tough beat & groove that is more likely to encourage listeners to move on long before the track finds some stride over 2-minutes in, which makes me wonder why anyone would bother going through 2 minutes of "blah" for almost 4 minutes of interesting rhymes and good flow with a much more enjoyable beat. "Walk On Water" may not be smart lead track, just because it's hook is wasted on a talent like Beyonce - it's a weak hook and a "meh" track that hasn't made me excited to turn this album over and start from the beginning. "Offended" is a flow flex, much like "Rap God" was, but with weaker effects that ends up being a 5 1/2 minute journey that reminds me that Eminem is super-talented but not always fun to listen to these days. "Remind Me" is a less-fun and less-clever "Bezerk" wannabe, sampling Joan Jett without much effect.

    If I'm being honest, I want to love and embrace Eminem as a current artist that holds the rap throne in a way that nobody else can. The fact is that Revival proves that he's just not adapting as well as he could be. Sometimes Eminem finds his flow and it often is found in cuts that feel very reminiscent of earlier era Eminem ("Believe", "Castle", "Bad Husband"). It's in those moments that I remember why he needs to stick around. His style, his approach that put him at the top isn't fatigued or outdated. Eminem needs to avoid the adaptation route and keep doing what he's good at. Use all the piano and slick beats he can. Be funny, be serious, be a little extra-offensive to prove a point. Make fight songs and bring in collaborators, but only if they're going to be as effective as they were on Recovery, which is Eminem's last great album that ended up being sandwiched by something so-so and something that was just a waste (Relapse). Because Eminem was so unique, his style and his craft have not been worn out yet. He's got another banger album in him and he's got something to say, he just can't get lost in his endeavors. When he's on, he's crushing everyone in the game. When he's off, he's skippable.    … Expand
  2. GamerGuy98
    Dec 15, 2017
    6
    The album is faaaaaaar away from being the best Eminem album. It's an okay album, wasn't impressive but it works sometimes. Pretty average album that could be better.
  3. Tom_Bombadil
    Dec 20, 2017
    6
    It's ok. I could do without the cringy lines Marshall raps every now and then, but almost every hip hop album today has some cringe (whether people like to admit it or not).
  4. Joel_Freecheck
    Dec 16, 2017
    6
    The real revelation with this album is that Eminem is no longer the 2000s shock rapper you fell in love with. He has matured in both vision and flow, resulting in a "beautiful mess" of some sorts. The lows are bad, including the abysmal Pink collab and horribly sampled "Framed", but "River" is bound for chart glory and the album closes with enough strength to merit a positive score.
  5. Music_Observer
    Dec 21, 2017
    6
    Eminem’s talent with rhyming and flow is obviously present in most cases, but it certainly can’t carry a long work like this on its own, and the flat beats, annoying countermelodies, and lackluster musical ideas did no complimenting and twiddled this down to only a sliver of worth. My Score: 105/180 (Okay) = 5.8/10
  6. thedaywalker
    Dec 15, 2017
    6
    This álbum is average at best... which is something i never enjoy saying about my favorite artist
    But it really falls flat, seems like Eminem didn't try hard enough. Picking up some songs, Arose and Castle are brilliant, River, Bad Husband and Like Home are pretty good too, but the rest is just uninspiring. The production is really silly, i'm almost 100% sure, Dr. Dre had no hand in this    This álbum is average at best... which is something i never enjoy saying about my favorite artist
    But it really falls flat, seems like Eminem didn't try hard enough. Picking up some songs, Arose and Castle are brilliant, River, Bad Husband and Like Home are pretty good too, but the rest is just uninspiring. The production is really silly, i'm almost 100% sure, Dr. Dre had no hand in this álbum, and it was mostly Rick Rubin. I really hope he bounces back from this, because i love his work, but this one is probably doesn't even make the top 10 albums of this year in my book    … Expand
  7. HiMyNamesEthan
    Jan 15, 2018
    6
    6/10 Reaping with political topics and distastfull lines, Eminem remains controversal, but not in the way we've always loved him to be.

    Ok, Eminem has aged, and its very obvious, but I was expecting a little better than this - Jay-Z is about 5 years older than Em, and he came back with one of the best albums this year and one of the best in his own discography! Eminem's very ambitious    6/10 Reaping with political topics and distastfull lines, Eminem remains controversal, but not in the way we've always loved him to be.

