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Linkin Park may be Reuniting

TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Chuck Berry said:
Go listen to some Grey Daze. He wouldn’t have a problem handling that song whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Yeah, people underestimate Chester's range and versatility a lot.

Compare Holding You by Grey Daze to Kill The Flies by Sean Dowdell and His Friends. Compare One Step Closer to his Riders On the Storm cover with Santana. Or Slow Ya Roll by Young Buck and Cross Off with Mark Morton.

Like...the dude just SANG. Didn't matter about what song or genre.
 
Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
TheInfamousKira said:
Yeah, people underestimate Chester's range and versatility a lot.

Compare Holding You by Grey Daze to Kill The Flies by Sean Dowdell and His Friends. Compare One Step Closer to his Riders On the Storm cover with Santana. Or Slow Ya Roll by Young Buck and Cross Off with Mark Morton.

Like...the dude just SANG. Didn't matter about what song or genre.
Click to expand...



One of his best

And he changed the lyric from “l don’t wanna live that life again” to “I don’t wanna live my life again.” 🙁

Also bonus happy moment

 
Last edited:
mindfreak191

mindfreak191

Member
TheInfamousKira said:
If you find a link, PM my ass. All of my leaky channels have expired since it's been a few years since I've searched for something.

Edit: Found it, studio quality.
Click to expand...
Mine are about 250kbs quality, but for some reason Heavy is the Crown is the ripped yt music video version, so I guess the leaker was too lazy to just include the official single version? xD Did you get yours from google drive too?
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
mindfreak191 said:
Mine are about 250kbs quality, but for some reason Heavy is the Crown is the ripped yt music video version, so I guess the leaker was too lazy to just include the official single version? xD Did you get yours from google drive too?
Click to expand...

I skimmed Telegram and found it. Ironically, Heavy Is The Crown is missing there, too. The quality is likely the same, lmfao, I meant studio quality in so far as it wasn't a tertiary recording from someone's cell phone at a listening party, haha.
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Doomtrain said:
What's everyone think of the new album?
Click to expand...

I'll copy my thoughts from Reddit:

Been a fan since One Step Closer first dropped as a single. Obsessively listened to the entire discography as it happened, from albums to b-sides, Fort Minor, STP, DBS, BoW, MS, etc, etc. All That to say that I'm familiar with a lot of Mike's musical calling cards. I'm one of those dudes who never once questioned One More Light's spot in the discography. Other people were "this doesn't sound like the same genre," and I was "Song structure, lyrics, and production are LP plain as day,"

For From Zero, there were obviously new elements that made it clear from The Emptiness Machine that there were going to be new sonic elements and songwriting techniques. My review:

