Judgement Day (album)
| Judgement Day | ||||
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| Studio album by Esham | ||||
| Released | April 9, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991-Early 1992 | |||
| Genre | Horrorcore, Midwest hip hop, rap rock | |||
| Length | 46:09 | |||
| Label | Reel Life | |||
| Producer | Esham | |||
| Esham chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
Vol. 1:  
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
Vol. 2 
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Judgement Day is the second studio album by Esham. On June 6, 2006, a Judgement Day box set was released, containing both original volumes and previously unreleased material.
Reel Life Productions founder and Esham's brother James Smith decided that Esham should record a double album following the release of Prince's Love Symbol Album. Smith thought that if an R&B artist could record a double album, a rapper should record a double album. However, it is not the first double album in hip hop, as previously DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, which was a double album in its original vinyl configuration.
While the lyrical content of Judgement Day is similar to that of Esham's debut, Boomin' Words from Hell, the music features a heavier use of rock samples. The album's rock-based sound influenced rap rock artists such as Kid Rock.
Judgement Day was released separately in two volumes, Day and Night, on April 9, 1992. On June 6, 2006, a Judgement Day box set was released, featuring both original volumes remastered, two volumes of previously unreleased material, the exclusive album Martyr City, an illustrated booklet with a short autobiography written by Esham detailing the days of the original Judgement Day release as well as a background story for Martyr City, a live concert DVD, deluxe packaging and a Certificate of Authenticity.
Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote that Judgement Day, Vol. 1 "may not be his most well-crafted work, but it certainly stands as his most inspired work of the '90s", while Vol. 2 "isn't quite as strong as the first volume, suffering mostly from a number of weak tracks [...] the first volume doesn't rely quite so much on cheap shock, instead focusing on evocative horror motifs, making Judgement Day, Vol. 2 the less important of the two."
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