    Ok, Eminem has aged, and its very obvious, but I was expecting a little better than this - Jay-Z is about 5 years older than Em, and he came back with one of the best albums this year and one of the best in his own discography! Eminem's very ambitious flow is back, and that's refreshing, but the lyrics are very poor and cringeworthy. Not only that, but the topics and themes Em rushes through are very risky, especially in the very childish persona he gives off on his music. While Eminem has developed a reputation of being goofy and funny, he still holds that today, so its hard to take him serious at all on this album. Some of the tracks are not that bad, though his hooks are very painful to the ears. I've enjoyed some of the funnier punchlines, among the sea of very mediocre ones. The production is also very mediocre and a little bit dated, making it a bit hard to listen to as well. Overall, Eminem has a good flow, very mediocre lyrics and production, and poor taste in this album.    … Expand
  8. garywinthorpe
    Dec 15, 2017
    6
    Album started out well enough but was disappointing towards the end. Overall an average album. Em came in with some nice verses but his flow was lackluster at parts and underwhelming in the overall context of the album. Some songs were bad but for the most part the album was okay. Features were good, nothing special but ok.
  9. GarrettR
    Jan 21, 2020
    6
    Severely underrated album. The hate was to be expected when he split his fan base with the BET cypher and his anti-Trump remarks, but the album itself was much better than expected.

    This album has something for all of his fans, if you enjoyed something from all of his eras, you're going to enjoy the majority of this album. Bottom line; do yourself a favor, listen to the album    Severely underrated album. The hate was to be expected when he split his fan base with the BET cypher and his anti-Trump remarks, but the album itself was much better than expected.

    This album has something for all of his fans, if you enjoyed something from all of his eras, you're going to enjoy the majority of this album.

    Bottom line; do yourself a favor, listen to the album yourself before basing your opinion off of the critic's responses.    … Expand
  10. michaelbozas
    Jun 24, 2018
    6
    I mean it was fine. The first half of the album I can easily say that I disliked, with the only track really liking being River, which is my favourite song featured in revival. It may be because of the story conveyed through the song, or the great hook by Ed Sheeran, but I to be honest love that song. Now the album gets kinda better after the track "Bad Husband". From there till the endI mean it was fine. The first half of the album I can easily say that I disliked, with the only track really liking being River, which is my favourite song featured in revival. It may be because of the story conveyed through the song, or the great hook by Ed Sheeran, but I to be honest love that song. Now the album gets kinda better after the track "Bad Husband". From there till the end the album is a more solid, with the exceptions being the god-awful "Heat" with the unbearable country music and "Castle" with one of the most uninteresting chorus in the entire album. Now except "River", the other songs that I like are "Framed", which I have liked more and more as I've listened it, taking in account that I thought that the chorus was laughable the first time I've heard it and now believing that that was the point. I also liked "Tragic Endings" and found "Nowhere Fast" quite underrated. Yes I was not a big fan of "Walk on Water" as I thought it was kinda dumb.
    What I noticed is that my favourite songs except River and Framed are the ones that feature other artists and it became obvious that I got quickly tired of Eminem in this album and that may be why so many other singers were involved. But still, I didn't hate myself listening to it and I would give it a light 6/10.    … Expand
  11. Gamemod
    Jul 6, 2018
    6
    This album is a generally mixed one in my opinion. With tracks such as "River" and "Offended" where Eminem shows off his lyrical talent and with tracks such as "Heat" it's garbage. For me, it's a mixed rating.
  12. jeddi222
    Jun 30, 2018
    6
    eminem's charm is a presence in this album. tracks "walk on water", "castle/arose" were heartwarming. and the concept that eminem can handle very well. but the production and music was the let down on this album. wrong choice of decisions, awful hooks. and even the track "need me" not even an em track. but there's still a room of improvement after this. it's just really predictable thateminem's charm is a presence in this album. tracks "walk on water", "castle/arose" were heartwarming. and the concept that eminem can handle very well. but the production and music was the let down on this album. wrong choice of decisions, awful hooks. and even the track "need me" not even an em track. but there's still a room of improvement after this. it's just really predictable that this is gonna suck… Expand
  13. MiguelNunes98
    Nov 4, 2018
    6
    If this songs: "River (feat.Ed Sheeran), Bad Husband (feat. X Ambassadors) and Need Me (feat. P!nk) wasn't on the album, it would be a 9 for me.
    This album is one of those that every listening it gets better and emotional. "Arose", " In Your Head" and "Framed" are my favourite.
  14. Trunestor
    Jun 16, 2022
    6
    Definitely gets better after the 11th track. Very underrated. You should listen to this album after listening to his other albums first. 6.7/10 Favourite track: Framed
  15. SHantanubhati_3
    May 19, 2019
    6
    This album is over hated its actually decent. Lyrically being amazing there were some good hooks some were bad the production was actually good people are trashing its production first no reason
    There were some really good songs like walk on water, believe arose and there were some really bad songs like heat, offended
  16. drongodan
    Jan 20, 2020
    6
    Don’t hate it like some people do. Still some good tracks on it. Fave tracks; Remind Me, In Your Head, Framed, Chloraseptic
  17. Max27265
    Dec 2, 2020
    6
    Revival is a very polarizing album (obviously). The lyrical prowess on this album is as amazing as ever, but the beats, hooks, and topics are lacking. Great rapping, but a mediocre album as a whole.
  18. someonewhocares
    Jul 12, 2022
    6
    Revival, when played in short bursts, can provide and feel like some of Eminem's best work of the 2010s, but when played the whole way through, it can feel tedious and dull.
  19. Anthony_wx
    Jan 4, 2023
    6
    I love you Marshall but this album....... and **** anthony fantano this album is not horrible
  20. anyu
    Dec 19, 2017
    5
    I really want to love this album, I can't. I'm torn because I would love to see Eminem's triumphant return.
    Lyrically and technically, he'll always be one of the greatest of all time and glimpses of his genius are certainly visible at times. Unfortunately, many of the songs are so poorly produced, sampled and dialed in that it really kills the overall flow of the album. One would wish    I really want to love this album, I can't. I'm torn because I would love to see Eminem's triumphant return.
    Lyrically and technically, he'll always be one of the greatest of all time and glimpses of his genius are certainly visible at times. Unfortunately, many of the songs are so poorly produced, sampled and dialed in that it really kills the overall flow of the album. One would wish Rick Rubin to sit back and let Dr. Dre take control.
    What I do appreciate about this effort is Eminem's matured outlook and perspectives. We can't expect him to make the music he made as a young man now that he's in his mid-40s. I just wish that his more powerful and important messages (Trump, racism etc) were met with a better sound and not some pop garbage hook out of the can.
    Eminem can do better, I strongly believe that he just needs a different kind of team behind his productions. I sure hope we get a chance to find out... Though, that may take another three to four years.