  1. From Zero (Intro) - Solid little short intro. Has shades of the artsy intros of past akin to OPENING from Reanimation or The Requiem, with the second half comprised of an in-studio chat, similar to interludes found on The Rising Tied, or The Hunting Party.
  2. The Emptiness Machine - First single, first new LP track since the OML sessions. This goes beyond actual music review into promotion, and it's been said before and likely better, but this was a GREAT choice for a first single. Again, it recalls What I've Done or Burn It Down as far as a life jacket type song. One that incorporates new sounds and themes from the current album while retaining a very familiar "Linkin Park," soundscape. Easing into Emily by giving the first verse and chorus to Mike was just good storytelling, musically.
  3. Cut The Bridge - This one was pretty sweet, definitely gives me like...mid-00's vibes, might be the intensity of the chorus or something. Need to absorb it more.
  4. Heavy Is The Crown - paired with the Arcane score version, this track and it's associated sounds are fucking epic. Given Up is an obvious influence, almost an homage and a proving ground to the legacy that Emily's inheriting. Nice Bleed It Out reference.
  5. Over Each Other - lyrically feels like a companion piece to Talking To Myself. Cool, stripped down track that slowly builds to a mid-energy climax. This is the song that makes me wish for more lyricism, though. It's a holdover from issues I had with a couple old LP songs. They do the "na na na," thing when they're trying to find a Melody before lyrics are written, and sometimes the "nanana's," make it to the final album, and I wish there were another line or two of lyrics instead. Bridge her reminds me of that. Just repeating "are we over each other?" with muted Em-wails in the background. It doesn't sound BAD, again, I just like chewing on lyrics.
  6. Casualty- This song is the shit. Isolated vocal fry intro akin to Keys To The Kingdom. Sick ass high pitched scratches during the Bridge evokes Spit It Out by Slipknot - just absolutely filthy track.
  7. Overflow - This one, I want to say it's badass, but I need to hear it a few more times. It kind of pulls you into a wall of sound, shoegazey almost, and by the time you get comfortable in the sound, the track is over. Definitely could see vibing to a seven minute version of this. Also, there's totally a little sample of Stick N' Move at the end.
  8. Two Faced - This has been compared to One Step Closer, and I get it. I think it's the guitar. Almost sounds like if you fed OSC into a good AI and the prompt was "finish this song," Like...all of the components of OSC are there, but arranged into a new beast.
  9. Stained- I really enjoy the lyrics here, and the melody Em uses. Not a lot else jumps to mind initially.
  10. IGYEIH - Sick. Guitars are tuned to Meteora, lmao. Has Figure .09/A.06 vibes because of that. Vocally, I kind of get some early Flyleaf influence, honestly. Which is no criticism, having a little flair of Lacey here and there is awesome.
  11. Good Things Go - Probably my favorite track. Really honest lyrics, nice back and forth with Mike and Emily. Mike has a flow here that reminds me of his Post Traumatic work.
All in all, fantastic gift to fans. It feels like they're 95% there. I can hear some growing pains - spots where the back and forth feels like it's still written with Chester in mind, but some tracks feel like they were born for Em and Mike together. Same with live performances. Finding the right places to put a vocal fill, finding the spots where Emily has more or less strength than Chester, etc etc. I feel like this is a weird situation, because it's essentially the band's first album, but with seven albums worth of expectation. This is something that I hope LP might even explore lyrically at some point - the struggle for those who love Linkin Park with Chester, and love Linkin Park with Emily, but can't quite reconcile the two together yet. Artistically, the sky is the limit with the potential here. If this was Emily Armstrong's Hybrid Theory, I think we should all look forward to Emily's Meteora.

Edit: it was a sample of Fuse, not Stick N' Move. Fuck me and my knowledge of cassette tape demos from 97.
 
Last edited:
mindfreak191

mindfreak191

Member
TheInfamousKira said:
I'll copy my thoughts from Reddit:

Been a fan since One Step Closer first dropped as a single. Obsessively listened to the entire discography as it happened, from albums to b-sides, Fort Minor, STP, DBS, BoW, MS, etc, etc. All That to say that I'm familiar with a lot of Mike's musical calling cards. I'm one of those dudes who never once questioned One More Light's spot in the discography. Other people were "this doesn't sound like the same genre," and I was "Song structure, lyrics, and production are LP plain as day,"

For From Zero, there were obviously new elements that made it clear from The Emptiness Machine that there were going to be new sonic elements and songwriting techniques. My review:

