Linkin Park are back!

popped the album on for my lunchtime walk.
people looking at me like "why is this guy so confused".

1. album starts with intro talking, but it cuts Emily off mid-word, just seems broken. Spotify doesn't have a "skip this track" feature so every time I listen to this album I'd have to listen to this broken talking - immediately relegates it to "pick the songs you like and ignore the album" status.
2. there's random talking between tracks elsewhere in the album, so some tracks end with talking - which immediately relegates them to "I can't use this in shuffle mode" status, so can't listen to those.
3. the album doesn't have a genre, it's all over the place, I don't even.
4. there are only 2 good songs (emptiness machine, heavy is the crown) but we already heard those, so nothing good new today imo.

Pretty disappointing. I don't get how such an experienced band and team can put out something with basic issues that make the music not usable in the ways people consume music nowadays. I like the band and think they can do better in the future, but I'll be sceptical of future hype after this.
 
I've got the record spinning now. Not quite got my setup how I want yet, but it still sounds great helped by the typical punchy production expected from the band.

Two Faced is awesome. So is IGYEIH. Very classic LP sound, very nostalgic to hear the record scratch.

Casualty/Overflow - these are the tracks I'm reading on the record, but I literally can't recall what they sound like after a few listens, so a bit of a mid album lull going on there.

Stained is the poppy LP that I didn't really get along with in the past few albums. Last track is a phone/lighter in the air track which isn't too bad, but would have preferred a more consistent 'sound' instead of trying to please fans of all the eras.
 
To some extent it happens with a lot of artists and bands. The earlier stuff is what got people liking them from the initial impact they had, so later stuff tends to move away from the original sound and can be less loved by OG fans. I'm going to listen again properly and give it a chance. They definitely released previous albums where I literally only felt there were a couple of strong tracks so I'm not too bothered. Nice to have new stuff.
 
Andybtsn said:
I thought the later albums One More Light, A Thousand Suns and The Hunting Party were poor in comparison to those that had come earlier.
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I don't think I've even listened to those properly, lost interest in the band but may give them a go. I seem to recall they went all generic.

Edit - I had listened to One More Light, not more than a few times though, but it is decent. Different sound but still good.

I do think the rapping could be better in the latest album, they're very generic flows and I know he's more skilled than that but still, loving the classic LP sound :)
 
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I pre-ordered it direct from the Linkin Park store & the ****wits didn't post it until this afternoon :(

I had an email last night that they'd "despatched" it at 18:32 but somehow it didn't get to the Royal Mail until 15:30 today...
 
doodah said:
New tickets go on sale in a few mins.
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Hoping the Presales today don't swallow up all the tickets.

Never seen so many pre-sales attached to a gig before! Got a "mailing list" early access code for tomorrow earlier today as thought the best I was going to get was the Livenation one on Thursday!

Wondering if we'll get any extra dates as going to be massive demand for just a single UK date!
 
At least this time I wasn't 87k in the queue, didn't amount to anything though as I just get stuck on the spinning wheel at the next stage.
 
Gave it a proper listen.

From Zero (Intro) = That intro is unforgiveable. Really poor I agree with @throwaway4372
The Emptiness Machine = Strong track. Probably best overall, but already heard as single release
Cut the bridge = Not bad. Bit of a grower maybe.
Heavy is the crown = Strong track but already heard as a single release
Over each other = OK track but not very Linkin at all imo. Sounds more like a pop chart release from a generic female artist.
Casualty = Bit thrashy for Linkin. Not a fan.
Overflow = Bit of an atmospheric fill track really.
Two faced = Similar background synth as Heavy is the crown... good overall track and much more catchy. Just feels more Linkin. Nice scratch elements throughout as well and better guitar lead.
Stained = Ok ish but not memorable.
IGYEIH = Starts heavier, tougher, and a good vocal blend on this one. Quite a nice track actually.
Good things go = Feels like a closing album track, but again not memorable for me.

I'll probably add Emptiness Machine, Heavy is the Crown, Two faced and IGYEIH to my Linkin playlist.
 
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I just got the chance to sit down and listen to the new album, here is my take:

Intro: ignore. Also the same on YouTube music.

The emptiness machine - banger

Cut the bridge - good song but it’s a different style to your usual linkin park and reminds me of other bands from that era.

Heavy is a crown - absolute banger

Over each other - I really linked this song, it had a bit of a familiar sound (not necessarily an LP sound) which I can’t put my finger on

Casualty - very thrash for LP, I like that style of music, just a little unexpected for a more mainstream band.

Overflow - bit meh, nothing wrong with it but it’s filler on an already short album

Two Faced - banger, on par with the emptiness machine.

Stained - a bit of a slow burn but came good by the end. Again a familiar sound that I can’t put my finger on.

IGYEIH - yeh I liked this one as well, not quite banger status but a good mix of vocals and thrashy elements.

Good things to go - ok track, a bit slow and nothing to write home about.


Overall I thought it was a decent enough album, 4 great tracks on there, and another few decent ones to accompany them.

My main criticism is at 10 tracks at just over 3 minutes each, it’s a bit short. As noted above, two of those tracks were just okay. That and the random ‘narrative’ like the intro need deleting.

As others have said, post Hybrid Theory and Meteroa LP have put out some ‘interesting’ tracks so while this doesn’t live up to those two absolute bangers, it’s by no means bad.

7/10 - a good effort and well worth it considering this could have gone very wrong with a new lead singer.
 
Really enjoyed the new album, Emptiness Machine, Heavy is the Crown and Two Faced are awesome.

I think Over Each Other might be my favourite and I actually got goosebumps on one listen through lol even if it isn't very 'Linkin Park'.
 
Only listened to it once but I enjoyed it. I wish it was a little longer though.

throwaway4372 said:
1. album starts with intro talking, but it cuts Emily off mid-word, just seems broken.
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It's a joke regarding the name of the album. It's called From Zero because Linkin Park was originally called Xero (pronounced like zero)
 
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