    Best Songs:
    Tragic Endings feat. Skylar Grey
    Castle
    Arose

    Worst Songs:
    Offended
    Untouchable    … Expand
  21. tonto
    Jul 30, 2021
    5
    It's not terrible but none of the songs are really worth listening to repeatedly. Eminem raps in his more contemporary style. Definitely one of Eminem's weaker albums, maybe his low point. Too many features from pop musicians and no standout singles that are bangers.
  22. MalcolmE
    Dec 6, 2018
    5
    Does this album sound like something that belongs in 2017/2018? No. Does it have good production? Nah. Does it have good lyrics? Going by Eminem's standards? Then hell no. But is it enjoyable? Yeah, it got its moments. Walk On Water is a fantastic opening track. Bad Husbands got great heartfelt verses (but a trash hook). Remind me is so bad so it becomes good and Castle and Arose is anDoes this album sound like something that belongs in 2017/2018? No. Does it have good production? Nah. Does it have good lyrics? Going by Eminem's standards? Then hell no. But is it enjoyable? Yeah, it got its moments. Walk On Water is a fantastic opening track. Bad Husbands got great heartfelt verses (but a trash hook). Remind me is so bad so it becomes good and Castle and Arose is an amazing outro. Sure it got some bad tracks like Heat and Need Me and Tragic Endings sounds like a demo outtake from Recovery. But is it a terrible album? No, I don't think so. I think it got it's moments and is actually quite solid overall.