  1. From Zero (Intro) - Solid little short intro. Has shades of the artsy intros of past akin to OPENING from Reanimation or The Requiem, with the second half comprised of an in-studio chat, similar to interludes found on The Rising Tied, or The Hunting Party.
  2. The Emptiness Machine - First single, first new LP track since the OML sessions. This goes beyond actual music review into promotion, and it's been said before and likely better, but this was a GREAT choice for a first single. Again, it recalls What I've Done or Burn It Down as far as a life jacket type song. One that incorporates new sounds and themes from the current album while retaining a very familiar "Linkin Park," soundscape. Easing into Emily by giving the first verse and chorus to Mike was just good storytelling, musically.
  3. Cut The Bridge - This one was pretty sweet, definitely gives me like...mid-00's vibes, might be the intensity of the chorus or something. Need to absorb it more.
  4. Heavy Is The Crown - paired with the Arcane score version, this track and it's associated sounds are fucking epic. Given Up is an obvious influence, almost an homage and a proving ground to the legacy that Emily's inheriting. Nice Bleed It Out reference.
  5. Over Each Other - lyrically feels like a companion piece to Talking To Myself. Cool, stripped down track that slowly builds to a mid-energy climax. This is the song that makes me wish for more lyricism, though. It's a holdover from issues I had with a couple old LP songs. They do the "na na na," thing when they're trying to find a Melody before lyrics are written, and sometimes the "nanana's," make it to the final album, and I wish there were another line or two of lyrics instead. Bridge her reminds me of that. Just repeating "are we over each other?" with muted Em-wails in the background. It doesn't sound BAD, again, I just like chewing on lyrics.
  6. Casualty- This song is the shit. Isolated vocal fry intro akin to Keys To The Kingdom. Sick ass high pitched scratches during the Bridge evokes Spit It Out by Slipknot - just absolutely filthy track.
  7. Overflow - This one, I want to say it's badass, but I need to hear it a few more times. It kind of pulls you into a wall of sound, shoegazey almost, and by the time you get comfortable in the sound, the track is over. Definitely could see vibing to a seven minute version of this. Also, there's totally a little sample of Stick N' Move at the end.
  8. Two Faced - This has been compared to One Step Closer, and I get it. I think it's the guitar. Almost sounds like if you fed OSC into a good AI and the prompt was "finish this song," Like...all of the components of OSC are there, but arranged into a new beast.
  9. Stained- I really enjoy the lyrics here, and the melody Em uses. Not a lot else jumps to mind initially.
  10. IGYEIH - Sick. Guitars are tuned to Meteora, lmao. Has Figure .09/A.06 vibes because of that. Vocally, I kind of get some early Flyleaf influence, honestly. Which is no criticism, having a little flair of Lacey here and there is awesome.
  11. Good Things Go - Probably my favorite track. Really honest lyrics, nice back and forth with Mike and Emily. Mike has a flow here that reminds me of his Post Traumatic work.
All in all, fantastic gift to fans. It feels like they're 95% there. I can hear some growing pains - spots where the back and forth feels like it's still written with Chester in mind, but some tracks feel like they were born for Em and Mike together. Same with live performances. Finding the right places to put a vocal fill, finding the spots where Emily has more or less strength than Chester, etc etc. I feel like this is a weird situation, because it's essentially the band's first album, but with seven albums worth of expectation. This is something that I hope LP might even explore lyrically at some point - the struggle for those who love Linkin Park with Chester, and love Linkin Park with Emily, but can't quite reconcile the two together yet. Artistically, the sky is the limit with the potential here. If this was Emily Armstrong's Hybrid Theory, I think we should all look forward to Emily's Meteora.

Edit: it was a sample of Fuse, not Stick N' Move. Fuck me and my knowledge of cassette tape demos from 97.
Click to expand...
I largely share your opinion. The one thing I would add to the negatives (which I didn't notice until pointed out on reddit) is that the majority of songs have the complete same structure (which confirms that they played it as safe as possible) I think three songs have the same "repeat a line three times speaking and then scream it out" build up in the middle of the song. It's fine when you listen to the songs on their own, but it becomes noticeable if you listen to the album top to bottom. And that's me just nitpicking, I really enjoy the new record and it's definitely getting more plays than THP for me.
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
mindfreak191 said:
I largely share your opinion. The one thing I would add to the negatives (which I didn't notice until pointed out on reddit) is that the majority of songs have the complete same structure (which confirms that they played it as safe as possible) I think three songs have the same "repeat a line three times speaking and then scream it out" build up in the middle of the song. It's fine when you listen to the songs on their own, but it becomes noticeable if you listen to the album top to bottom. And that's me just nitpicking, I really enjoy the new record and it's definitely getting more plays than THP for me.
Click to expand...

