When you think about modern rock music and big bands, few have reached the levels of fame and success as LINKIN PARK. Their breakthrough album “Hybrid Theory” propelled them to super stardom back in 2000, and really they've never looked back, until now that is. Having sold millions of records worldwide, and constantly changing and evolving their core sound to incorporate a more and more electronic style, this consistently lighter approach started alienating a lot of their fans, especially the ones who have followed them since day one. People believed they were no longer the band they had grown to love, that they had sold out, releasing mediocre records (see “A Thousand Suns”) instead of the past hits such as “Crawling” and “Feint”. How have Linkin Park responded? They've released this; “The Hunting Party”…have they given the fans what they've craved for, for so long? Or is the hunt more of a wild goose chase?
Press play and we’re greeted with Chester Bennington screaming angrily through your speakers with a computerised vocal distortion in “Keys To The Kingdom”. The guitars are crunching, the drums are being beaten with a sense of purpose, it’s seems they've reignited their sense of passion and they’re playing with a rekindled sense of intensity. It’s a promising start indeed. “All For Nothing” sounds huge, it’s given a grimy urban vibe with Mike Shinoda spitting his rap-inspired lyrics along-side guest vocals from Page Hamilton of HELMET. Lead single “Guilty All The Same” features more guest vocals, this time from acclaimed American rapper RAKIM, who adds a touch of class to proceedings, showing Shinoda how it’s done, albeit briefly.
“Wastelands” and “Until It’s Gone” keep the party going mid album, the latter sounding similar in style to some of the works LP have done for the TRANSFORMERS franchise. “Final Masquerade” dips into softer territory, showcasing what a great singing voice Chester actually has when he’s not screaming; the man can hold a note or two, before we finish up on “A Line In The Sand”. Sounding very much like a statement, Linkin Park are back, it’s as though they've turned to the fans and said “Hey, you wanted attitude, you wanted the Linkin Park of old, well you got it”. It’s the perfect closing track. This new album may not be quite as good as their début (and quite frankly, I doubt anything ever will be), but what’s important here is that they've stripped everything back and self-produced a raw, rough and ready album full of great rock songs. There is a slight nostalgia about the record, it sounds as though it could easily slot in between “Meteora” and “Minutes To Midnight” on the bands album timeline, and quite frankly it’s a welcome return to form. Just, please…don’t ruin it with another remix album. [8]
"The Hunting Party" is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-hunting-party/id873395041
Press play and we’re greeted with Chester Bennington screaming angrily through your speakers with a computerised vocal distortion in “Keys To The Kingdom”. The guitars are crunching, the drums are being beaten with a sense of purpose, it’s seems they've reignited their sense of passion and they’re playing with a rekindled sense of intensity. It’s a promising start indeed. “All For Nothing” sounds huge, it’s given a grimy urban vibe with Mike Shinoda spitting his rap-inspired lyrics along-side guest vocals from Page Hamilton of HELMET. Lead single “Guilty All The Same” features more guest vocals, this time from acclaimed American rapper RAKIM, who adds a touch of class to proceedings, showing Shinoda how it’s done, albeit briefly.
“Wastelands” and “Until It’s Gone” keep the party going mid album, the latter sounding similar in style to some of the works LP have done for the TRANSFORMERS franchise. “Final Masquerade” dips into softer territory, showcasing what a great singing voice Chester actually has when he’s not screaming; the man can hold a note or two, before we finish up on “A Line In The Sand”. Sounding very much like a statement, Linkin Park are back, it’s as though they've turned to the fans and said “Hey, you wanted attitude, you wanted the Linkin Park of old, well you got it”. It’s the perfect closing track. This new album may not be quite as good as their début (and quite frankly, I doubt anything ever will be), but what’s important here is that they've stripped everything back and self-produced a raw, rough and ready album full of great rock songs. There is a slight nostalgia about the record, it sounds as though it could easily slot in between “Meteora” and “Minutes To Midnight” on the bands album timeline, and quite frankly it’s a welcome return to form. Just, please…don’t ruin it with another remix album. [8]
"The Hunting Party" is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-hunting-party/id873395041
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