Jan 17, 2018 At first glance this album is not cohesive whatsoever and theres no concept to any of it. However after sitting with this album for the past month I realize that although it isnt his best work, the concept or themes are there and it is an interesting one. The first obvious theme of Revival is the revival of Eminem. After 4 years he drops a long awaited solo album. Also though, being that this is the third of the Re- trilogy, Em utilizes and references the themes of drug use, relationships, serial killing and fictionalized celebrity encounters to bring the trilogy full circle and revive the last two in the series into this third project. So thus is a Revival of Eminem the sober rapper who after taking a hiatus, draws inspiration from the very thing that couldve made his hiatus permanent. The second theme is the Revival of America as Em stated in interviews before. He's more political than he's ever been in this album and the allusions to Trump sprinkled throughout the album further drives the point of reviving pre-Trump America. Also speaking on themes of racism, police brutality, and the tensions between North Korea and America. The third theme is the play on the word Revival being a religious sentiment. There are multiple allusions to God and Christianity throughout the album and it's the first time he's rapped this much about religion throughout a full length album. The last theme is a literal revival of the dead. The first being Eminem through the song Arose where he goes back in time to erase the potentially fatal incident of his overdose, spiritually reviving him. The second being the Revival interlude where the lone vocalist of the song is showcased. Although the singer passed away, she is revived in a sense through the interlude. The album was likely inspired by her as this was sent to Paul by Frequency and the producers of the interlude in 2013. Edit: The backstory https://www.google.com/amp/djbooth.net/mobile/feature-amp/2018-01-15-eminem-revival-interlude-story Yes the execution of this album isn't very good but conceptually it serves a purpose. It may have not been fully realized but it is there nonetheless
Jan 17, 2018 f--- all of that if the music is bad. Honestly I hate the way it's mixed. I really wonder what would let's say MixedByAli say about the sound quality of this album.
Jan 17, 2018 d---... Good s--- my dude... It's a great interpretation. Makes sense. I wish Em would explain stuff more instead of just leaving it out on the table. Though, if more artists did that we wouldn't have a chance to have fun with album conspiracy theories. Great s--- again. Brings a new element to the album for me. I had a theory involving the cover and how it looks like he is woven into the flag as if he is apart it. Almost as if this album is supposed to represent America itself. Themes of abusive relationships, questioning if you still believe in it, the all over the place feel of the album feeling like s melting pot of ideas, the craziness of America, self harm, racism, survival spirit, self doubt, the ego of us, etc. Besides reaching a bit, "Chloraseptic" is the only one track that makes my theory collapse. Though, it does blend in with the idea of a "New spirt" which ties in to Em saying he still has hope for America. Again, Mr. Fantastic reach but, it's cool to think about. Why not.
