Label: Warner Records / Machine Shop
Genre: Rock
Release Date: November 15th, 2024
Line Up:
Mike Shinoda – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, programming, production, recording, engineering
Brad Delson – lead guitar, co-production
Dave “Phoenix” Farrell – bass
Joe Hahn – samples, programming
Emily Armstrong – vocals
Colin Brittain – drums, co-production
Tracklist:
1.From Zero (Intro)
2.The Emptiness Machine
3.Cut the Bridge
4.Heavy Is the Crown
5.Over Each Other
6.Casualty
7.Overflow
8.Two Faced
9.Stained
10.IGYEIH
11.Good Things Go
Picture the scene. We are amongst a select few people to have the opportunity to hear the new Linkin Park album in its entirety before it comes out on November 15. The place is a private room above the All Bar One pub at the famous O2 Arena in London. We are all given Bluetooth headphones, free drinks (extra mark on the score) and a DJ who knows just what we want to hear before the main event. The main event is of course “From Zero”, the first album from Linkin Park since the untimely passing of former vocalist and vocal genius Chester Bennington.
The band have had to leave everything for many years simply because they and the fans have taken so long to process that loss and deal with their own emotions. The time though is clearly right and with several well received and completely sold out shows under their belts, Linkin Park return with “From Zero”. The album opens with choral intro , a quick inter-band spoken piece before “Emptiness Machine” kicks in. It’s a great lead into the album, immediately settling the listener with something familiar, specifically a track that has, to date, amassed over 200m streams on Spotify and leads immediately into a “Bleed it Out” type intro for “Cut the Bridge”, a track we are hearing for the first time. “Minutes to Midnight” fans will be very happy with the nods to the old before it hits the first bridge and Emily Armstrong gets to shine as the band’s new vocalist. There is a definite feel, in these opening 2 songs, that the vocal work is split evenly between Mike and Emily with the former clearly relishing being back behind the wheel of the band that he formed and the latter eager and hungry to show us what she’s capable of. “Cut the Bridge” could easily be the next single from the album. It already feels like an album that, like the band’s first three offered, contains a significant number of hit singles. I miss those days of CD singles and remixes when one track could see 6-7 variants being released to keep an eager and hungry fan base happy.
“Heavy is the Crown”, the track with the video game tie-in and (to me) immense video that accompanies it follows in quick succession. The playback I’m sitting in at the moment has gone wild. The response is a case of “fuck the haters” this is what fans have been waiting for. The test then is track five which is “Over Each Other” and an opportunity for Emily to stand front and centre and showcase what she brings to the band. The views online have been mixed. “It’s not Linkin Park” , “it’s not for me” , “stunning vocal work”, “exactly what the band needed” there are so many camps out there to-ing and fro-ing with their viewpoints on every small nuance but the response here is that everyone is cheering, singing along and loving every minute. A true fan base presence ! Up next, “Casualty” – well holy shit. I did not expect the heaviness of this one hitting me firmly in the face. I’m sat here with my Bluetooth headphones on, listening to this for the first time and, according to the band, we are also the first fanbase in the world to be hearing this. So colour me happy but knowing that this is rather exclusive to say the least is something quite special. “Casualty” for me is the track that will change the viewpoint of detractors. Those that think Emily can’t step into Chester’s shoes. My personal opinion, she doesn’t need to! She’s not the next Chester Bennington, she’s the next Emily Armstrong and rightly so. Emily is owning each and every song she’s performing on and brings a totally new vibe to the music whilst being able to retain the core of what Linkin Park is. “Overflow” has more of a groove, dance club vibe to it although the track isn’t your usual bouncy club sound, more it allows for the ‘sway’ , the move you make when you’re so into a song that swaying is all that’s possible. “Two Faced” sees ‘classic’ Linkin Park blasting out of the speakers with a hint of “One Step Close” underpinning the track. “Two faced, caught in the middle.. it’s too late for choosing sides” screams Emily over the guitar and Joe Hahn’s work on the decks. A definite contender for track of the album so far. “Stained” follows with Mike showcasing just how much he’s grown as a vocalist over the years. Looking back at the classic band sound, Mike rapping, Chester singing (and everything in between) , the new music sees Mike squaring off against Emily vocally and it allows them to harmonise perfectly. This track emphasises that bond the pair have and why Emily Armstrong was clearly the right choice for the band’s new vocalist. It’s been 7 years since we lost Chester and at no point does anything here tarnish his reputation.
The album is very carefully crafted to appeal to the long timers and “IGYEIH” pushes us easily back to “Meteora” era music when we knew the band would give us exactly what it said on the tin. Looking around the room , everyone is grooving to this track. There must be around 100 of us and the cheer in recognition of Emily’s scream towards the end of the song confirms that the wind is definitely blowing in her favour. At 32 minutes long, this is by no means the longest album from the band but it’s what’s needed to ease them back into the spotlight. I’m already itching to hear it again only…. I can’t for almost 2 weeks (wait … they’re playing it again!!! Yesssss!!!) We are listening to this on the best Bluetooth headphones and as I always write, decent cans are always the best way to immerse yourself in the music and this is no different. The album closes with a slower duet “Good things go”.
It’s difficult to truly understand the meaning and impact behind the lyrics but at the end of the day, how the listener feels when taking this music in is what counts and as Mike raps his way through the middle eight of the song before Emily launches into the chorus presents a band that still knows how to trigger emotions and then some. There is nothing here that can’t and won’t engage a worldwide audience. There are home runs and then there are home runs that impact everyone present “From Zero” this is an album that only Babe Ruth could have knocked out of the park. A home run and then some. Stunning. And that’s from a single play though.
Written by: Adrian Hextall
Ratings: 10/10
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