It's been almost eight years since Blink-182 released their last album but, in a lot of ways, it feels much, much longer.

There's been no shortage of drama in that period, starting with the band's '05 breakup and continuing right on through the [article id="1593423"]deaths of close friends Jerry Finn[/article] and [article id="1619854"]Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein[/article], and the [article id="1595303"]plane crash[/article] that left drummer Travis Barker seriously injured.

There was the gradual cooling of tensions and the triumphant [article id="1604564"]reunion[/article], the raucous [article id="1616857"]tour kickoff[/article] and finally, the two-year process of recording a new album.

And after all that, Blink are finally back with [article id="1670796"]Neighborhoods[/article], a record that crams all those highs and lows into just 36 minutes. It hit stores Tuesday (September 27), bringing one (very dark) chapter of the band's career to a close, while simultaneously jump-starting another. And on the day of its release, MTV News emailed Blink's Mark Hoppus to get his take on the long road he and his bandmates took, and just what lies ahead. Echoing the sentiments of many long-suffering Blink fans, he's having a hard time wrapping his head around all of this too.

"[It's been] eight years since the last Blink-182 album was released. I can't believe it. It seems like just last year, and yet so much has happened since then," he wrote to us. "And now, finally, the new album that we've been talking about and working on for the past two years is out. This is the best part, the part where it turns from ideas in our head and abstract descriptions of what it might or will sound like, into a being unto itself. A CD. An mp3. A thing ... that people can listen to for themselves."

And while Hoppus is thankful to begin moving forward, he can't help but look back too. It's sort of inevitable, given everything that's happened in the eight years between Blink albums. But, in a lot of ways, those trials and tribulations have not only made the band stronger, but helped create an album they are all endlessly proud of. And now, it's all yours.

"It has been a long trip to get here ... five years of pain and animosity, the passing of some of our dearest friends, the rebuilding of our band. And now the new album is here," Hoppus continued. "Initial reaction to the songs and record has been overwhelmingly positive, and for that I'm truly grateful and excited. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with us through thick and thin. This record is for all of you. I hope the album means as much to you as it does to us."

Share your reviews of the latest Blink album in the comments below!