Linkin Park were the first rock band that I really got into. I would listen to their stuff all the time and along with Green Day, they were my favorite band for a while. Since then, I’ve gone through phases of liking several bands as favorites namely System of a Down, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and finally Tool. I think Tool are going to be my favorite band of all time as long as they don’t release something atrocious. Heck, I think they’ll still be my favorites. Of course, I also love Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Rush, The Decemberists, and Led Zeppelin among others. But then again, this is a review for the new Linkin Park album. So let’s get to it!

Hybrid Theory and Meteora were essentially one album split into two and separated by three years. Linkin Park created their sound with Hybrid Theory and then refined it with Meteora. What that meant was that both albums sounded similar and they managed to build a huge, devoted fan base who loved these tracks. Now, it’s been four years since Meteora came out and Linkin Park have returned with a new album produced by Rick Rubin. The man has been responsible for some big albums recently - Stadium Arcadium by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Mezmerize/Hypnotize by System come to mind immediately. He’s also working with Metallica on their new studio album. I had high hopes for the new LP album. Rick Rubin is a good producer and has done well in the past. And the initial trickle of news sounded interesting. Rick pushed LP into exploring new ground and to leave behind their rap-rock as it was more or less dead in the intervening four years between albums. I was pleased that LP were trying something different rather than treading old ground.

The first single off the new album, “What I’ve Done” was released last month. I’ve been listening to it a lot. It sounds a little emo but I think it’s a good song for Linkin Park. It’s sort of mellow mixed with aggressive tunes and rhythm guitar work by Mike Shinoda. I was excited for the album. Now that the album is out and I have had a good listen, I’m highly disappointed to say the least. I only went through it once and I was thoroughly bored. “What I’ve Done” turned out to be the best song on the album. Shinoda only raps on two songs here - not necessarily a bad thing. Chester does a lot of screaming and there are some slow ballads thrown in. Oh, and there’s a six minute-plus song as the album closer: a first for LP who are known to produce short songs. There was a lot of talk about guitarist Brad Delson’s guitar solo in this song. If you listen to any progressive rock/metal band, Delson is at best an ordinary guitarist. His guitar work is often simplistic and adds nothing of value to songs. Hence the guitar solo here is not impressive at all. I think Joe Hahn’s scratch-work and Shinoda’s keyboard work are often the strong points of any LP song.

Other than “What I’ve Done”, the other good songs on this album include “Bleed it Out” and “Given Up.” All of them sound like the LP of old which leads me to question the band’s claims of no song sounding like the older stuff. With three good songs, the album is not a complete failure. However, it fails to live up to expectations. Fans who loved LP in the Meteora days will either abhor this album or love it. So far, I’ve only seen disappointed fans. I commend the band on exploring new musical directions but it looks like they don’t have the maturity, or the technical skills, or pull off the kind of stuff they were aiming for.

In the four years since Meteora, most Linkin Park fans have grown up. I believe most have moved on to other types of music which might be more fulfilling. Personally, after getting into bands with superior technical abilities like Rush, Tool, Dream Theater, and Porcupine Tree, I find Linkin Park’s music too simple for my liking. The drumming is ordinary, the guitar and bass work uninspired and Joe Hahn doesn’t do much in this album either. I was actually more impressed with Mike taking up multiple roles and letting his rapping take a backseat to Chester’s vocals. There is nothing in the lyrics to rescue the songs either. Not to say that I suddenly hate their old material (In the End is still one of my favorite songs), but it pales in comparison with artists that make thought-provoking and intelligent music. Nonetheless, the album is selling like hotcakes and is #2 on Amazon’s best sellers for the day courtesy fans gobbling it up on the promise of earlier efforts and hype. My advice: save your money and time. Try out some of the other bands I mentioned and you will know what makes good rock music. In particular, try out the new Porcupine Tree album “Fear of a Blank Planet” I reviewed recently. A much better investment of time and money! The new Rush album is not great but it’s not bad either!

Rating: 2/5