Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight

Being over four years since their last full studio album, Linkin Park had high expectations weighing on their shoulders. Surely if fans had waited this long there’d be something worthwhile at the end. Well, not really.
We can see the band are trying to take a new musical route, which, though admirable, doesn’t work all that well, and may even turn off some of the original hardcore fans.
The album opens with a nice ambient sounding intro, which kicks in for a heavy 30 seconds, kept short and sweet, preparing us for the further eleven tracks on the disc.

“Given Up” follows, a song that will keep the headbangers happy, some trademark Linkin Park. A heavy bass line accompanies a good vocal performance that unfortunately is undermined by the lyrics. Chester’s screams to “Put me out of my misery” make us think there’s a little jumping onto the whole emo bandwagon, but let’s refrain from going there shall we? But Chester, do stop the repetition of that line, end our misery.
Next up is “Leave Out All the Rest”, which is the first shock of the album, where we see the band making a failed attempt at changing their image to a more commercial one. We can’t blame the band for trying to appeal to a wider fan base, but sadly they don’t pull it off too well. There just seems to be a touch of pretentiousness in this song; a song that probably would have gone down very well a few years back.
“Bleed it Out” features Mike Chinoda’s rapping for the first time on the album. A catchy tune in it’s own right, but lyrically seems all too familiar in the chorus, which becomes tiresome towards the end of the song.

My personal favorite song of the album follows - “Shadow of the Day”. It opens with some nice percussion and bass, and Chester’s vocals are heartfelt and passionate without seeming forced. The song progresses very well, with guitars coming in beautifully around the three-minute mark. Great soft ending too, I’d recommend the song for any playlist. “What I’ve Done” is the first single released from the album, and despite being good first time around, it lacks staying power. You’ll be skipping it soon enough. “Hands Held High” is the seventh track, and is memorable, but perhaps not for the right reasons. An anti-war song is really nothing new to us, and we’re getting fairly sick of them. Mike’s righteous rapping is emotional “At times like this you pray/ but the bombs blew the mosque up yesterday”,but seems almost laughable at times, simply because it’s been done way too often. An ironic military drum beat is a nice touch, but overall not a great song.

What follows is the heaviest song on the album “No More Sorrow”. There’s a good rhythm and beat, will definitely keep the old Linkin Park fans happy. Next up is “Valentine’s Day”. You see the title, then hear the first line “My insides turn to ash”, and it doesn’t get any better from there. And guys, would it kill you to fade out a song or two? Every heavy song seems to end so suddenly, mix it up a bit. Another mellow song “In Between” has Mike singing, and it was certainly interesting to hear him doing vocals that weren’t rapped. He pulls it off well, and the vocals/backing vocals duo combine very well in this one. The final two tracks of the album don’t really add anything to it, they’re bearable, but not that enjoyable. Quite bland.

Overall, for the Linkin Park fans out there, do buy the album. It’s got some of the old LP you know and love, but beware of the risk of being put off by their new style. Many of you will love it, many will hate it, and some just won’t know what to think. The band really is trying to take a new direction, but turn out as just being overwhelmingly average. Five stars out of ten.

Review by: Mark Walsh