Oh man, how many strong opinions were created when the new album by Linkin Park saw the light of the day! First of all, it is an indicator that the band is worth something. It is also indicator that this is a band who always experimented, dared, failed. And this move now? This new rerecord? This is a proof that they have huge balls. It shows that Metallica being mellow on Load is transition from Cannibal Corpse to Dima Borgir in comparison to Linkin Park.
Yet, Linkin Park didn’t sell this! Selling would mean releasing something that has a high demand on the market, and One More Light is not needed by anyone. Maybe they need it, and congratulations for the level of strength of their integrity.
What is the least clear to me in this story is the way in which Linkin Park managed to stay unchanged (when it comes to the band’s members) through all the transitions in their style. I just don’t see the scenario in which Shinoda comes to his guitarist, sings Good Goodbye and says: Hey, listen to this track without riffs, without guitars and without any organic instrument. It is so dope! And then Brad replies to him: Truly dope! I can not wait to jump on the stage and not know what to do with myself!
It is possible that some metal guy is speaking from inside of me, but it is more probable that I am so in love with organic instruments. All of this production nonsense do not seem like a solo project of a mastermind. Compared to this, Fort Minor seems like underground of all undergrounds.
In the list of contributors, you will find people who worked with Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and Flo Rids! Decent pop is probably guaranteed. The most human track is Talking To Myself, but it is Battle Symphony caught me by surprise. I thought it is another forgettable pop single, but when I heard it on promo movies for the finale of NBA, I realized that the management did their job. Or maybe the devil knows how to have fun.
Let me get one thing straight – it is not a problem that this album is super polished. The problem is like seeing Kardashian sisters wearing Motorhead and Slayer tees. Huge cognitive dissonance, dude! Up until now, everything coming from Linkin Park, no matter how surprising it sounded, was at least recognizable. Now, they sound like MTV mediocre band. The decision to substitute screaming, riffs and electronic elements with ‘’na na na’’ nonsense makes me frustrated. Let’s see If this frustration will resolve in the future.
