Sound Off - You could not ask for a better intro to an album. The concept of the song is to introduce each member with them coming together as Voltron. Royce starts off the track as the head, followed by Joell Ortiz who is the body or, as stated by him, the "torso", followed by Crooked I who is "equivalent to four arms", and the track is concluded with Joe Budden acting as the legs. Each MC (please do not be mistaken, none of the are rappers) starts their verse off very slow and then about half way through begins to take off with a fury of rhymes as fast as they can deliver them. You will have to listen multiple times to catch what they have to say, but any true hip hop fan is more than willing to listen to this song over and over again in order to catch every line. This is without a question a 5.

Lyrical Murders - This is an excellent song with each MC bragging about their skills on the mic (an rightfully so). In a climate where lyrics have taken a backseat, this song proves that there are still artists out there can absolutely murder a beat, and all four prove this without a doubt. This song (as well as the previous and a few others on the album) is the type of track that gained Slaughterhouse the respect that they have amongst hip hop heads and is proof of what we are missing in hip hop. Another 5 here.

Microphone - Here is another braggadocios song about their skills on the microphone. Although the both this song and the song previous are more geared toward lyrical presence, they are not very repetitive (other than production which is very heavy throughout the album) and is very refreshing to hear artists flaunt about their musical talents more than the car they are driving, how much money they have, and the jewelery they are wearing. This is an ode to what has brought them notoriety and an appreciation for the gift they have. I know these 5 are getting repetitive, but I have to give this song another one.

Not Tonight - Using part of a beat that was used on Joe Budden's last album Padded Room, Slaughterhouse goes on another lyrical attack on the beat. In a way paying homage the past years of hip hop ("We gon take it back to when ni**as was rockin right") and mentioning their disapproval with the current state of affairs, they continue right along with their fast-paced, quick witted lyrics that will leave any fan satisfied. Yet another 5 for this track.

The One - This is the only song that lacks just a little bit. The production is actually a little more "rock star" based than the rest of the album and while their are still plenty of nice lyrics in the song, it is probably the one song that won't stand with the rest of the tracks. This is almost expected as it is the lead single from the album and although not targeted to the mainstream, the concept and overall feel of the song does at least flirt with potential radio spins while still maintaining the respect of true hip hop fans. Compared to most singles for albums that are out now, this is probably still better than the majority, but compared to the rest of the songs on the album, it just doesn't hold up as well. This song, although it kills me, only gets a 3.75.

Cuckoo - Playing off the idea from the skit that precedes it, this is a song that allows all four MCs to get a little crazy and spit some psychotic rhymes. It is almost equivalent to many of the tracks that we would get from, say, Eminem with his first two albums. While not that extreme, just the concept of using imagination and saying things more for shock value and entertainment's sake more than realistic events is the idea here. They took a very minor slip with the previous song, but get another 5 here.

Onslaught 2 - For all of those that are familiar with the first "Onslaught", you get the same thing with this one. Everybody rips this track and it is very reminiscent of the first go-round. You can tell that each of them almost tries to out-do the others, which makes the entire that much more enjoyable. This is nothing more than 4 MCs giving their all over a beat and the outcome couldn't be better. No hook, no breaks, just one after another and it makes for a great song. Do I even need to say it; 5.

Salute - While all of the beats are extremely heavy, this song is a little darker. Pharoahe Monch is heard on the hook singing "I've been shot, I've been stabbed, I've took all that I have to give", this takes on a heavier tone with a little more pain coming through the lyrics, although it is not as personal as the song that is to follow. The lyrics, as with every song, are still right there on point, but the structure of the song itself just wasn't as tight as the rest of them. For that reason alone, this song is rated just below the rest with a 4.5.

Pray (It's A Shame) - This is the most personal of songs on the album. If you are anything like me and enjoy when artists really open up and allow us to see some of the pain and hurt that they are feeling (I think those make for the best songs), then you will definitely enjoy this song. The only let down here is that Joe Budden doesn't actually have a verse. He is still found of the hook, though and the remainder of the song excellent. This receives another 4.5.

Cut You Loose - Between this song, "Sound Off", "Lyrical Murders", and "Onslaught 2", I can't determine which one is my favorite from the album, but this definitely in the discussion. While on nearly every song, you will hear at least one, if not all, of them talk about their disgust with the current state of hip hop, this is the song that directly addresses the issue and it seems to bring out the best in them. Anybody that is not really happy with the way many thing in hip hop had been going as of late (which is basically the people that Slaughterhouse targets), they will most definitely be satisfied with this song. I have to give another 5.

Rain Drops - Here is another song that is pretty personal. This one finds all of the members of the group spitting bars that usually ends with them "in tears" and this makes for another pretty dark track. It is another song that allows them to open up a little more and get away from the lyrical trash-talking that takes up the majority of the album (nothing wrong with that at all, but it is a break from it nonetheless). I give it another 4.75.

Killaz - The final song ends on a somewhat dark note, but an impressive lyrical one, still. With them taunting that they are killers either by way of serial killers or lyrical killers, it makes for one more song that allows them to go all the way in on the track, making for classic Slaughterhouse music. They go out with a bang and with, as the majority of the other songs on this album, a 5.

Start to finish, the album is excellent and in no way disappoints. Beside the one (no pun intended) single that maybe just doesn't fit as well with the rest of the songs, the album is just about flawless lyrically and has production that matches the feel, concept, and sound of a Slaughterhouse album (well what was expected since this was the first one).There is no talking before of after songs (not including the 3 skits), no song dedicated to the ladies, nothing that is supposed to garner them huge mainstream success,  just 4 MCs going in on every track and doing what they do best.  While just shy of what would be considered a classic, this is probably the closest thing that we will get to it for a while. I would say that it is probably one of the greatest albums that hip hop has seen in at least the last 5 years, if not 10! There is no doubt that with albums like these, things are definitely starting to look up for hip hop. All we can do is hope that others will begin to fall in line with what Slaughterhouse has started. As each member begins to drop their own solo projects, let's hope that they all see success, that other MCs like these begin to emerge, and that we see many more albums from this group as a collective. Overall, I rate it a 4.5!