I could see that grating on some listeners, for sure. I think what makes it alright to my ears is the sheer brevity of everything. Even the things that are formulaic don't get too repetitive when there isn't a single track exceeding four minutes in length. LP isn't Nine Inch Nails or Billy Corgan, though. But I'd totally blare a double album by LP.
 
Doomtrain

Doomtrain

Member
A couple listens in, and I don't love this as much as I wanted to based on how much I loved Emptiness Machine and Heavy is The Crown. It's not bad, but I don't think it's great either. Some track-by-track thoughts:

Emptiness Machine: Probably still my favorite song on here, and exactly the return to form (lol Veilguard reviews, but for real here) that the band needed.
Cut the Bridge: Way too reliant on repeating the same boring riff.
Heavy is The Crown: One of my favorites. Reminds me a lot of Faint.
Over Each Other: Pretty boring.
Casualty: Feels like a Hunting Party song; just a quick burst of raw punk. These songs didn't do it for me on Hunting Party and this one doesn't do it for me here.
Overflow: The most experimental song on the album, and one of my early favorites. I love the chill-but-eerie vibe.
Two Faced: This is Figure .09.
Stained: Solid, catchy song.
IGYEIH: Serviceable but unremarkable.
Good Things Go: Solid closer. Emily does some crazy vocal gymnastics on this one.

I don't think there's a lot that I'll return to here other than Emptiness Machine, Heavy is The Crown, Overflow, and possibly Good Things Go. There are no songs that I outright dislike except maybe Casualty, but a lot of the songs remind me of songs that I already considered lesser on their previous releases. Still, I'm glad they're back and I think Emily is a great addition.
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Doomtrain said:
A couple listens in, and I don't love this as much as I wanted to based on how much I loved Emptiness Machine and Heavy is The Crown. It's not bad, but I don't think it's great either. Some track-by-track thoughts:

Emptiness Machine: Probably still my favorite song on here, and exactly the return to form (lol Veilguard reviews, but for real here) that the band needed.
Cut the Bridge: Way too reliant on repeating the same boring riff.
Heavy is The Crown: One of my favorites. Reminds me a lot of Faint.
Over Each Other: Pretty boring.
Casualty: Feels like a Hunting Party song; just a quick burst of raw punk. These songs didn't do it for me on Hunting Party and this one doesn't do it for me here.
Overflow: The most experimental song on the album, and one of my early favorites. I love the chill-but-eerie vibe.
Two Faced: This is Figure .09.
Stained: Solid, catchy song.
IGYEIH: Serviceable but unremarkable.
Good Things Go: Solid closer. Emily does some crazy vocal gymnastics on this one.

I don't think there's a lot that I'll return to here other than Emptiness Machine, Heavy is The Crown, Overflow, and possibly Good Things Go. There are no songs that I outright dislike except maybe Casualty, but a lot of the songs remind me of songs that I already considered lesser on their previous releases. Still, I'm glad they're back and I think Emily is a great addition.
Click to expand...

It does have an element of A Thousand Suns in that if you've heard all the singles, you've heard the best put together songs on the album. I think if a couple tracks had more room to breathe it'd pay off.
 
Doomtrain

Doomtrain

Member
TheInfamousKira said:
It does have an element of A Thousand Suns in that if you've heard all the singles, you've heard the best put together songs on the album. I think if a couple tracks had more room to breathe it'd pay off.
Click to expand...
I agree, I do wish more songs had more room to breathe. I really love the vibe in Overflow, for example, and I could go for another couple minutes to really get lost in it before moving on.

I really love A Thousand Suns and I think some of the non-singles, like Blackout, are among the best songs on the album. Definitely agree that Catalyst and Waiting For The End are among the best.

I think the new album suffers from a lack of iconic Mr. Hahn parts. Heavy Is the Crown is probably the closest thing, but even that just feels like Faint Lite. Overflow is pretty electronic, and it might not be a coincidence that it's one of my favorites. Overall, though, there's really nothing on here that feels as iconic as the opening of Papercut or Somewhere I Belong, or the verse of Faint, or the chorus of Numb.
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Doomtrain said:
I agree, I do wish more songs had more room to breathe. I really love the vibe in Overflow, for example, and I could go for another couple minutes to really get lost in it before moving on.