    Favorite Tracks: Walk On Water, Believe, Arose

    Least Favorite Tracks: Heat, Need Me    … Expand
  23. 0Villain
    Dec 15, 2017
    5
    This album is going to get a lot of hate I feel, as it is very different from Eminem's past work with it's less aggressive nature. That's not why I'm not impressed. I'm unimpressed due to the terrible political commentary. Now, though I disagree with Eminem politically, Id still give this a good review if it was clever and insightful. But it's not. It's everything the media **** out on aThis album is going to get a lot of hate I feel, as it is very different from Eminem's past work with it's less aggressive nature. That's not why I'm not impressed. I'm unimpressed due to the terrible political commentary. Now, though I disagree with Eminem politically, Id still give this a good review if it was clever and insightful. But it's not. It's everything the media **** out on a daily basis, calling Trump an Aryan because he's obviously a Nazi or preaching about White privilege because police kill black people because they're darker. Fine. Preach about these things. But give me a new take on it, give me something creative. Just go read a Buzz-feed article. The only difference is the article doesn't rhyme.
    HOWEVER, the saving grace of this album is Eminem's personal songs. It's nothing new... but it's still damn good. The rhymes are good, the emotion can hit hard. They're solid songs. Not my favorite, but I've very few complaints.
    In summary, leave his political songs alone. they aren't worth your time unless you enjoy the same social justice rhetoric we've all heard a million times before from the media. His other songs, though lacking innovation, still hold up, bringing this mixed bag of disappointment to 5/10. It's average. Hopefully in the future Eminem can bring more insight to his work to make his political songs worth a listen.    … Expand
  24. minimumhatred
    Jun 16, 2018
    5
    On very first listen I had felt like this album was a 7.5/10 and figured it was really solid, but within a few weeks of that review I really regretted it so I am redoing it now even if it is quite late. This album has some highlights and Em is attempting to do something positive with this platform but overall it is a very dissapointing listen. There are some highlight tracks like Walk onOn very first listen I had felt like this album was a 7.5/10 and figured it was really solid, but within a few weeks of that review I really regretted it so I am redoing it now even if it is quite late. This album has some highlights and Em is attempting to do something positive with this platform but overall it is a very dissapointing listen. There are some highlight tracks like Walk on Water, Believe, Castle, Framed & Arose but also tracks that are painfully mediocre like Chloraseptic, Offended and River to terrible songs like Bad Husband, Tragic Endings, Untouchable, Remind Me and Heat. I think what really dissapointed me the most was that overall there were moments of promise. The biggest issue for me is the absence of Dr. Dre who has mixed so many of Eminem's albums, you think he could atleast hire a competent mixer for this project but whoever mixed this album should be blacklisted from the music industry jesus **** christ the mixing is terrible. Overall a 5.5/10 because there were tracks I love but the ones that are really bad are really bad.… Expand
  25. isaacb263
    Jan 12, 2018
    5
    This album has grown on me - a bit. But not enough for me to say it's a good album. I think he is still killing it lyrically, but no Eminem fan wants to hear pop features and this flow he has been on since 2011 or so. Fans want the Eminem we got on Castle, Offended, and Framed, which makes this album frustrating - he clearly still has it. But the production, mixing, features, andThis album has grown on me - a bit. But not enough for me to say it's a good album. I think he is still killing it lyrically, but no Eminem fan wants to hear pop features and this flow he has been on since 2011 or so. Fans want the Eminem we got on Castle, Offended, and Framed, which makes this album frustrating - he clearly still has it. But the production, mixing, features, and occasionally, lyrics make this album overall a chore. There are bright moments, but not enough to enjoy it as an album… Expand
  26. hobi
    Jan 4, 2018
    5
    Maybe I put a lot of expectation on this Eminem album. He did not sound unique and with unique sounds as he always brought. Songs with dubious production and with known samples, it sounded generic and not very authentic. There are some good tracks in your album like river and remind me, but they are by far, unoriginal. Sad
  27. Connorcox1997
    Mar 14, 2019
    5
    Revival is one of the worst albums that Eminem has put together and the biggest disappointing albums coming from an Eminem fan. But there are some highlights on the album, but there are also a lot of lowlights on the album. Like for example on the song "Need Me" ft Pink the song is basically a Pink song that could have been on Pinks project, which was one of the worst songs on the album.Revival is one of the worst albums that Eminem has put together and the biggest disappointing albums coming from an Eminem fan. But there are some highlights on the album, but there are also a lot of lowlights on the album. Like for example on the song "Need Me" ft Pink the song is basically a Pink song that could have been on Pinks project, which was one of the worst songs on the album. Some of the features on this album are pop artists and only one rapper on the album. Some features I do like like Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Skylar Grey, and Kehlani do a pretty good job at the hooks. While other artists like Ed Sheeran and Phresher(which I never heard of him before until now) who has his a verse on one song is ok. There are way too many rock samples productions on the album, which I don't mind rock sample, but putting way too many rock samples is not my cup of tea. Overall this is one of Eminem's Revival is a huge disappointment of 2017.… Expand
  28. skaylez
    Mar 25, 2018
    5
    Eminems rhyme scheme is still on point but his choppy deliver can get annoying. He still has talented story telling songs like castle but half the songs are trash or forgettable but never the less Eminem is one of the if not the GOAT.
  29. Codeling
    Aug 7, 2021
    5
    This album is overhated but it's not a good one either. It's ok.
    Best songs: Arose, Castle
    Worst songs: Heat, Need Me
  30. nikoziko
    Feb 17, 2018
    4
    IT Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Most Discussed Album of 2017
6
#6 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 24
  3. Negative: 6 out of 24
  1. The Wire
    Feb 23, 2018
    40
    Chosen topics prove less crucial than his relentlessly tedious delivery. [Feb 2018, p.51]
  2. Q Magazine
    Jan 30, 2018
    40
    Eminem has never sounded more like a man out of time. [Mar 2018, p.107]
  3. RapReviews.com
    Jan 18, 2018
    75
    At least a third of the tracks are songs I could do without. The other two-thirds show that whether you love or hate the modern day Marshall Mathers, he's still as relevant as he ever was.
    Read full review
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