Linkin Park-Minutes To Midnight.
Experimentation. The lift, and sometimes downfall of many a great band. For their new album, LInkin Park has decided that they would drop the "rap-rock" sound their prior albums were known for and "come to terms to who they have become in the band". The fact of the matter is that the album seems to leave the listener with the impression that they still aren't sure.
The band attempts to reach into the rock world to create a new sound for themselves, but for the most part, simply ends up sounding more like a Cover Band for the genre's and styles that already exist. From the deep base-lined "Given Up" that is reminiscent of most punk of the day, to "Shadow of The Day", which sounds eerily familiar to a U2 single, the band simply mimics. Even its attempts at creativity create an awkward, albeit catchy, blend of a My Chemical Romance drum beat with a Mike Shinoda "Lose Yourself" type lyric styling on "Hands Held High". There is hope however. The single "What I've Done" along with "Bleed It Out" and "No More Sorrow" give us a glimpse of what most fans had hoped for in a new album. Lastly, there was a little too much slow for any good rock album. One or two good ballads is always good. Slowing it down for more than 5 songs with some back-to-back is a little too much.
The album comes with the standard booklet that comes with most CD's. As a special part though, each song, along with lyrics, has a snippet of what was going on with the band when they wrote the song. It is meant to be a intimate glimpse into the world of Linkin Park, but on some of the weaker tracks, almost reads more like an apology or an excuse. Each band needs time to grow, and here is hoping that LP uses this time to get this out of their system and get back to being themselves.
