LINKIN PARK

Honestly speaking there are only few bands in entire universe who actually works on adopting new approaches in their music and Linkin Park is one of them and that’s the reason why I really admire this band. So, talking about new approach Linkin Park is never afraid of experimenting with new things that’s why this album sound little different from the previous few albums. For this album Linkin Park had worked atlest for a year with legend Rick Rubin, the reason why they worked with him was simple they wanted to bring a new element in their music, in an interview Mike Shinoda himself said that he wanted to bring something new and different from his previous album and as I mentioned this attitude of Linkin park is the reason that makes them stand out of crowd. Recommendation being a Linkin Park fan I can assure you that this album is not going to disappoint you in anyway.

If I ask you how many bands you have come across that gives you an interesting story behind their formation or story behind there album, probably you will be able to name only few of them and trust me when someone ask me this same question my answer is always Linkin Park. Whether it is their song, poster or album everything had an interesting story attached to it and I believe that is something which make this group so special and interesting. Now talking about the album Meteora it also had an interesting story behind it, how many of actually thought that a band can actually come up with a historical name that to has a deep meaning so that it can break all your preoccupied thoughts. Linkin Park came up with a historical name for their album. Apparently Meteora means a formation of rocks on the top of which some monasteries were build and that is something very interesting to know, for those who are interested in history can google it. By bringing this name for their album Linkin Park not only had put up an extra fire for their new album but also bought the element of art in it and I believe art is something that is missing in most of the recent albums so by bringing this element into a music they had done a great job. Song wise I would say, Linkin Park had again proved themselves that why they are the best in the new generation.

They waited 3 years to release a record. It was the period from 2014 to 2017, I suppose that many looked forward to it, I was one of them because in previous albums Linkin Park had filled all my expectations or almost all, however in One More Light they fell short. I'm not saying it's a bad record, but I think it will not be remembered as the best either. It's hard for me to say it because I'm really fond of the Californian band since its origins in the year 2000 when they released their first album Hybrid Theory. Returning to the record we are talking about, it is basically an album that, although it does not lose the style and spirit of Linkin Park, tries things like collaborations with other artists that make it lose its identity a bit. The lyrics are perhaps the most salvageable since they continue showing a lot of tact to touch sensitive topics for many. It is perhaps in the musical part where they did not do enough, and not because they are bad with their instruments or with their technique to compose, but because of the styles they approach. Certain songs sound more like a Boy Band than the rock they played in past years. I do not deny that they still have a great preference in the world public, for example, the popularity charts in the United States and other countries placed this album in the first places, making the commercial success of One More Light indisputable, although as musician and from my very particular point of view, I think the band could have given much more. The excessive use of synthesizers and the softness of many of the songs reaching to sound like a pop ballad takes them too far from their origins. Are there things to rescue? Of course, and we should not deny the quality with which the tracks have been recorded; however, leave things that hopefully can recover on the discs that are to come. The course they chose for this album was safe, risking little and ensuring the necessary sales to survive and continue creating songs and filling stadiums, but until then nothing more.

We all were saddened by the sudden death of Chester Bennington in July 2017, the front man of the American Rock band Linkin Park. Two months before his death, Linkin Park released their seventh studio album “One More Light” in May 2017 through Warner Bros. and Machine Shop Records. There is a total of ten tracks with a time length of approximately thirty five minutes. A noticeable transition from heavier rock music to more mainstream pop and electronic music can be observed in this album. Internet sources say that the band members worked on the story first then recorded the vocals and finally composed the music. This is a new concept that they did not do before. Mike Shinoda, the rhythm guitarist of the band said that this is their most diverse albums where a lot of music genres are “mashed” together without the use of heavy guitars and screams which are a part of rock music. Genre wise, album has been classified as pop, pop rock and electro pop. A number of additional musicians worked on various tracks in this album, including Kilara Saulters, Pusha T, Stormzy and Ilsey Juber. Though a variety of guitar work was done, the album did not really get very good reviews from the music critics and many fans who expected the old Linkin Park sound. Classic Rock Magazine and NME rated it only 1 out of 5 stars stating it as a “weak and contrived commercial move”, London Evening Standard rated it 2 stars, AllMusic rated it 2.5 stars and the British rock music magazine Rock Sound gave a decent rating of 6 out of 10. The album received an overall average score of 46 on Metacritic with mixed reviews, having a significant number of negative reviews as well. Consequence of Sound criticised the album saying that it sounded like it tried to chase the pop-EDM trend. Many Linkin Park fans complained that they have lost their original rock/metal based sound and moved towards commercial pop music. However, the band members rejected all those criticisms saying that the album was made for monetory reasons. The sound in this album is often compared to that of Coldplay, Owl City and twenty one pilots. The album comes with an interesting artwork of a sepia photograph of few children at a Venice Beach, which was shot by Frank Maddocks that represents the feeling of the band members when their families get together. Despite of so many criticisms and negative reviews, the album was featured in several music charts across the world. It also attained the top position in weekly music charts across countries like United States, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary and Austria.