I really love A Thousand Suns and I think some of the non-singles, like Blackout, are among the best songs on the album. Definitely agree that Catalyst and Waiting For The End are among the best.

I think the new album suffers from a lack of iconic Mr. Hahn parts. Heavy Is the Crown is probably the closest thing, but even that just feels like Faint Lite. Overflow is pretty electronic, and it might not be a coincidence that it's one of my favorites. Overall, though, there's really nothing on here that feels as iconic as the opening of Papercut or Somewhere I Belong, or the verse of Faint, or the chorus of Numb.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that comment wasn't even meant to cast aspersions upon A Thousand Suns. As far as my overall favorite records by Linkin Park, my top three (not in order) would probably be

Minutes To Midnight
A Thousand Suns
Hybrid Theory EP/LPU 1.0

I'm sure that opinion is of mixed origin, likely a toss up between actual interesting ideas explored in a mainstream setting and overdose levels of nostalgia, but I think each of those aforementioned three picked a direction and thematic center for their entire length and were just so committed to the bit that like it or hate it, you couldn't deny their energy. I have a big soft spot for concept albums thanks to Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero album releasing toward the end of my high school years.

As far as From Zero goes, there are definitely good scratching portions. There are good guitar portions with classic LP power chord drop tuned awesomeness. There are good vocal moments from Mike and Emily. I think what speaks nicely to both of our minor grievances simultaneously is the fact that just aren't ENOUGH of these moments, nor in long enough duration.

Even a twenty-five second Instrumental Interlude ala the turntable section before the bridge in With You would kind of space out and make more distinct the sections of the songs. I don't know, I don't mean to harp about the record length so much, I'm beyond certain that there's a deluxe edition, an instrumental/acapella edition, a 2024/25 live album/proshot show, live EPs, and probably a return to LPU EPs. By all rights, the content should be there. And frankly, I think the more they put out, the better their synergy and end product will be.
 
Big Baller

Big Baller

Al Pachinko, Konami President
Doomtrain said:
I agree, I do wish more songs had more room to breathe. I really love the vibe in Overflow, for example, and I could go for another couple minutes to really get lost in it before moving on.

I really love A Thousand Suns and I think some of the non-singles, like Blackout, are among the best songs on the album. Definitely agree that Catalyst and Waiting For The End are among the best.

I think the new album suffers from a lack of iconic Mr. Hahn parts. Heavy Is the Crown is probably the closest thing, but even that just feels like Faint Lite. Overflow is pretty electronic, and it might not be a coincidence that it's one of my favorites. Overall, though, there's really nothing on here that feels as iconic as the opening of Papercut or Somewhere I Belong, or the verse of Faint, or the chorus of Numb.
Click to expand...

But Joe Hahn doesn't do anything aside from wearing a cowboy hat.
 
Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Funny how I give a shit more about spoilers for an album than I do games or movies or anything else. Music is life and such are the consequences I guess.

Fuck all of you who are listening before release is basically what Im saying :messenger_kissing_smiling:
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Chuck Berry said:
Funny how I give a shit more about spoilers for an album than I do games or movies or anything else. Music is life and such are the consequences I guess.

Fuck all of you who are listening before release is basically what Im saying :messenger_kissing_smiling:
Click to expand...

It's tradition for me at this point, from Minutes To Midnight onwards.
 
Doomtrain

Doomtrain

Member
Personal track ranking, because why not:

Emptiness Machine
Overflow
Heavy is The Crown
Good Things Go
Stained
Cut the Bridge
Over Each Other
IGYEIH
Two Faced
Casualty

Stained is growing on me, and I think Cut the Bridge and Over Each Other might be as well, to a lesser extent. Overflow is also growing on me, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ultimately ends up being my favorite song on the album. I sort of just feel nothing for IGYEIH and Two Faced. I think Casualty is actively bad. Overall, I like the album more than I did yesterday.
 
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