MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT......

My previous post was......basically about the history of linkin park....and this post is on the latest album of LP.......i.e Minutes 2 Midnight.....

It's a really a new sound to Linkin Park, but a lot of it sounds, just like most of the reviews say, pop-rock with a hint of hip-hop, styles that we are almost not used to listening out of Linkin Park. The nu metal style that has been their trademark and their magnum opus (Linkin Park is allegedly the band that started the genre) has been left out of the album. This becomes evident at the third track, "Leave Out All the Rest", which sounds more like a pop ballad than a Linkin Park masterpiece. The second track, "Given Up", introduces us to a louder-than-ever and more mature (though not necessarily in a good way) Chester Bennington. The fourth track, "Bleed It Out", sounds more closer to Linkin Park, with Mike Shinoda and his MC vocals, as well as Bennington's catchy choruses. After the excitement, we sink into a mellow song more reminiscient of "My December", "Shadow of the Day", which also sounds like a pop ballad. The single, "What I've Done", is still pretty good.The highlight of the album, in my opinion, is the singing in the next 2 tracks. We would never expect something political from Shinoda nor Bennington, but they bring it out, with Shinoda's "Hands Held High" leaving more of an indelible mark than Bennington's "No More Sorrow". Both songs of militaristic (funeral?) beats and drums, with Shinoda delivering an epic performance.Sadly, we return to the rest of the album for 2 tracks, "Valentine's Day" and "In Between", with the latter sounding more of a ballad than the former, which isn't so bad, but still not indicative of Linkin Park as we know it. "In Pieces" and the last track of the album, "The Little Things Give You Away", give us some hope that the Linkin Park we know is still there, even though Chester Bennington dominated the vocals in these 2 songs and even over the entire album. .So,if Linkin Park return to their nu metal roots, that would be better......but still.....this experimental album was GOOD......