Roundup: What the Critics are saying about 'Berzerk'

[NextEpisode]

The influence of the Beastie Boys — by way of the work of producer Rick Rubin — is the first thing jumping out at critics when it comes to Eminem‘s new single “Berzerk.” The track itself is part of a larger throwback, in that it’s set to appear on Em’s upcoming Marshall Mathers LP 2 (out November 5).

But while many sites were quick to zero in on the nostalgic feel of “Berzerk,” only a few went a step further and put out there what they actually think of the song. Head below for our roundup of what the Internet is saying about Eminem’s latest.

:: USA Today kicks things off with a favorable review: “Eminem’s new single ‘Berzerk’ is half-rock, half-rap, all old-school hip-hop and completely glorious.”

:: VIBE raves, “Definitely an old-school feel on this, and if this is a taste of the album, it might just be a classic.”

:: Complex notes that “perhaps the most MMLP aspect of the song is when he wakes up in a Monte Carlo with ‘the ugly Kardashian.’ Other than that it sounds, unsurprisingly, like an aggressive Beastie Boys record.”

:: SPIN points out the following: “The song vacillates between minimal guitar-assisted beats the likes of which Rick Rubin (MMLP2 executive co-producer) once specialized, and synth-jacked G-Funk that beard the touch of Dr. Dre (the other co-producer).”

:: Rolling Stone keeps it pretty neutral by simply saying, “Eminem delivers the lyrics with his familiar staccato flow, winding circles around the beat and building up to the hook, in which he declares, ‘Life’s too short to not go for broke’.”

:: Under The Gun Review writes, “More wild than anything you heard on Recovery and more tightly produced than anything on Relapse, this is a side of Eminem that we haven’t seen in a minute.”

:: The Boombox was a little under-whelmed: “As for Em’s performance on his new single, there’s no questioning the hunger in his rhymes. He falls short, however, with his strained, somewhat-grating vocal delivery that sounds inspired at times and far too forced at others.”

:: According to Consequence Of Sound, “the song harkens back to Em’s early material when his tongue was pressed more firmly in his cheek, while also taking more than a few playful notes from Beastie Boys’ songbook.”

:: Finally, Zap2it ponders the following: “The song is littered with references that aren’t exactly considered cutting edge, from Ren & Stimpy to Kevin Federline, so one might ask if the rapper (real name Marshall Mathers) is still relevant.”

http://idolator.com/7480885/eminem-berzerk-review-revue

[OMEGA]

Generally positive it seems. The thing with Berzerk is that it gets better and better after listens.

[Raul]

Cool. I'm glad that the song is receiving good reviews. Song is awesome.

[King Lance]

this is what we call "pre-review" or "first listen opinions" or something like that, they're just promoting the song.

the journalists will always praise a song or an album the day after its release but the actual reviews will be very different. Look at Magna Carta Holy Grail, MTV, Vibe and all the other sites said that it was a fantastic album when it leaked and it now has a score or 58/100 on Metacritic

[dark111]

The user score is kinda low for a single

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/singles/i ... em-Berzerk

[Despicable]

Well i dig it.
I wanna see the music video so badly!!!
Hope it drops soon.

[Raul]

The user score is kinda low for a single

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/singles/i ... em-Berzerk

Maybe...

294 people have voted.
5 is the most popular ranking.
180 people gave it a perfect five

^ But this is great

[Shuttle Destroyer]

Great thread, nice to read some good reviews

[NextEpisode]

this is what we call "pre-review" or "first listen opinions" or something like that, they're just promoting the song.

the journalists will always praise a song or an album the day after its release but the actual reviews will be very different. Look at Magna Carta Holy Grail, MTV, Vibe and all the other sites said that it was a fantastic album when it leaked and it now has a score or 58/100 on Metacritic

The point of this article/thread wasn't to shed light on the be all and end all opinion of the song - but merely to summarize the initial reactions from the "official" media-outlets.

Second, journalists doesn't "always praise songs the day after its release". If you look at the OP, you'll see that's not the case. Of course, opinions tend to change, first-week opinions often differs from 1-year opinions, which in turn often is different to the 10/20/50-year opinions. Rolling Stone's reviews from the 60s/70s are prime examples of just that. Another example, this forum’s change of opinion in regards to Relapse & Recovery over these past 3-4 years...

In the end, it's all just people's opinions. Whether or not they are influenced by special interests is another story.

In the case of your example, "Magna Carta Holy Grail", some critics still reviewed the project as a 80/100 (XXL, HipHopDX etc…). Whilst others considered it a 40/100 or even lower. That is the reason for its average of 57 at metacritic -- not so much the change of opinion.

[RayMcTechGuy]

Mostly positive reviews, which I'm happy about.

[Sofi1993]

I honestly thought this would not get good reviews but im so glad it did.

[Mathers]

Not Afraid had good reviews to right or was it just the fans who hated it?

[OMEGA]

Not Afraid had good reviews to right or was it just the fans who hated it?

It was also generally positive. Btw, I'm a fan too and I liked it.

[Fleka]

Under The Gun Review writes, “More wild than anything you heard on Recovery and more tightly produced than anything on Relapse, this is a side of Eminem that we haven’t seen in a minute.”

How stupid is this.

[[Woody]]

Vibe Raves said it best.