LINKIN PARK   -   "From Zero"

Warner Bros. Records, released on November 15, 2024

"From Zero" is the eighth studio album by Linkin Park,  their first studio album since One More Light (2017),  their first album with vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain following Chester Bennington's departure in 2017.

According to Blabbermouth (September 5, 2024) Mike Shinoda stated: "Before LINKIN PARK, our first band name was XERO. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we're currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future — embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what LINKIN PARK has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”

1. From Zero (Intro)
2. The Emptiness Machine
3. Cut the Bridge
4. Heavy Is the Crown
5. Over Each Other
6. Casualty
7. Overflow
8. Two Faced
9. Stained
10. IGYEIH
11. Good Things Go

Photo credit: James Minchin III

 Review by Matthew Haumschild

A sense of purposeful nostalgia?

       I thought it was a good idea to review this album personally as someone impartial. I know who Linkin Park is and I’ve known who they were before their first album was released due to effective marketing at Hot Topic in the late 90’s. However, at the time they just seemed to be another Nu Metal band to me, I had no idea the band would blow up like they did.

       I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care for them. It’s not that they weren’t any good, I was just into other bands in the 2000’s that were likely European, faster, harder, etc. Over the years, I’ve heard songs from "Hybrid Theory", "Reanimation", and "Meteora" on popular rock radio stations and XM Satellite radio, but I never really gave them a second thought. Over time, I read stories about Chester Bennington and what kind of life he lead leading up joining the band in the first place and the kind of demons that followed him, it’s a shame that they ended up consuming him, as one human to another it would be difficult to shake that and I hope he rests in peace. As an adult listening to him now, I’ve grown to appreciate him and his talent more.

       2024 brings a new album with a new singer, Emily Armstrong. I do not know anything about this singer.  I have not done my homework, I’m sure she’s easy to find online along with her body of work. However, since I am not an avid LP listener and this is not the kind of music I regularly listen to, I am pleased to give you my account of the album from this perspective.

       Not knowing if any of the songs are popular, I decided to listen to “The Emptiness Machine,” “Heavy is the Crown”, “Two Faced,” and “IGYEIH” as a proper sample of the album. Sure, I’ve listened to the whole thing, and I can honestly say, it started sounding the same the more I listened to it. Maybe that’s because it’s an album with a particular feel? A sense of purposeful nostalgia? But how can that be? It’s Linkin’ with a new singer. But somehow, when I listen to the album as a whole and especially the songs listed above, I feel like I’m being transported to 2002. I was there at the height of that decade’s modern rock, now considered classic rock, however it was cutting edge at the time and Linkin’ Park were the undisputed kings of 2000’s rock. I can confidently say this album has the same feel as those earlier albums did.

       There’s a reason why “The Emptiness Machine” has half a billion listens on Spotify. It’s the most put-together song, the most polished, and the most overproduced. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily and is expected, given Warner Brother’s sunk a ton of money into this album and it better sound amazing. The song itself has minor hints of angst as it’s main audience is likely those in their early 30’s that feel down about how their lives turned out (it gets better I promise!). It has hints of pop-punk and the aforementioned 2000’s modern rock. I can see the targeted demographic of this song putting this in their phones and running on a treadmill as fuel for cardio. What I liked about the song is that despite it being 3:10, it picks up at the end. The song is much shorter than songs I usually listen to and to jam that bit of music composition is risky because it risks being skipped over as just another track. Overall, it’s a good track, I can see why it has so many listens. Not sure if it appeals to me personally, but it isn’t a bad song.

       “Heavy Is the Crown,” really does transports me back to that era of music when Linkin Park, and the like were massively popular. I could really see this song being popular, it’s having that light kind of darkness which is the method of operation of this style of music. It’s moderately paced with the last third of the song, stopping, then the scream of the singer and the breakdown of the song itself. If any song off this album made the radio, it’s this one. At 2:47 it screams airplay. The band designed this song to evoke aggressive emotion of an angsty 20-year-old. Hip-hop in the beginning, soft tones between the verse and the chorus, but once the chorus arrives, you have the angry singer shaking her finger at me telling me off. Like “The Emptiness Machine,” it isn’t a bad song to listen to, but I could tell that this song was meant for radio based on how the song is laid out and the length. The song does sound very appealing, it won’t make any of my playlists, but I can see it being played at every LP show.

       As I am looking at Spotify on my computer, I’m finding out that “Two Faced” is the third most popular song on the album. Using the formula of hip-hop verse, pre-chorus, singsong/scream chorus, then back to in your face hip-hop, Chorus, bridge, breakdown, end. I’m beginning to realize that there’s a pattern that has afflicted most popular music. That being said, I found myself bobbing my head to this song. This one won’t make the radio by any means, but I actually kind of like this song. After the dreary intro, the song kicks in to a nice heavy guitar riff that sets the tone for the song. The track has a good beat to it and if I were to place this on any of my playlists, it’d be this one.

       “IGYEIH” - I gave you everything I have. Honestly, they should have just used this title instead. The more I listen to these songs, the more they all sound alike. Sure, the riffs are all different, but the formula is the same in the “good” songs. Lots of angry screaming from this song with more moderately paced heavy guitar riffs. The compliment I can give this song is that the guitar tone in this song is really good. It could also be that the bass follows the guitar which does add to the heaviness of the guitar. There’s some serious attitude in this song, which is also something I like. I think, if I listened to this song more and if I could connect to the music, I’d listen to this a lot. I can see quite a massive appeal of this song to someone who is going through a breakup or even a job loss. It makes the listener feel angry and directing that anger at someone or something.

       Overall, when I look at the length of the songs, which are no more than 3:48, I see this album for what it is, which is a popular rock band with a tried and true formula, with that, there are  two things to consider: 1. This is a band that likes creating art but very specific art and by introducing a new singer, is trying to recapture old glories and or 2. Money.  I have overheard grumblings from other LP fans that this is strictly a money grab because some of the original band members are broke. I don’t know any of that. As I mentioned above, I have not done my homework, nor will I for the sake of being impartial. Knowing what I do know about LP, about Chester Bennington, and how successful the band is one might wonder, “why continue without the soul of the band but for money?” Good question, I’ll let you figure that out. What I can tell you, the new singer doesn’t sound bad at all, although I would have liked to hear her other stuff and see if it’s comparable to what she’s doing in LP so I can tell for sure if it’s production or it’s her. Did the band change their sound to suit her and from what I hear, they did not. Why would they? They have a formula and sound that works, so, another huge question was, can the band just plug in a new singer and make it work? The answer to that question is complicated.

       I thought the music was okay, I wouldn’t go out of my way for it personally because the music doesn’t take me anywhere, it doesn’t inspire me, and honestly, I can’t connect to it. If I were a Linkin Park fan to begin with, then I’d likely enjoy it more. The new singer sounds very good to me, and I think if you’re a fan of the band, you should give her a chance. The current hate that surrounds this aspect of the band is completely overblown and they should receive more radio play.

7/10

Matthew Haumschild

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