Release Date: June 26th, 2012
Reviewed By Nathan Holt
With five albums now under their belt, Linkin Park has come quite a ways since their first album Hybrid Theory that came out in 2000. From their early rock roots, their latest creation Living Things is a new entity in itself.
Right off the bat from the first track, long-time fans can definitely tell that the album has a processed and electric sound in most of the tracks. While it may seem like the band has strayed a little bit from their original rock based roots, there are various reminders throughout. The first two upbeat and catchy tracks “Lost In The Echo” and “In My Remains” start the album off, followed by their popular electronic single “Burn It Down.”
Songs like “Lies Greed Misery” and “Until It Breaks” are reminiscent of “Wretches and Kings” (from their last album A Thousand Suns) with their heavier sound along with Mike Shinoda’s rapping. “Victimized” is closest to the band’s first two albums, it’s a nice fast paced hard track with lead vocalist Chester Bennington throwing a few good screams in too. The song “I’ll Be Gone,” is similar to what would have come off their second album, Meteora.
With the album being more experimental, most of the other tracks fall into the new category while traveling away from where the band’s music has originated. The song “Castle Of Glass” has a drum beat that meshes well with piano, bass, guitar and orchestral backing. “Roads Untraveled” and “Skin to Bone” clearly fall into the new experimental group with their different feel.
The album wraps up with an instrumental song “Tinfoil” that leads into the final track “Powerless” that has a more modern day electronic/alternative rock influence.
With the diversity that lies between the tracks, listeners are bound to find something to like. And while the band chose the title of the new record, Living Things because of the personal nature of the songs, it also describes how the band’s sound has evolved and progressed from their previous albums.
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