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The Hunting Party - Linkin Park Review
11 years ago
General
I would like to start this review off by telling everyone who didn't already know, I'm a massive Linkin Park fan, and always will be.
Recently, Linkin Park release their sixth studio album, The Hunting Party. Most Linkin Park fans are in an uproar of excitement claiming that the "Old Linkin Park" is back. I, however, disagree.
The first Linkin Park song that made me acknowledge Linkin Park as legitimately good was Bleed It Out from their third album. I fell in love with it instantly, but slowly forgot about them until I heard a couple of their other songs here and there, all of which were instant favorites. This new album does have a couple songs like that, but for the most part, The Hunting Party doesn't give me the same feeling. What makes Linkin Park my favorite band, is their ability to put emotion behind their music without going out of their way or seeming "fake" about the experience. Their oldest works told personal stories that most people could relate to, and was the perfect blend of rap and rock. Then, after their third album Minutes To Midnight, they started to include less and less rap, and also began experimenting with other genres like techno.
This new album takes all the left overs of those albums, takes away the experimentation of genre, and almost exclusively turns it into just another modern rock album. And I hate that. I guess everyone has that one album from their favorite band that makes them just say "No", and with a band as inconsistent as LP, it was bound to happen. I always hated the people who commented on the new stuff, bitching about how they needed to go back to their old stuff. I hate even more that Linkin Park finally gave in. What make Linkin Park so great is their ability to interact with fans, but they always seemed to make progress in their music. Now it's like they decided to turn it all around.
Most of the songs on the album such as, but not limited to, Keys To the Kingdom, War, and Rebellion all felt like try hard screaming mixed with a heavy beat, overly distorted guitars, a distinct lack of Mike Shinoda rapping, and an over all feel like, as I said before, "Just another rock album". Not all of it was bad though. Wastelands is by far my favorite song on the album, and makes me feel happy whenever I hear it, and Guilty All the Same and Final Masquerade are both executed with what I've come to expect from Linkin Park.
Over all, the album wasn't bad, it was just disappointing, and definitely not for me. The shitty hipster fans that can't move out of 2004 finally got their album, and have the right to love it, but I'll be waiting for the next album, which in my predictions will fall into another direction away from all they've done thus far.
My final verdict is a 65%, 3 stars, an American D, a British B, one thumb up and one down, just above average. I expect better from Linkin Park in the future, and hopefully we'll hear more rapping from Mike, a little calmer singing from Chester, and maybe Joe will show up for the next album. Seriously, where the fuck is that DJ in the entire album?!
Maybe the LPU14 demo tracks won't be so bad.
Sorry for the long rant, but it's over now.
Thanks for reading if you did,
Niq (Ymeisnot) Shelby
Recently, Linkin Park release their sixth studio album, The Hunting Party. Most Linkin Park fans are in an uproar of excitement claiming that the "Old Linkin Park" is back. I, however, disagree.
The first Linkin Park song that made me acknowledge Linkin Park as legitimately good was Bleed It Out from their third album. I fell in love with it instantly, but slowly forgot about them until I heard a couple of their other songs here and there, all of which were instant favorites. This new album does have a couple songs like that, but for the most part, The Hunting Party doesn't give me the same feeling. What makes Linkin Park my favorite band, is their ability to put emotion behind their music without going out of their way or seeming "fake" about the experience. Their oldest works told personal stories that most people could relate to, and was the perfect blend of rap and rock. Then, after their third album Minutes To Midnight, they started to include less and less rap, and also began experimenting with other genres like techno.
This new album takes all the left overs of those albums, takes away the experimentation of genre, and almost exclusively turns it into just another modern rock album. And I hate that. I guess everyone has that one album from their favorite band that makes them just say "No", and with a band as inconsistent as LP, it was bound to happen. I always hated the people who commented on the new stuff, bitching about how they needed to go back to their old stuff. I hate even more that Linkin Park finally gave in. What make Linkin Park so great is their ability to interact with fans, but they always seemed to make progress in their music. Now it's like they decided to turn it all around.
Most of the songs on the album such as, but not limited to, Keys To the Kingdom, War, and Rebellion all felt like try hard screaming mixed with a heavy beat, overly distorted guitars, a distinct lack of Mike Shinoda rapping, and an over all feel like, as I said before, "Just another rock album". Not all of it was bad though. Wastelands is by far my favorite song on the album, and makes me feel happy whenever I hear it, and Guilty All the Same and Final Masquerade are both executed with what I've come to expect from Linkin Park.
Over all, the album wasn't bad, it was just disappointing, and definitely not for me. The shitty hipster fans that can't move out of 2004 finally got their album, and have the right to love it, but I'll be waiting for the next album, which in my predictions will fall into another direction away from all they've done thus far.
My final verdict is a 65%, 3 stars, an American D, a British B, one thumb up and one down, just above average. I expect better from Linkin Park in the future, and hopefully we'll hear more rapping from Mike, a little calmer singing from Chester, and maybe Joe will show up for the next album. Seriously, where the fuck is that DJ in the entire album?!
Maybe the LPU14 demo tracks won't be so bad.
Sorry for the long rant, but it's over now.
Thanks for reading if you did,
Niq (Ymeisnot) Shelby
Hopefully the new Rise Against album will be better... :P