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Minutes to Midnight (Deluxe Version)

Linkin Park

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iTunes Review

With their third album in seven years, Linkin Park has started to move beyond the rap-metal template that made the band icons in the first half of the 2000s. Lead single “Shadow of the Day” features strings and an unusually tender vocal from Chester Bennington. Of course, one can’t discount the bleak refrain lying just under the song’s sweet surface: “The shadow of the day / Will embrace the world in grey.” “Valentine’s Day” and “Leave Out All the Rest” follow the blueprint of “Shadow of the Day,” and at first it seems that Linkin Park might now have more in common with Coldplay than Korn. But “Given Up,” “Bleed It Out,” and “No More Sorrow” are furious performances that match, and perhaps even outdo, classic Linkin Park songs like “Numb” and “Crawling.” Producer Rick Rubin has brought out the best in the band, and with Minutes to Midnight they manage to incorporate new sounds and attitudes without abandoning the aggressive rock that made them a household name.

Customer Reviews

Different From the past, But still a Good Album
     

Well the album is way different from their previous albums, in terms of the unique rapping and metal, but it’s still pretty good. I actually had the album about a week and a half before it came out, and I was so let down at first, but it grew on me after the third time through. The only reason I give this CD four stars, is because I really liked their old stuff, which was way better imho.

Foreword – can’t rate
Given up – 5/5 – the best song on the cd! It so awesome! And it’s close to their old stuff too
Leave Out All the Rest – 4/5 – solid song, slow but great too
Bleed It Out – 5/5 - one of the best songs on the cd, it has rapping and singing, just not the hardcore nu-metal they were
Shadow of the Day – 4/5 – another slower song, but still good, I really like the lyrics on this one
What I’ve Done – 4/5 – the single from this long awaited album. I don’t think this should have been it, I think Given Up should have been, but this does kind of show the new direction they’re going in
Hands Held High – 3/5 – Mike’s rapping is great, but only really shines when pared together with Chester’s vocals on the same song. This is just him rapping
No More Sorrow – 5/5 – another one of my favorites on this album. I just really enjoy this song
Valentine’s Day – 3/5 – this song is just okay. It would probably be better if u were in a depressed mood on Valentines Day after getting dumped. I just don’t think this is their kind of stuff
In Between – 2/5 – this is too slow of a song for them, and it’s just mike singing. I don’t like it that much. I think his rapping is better
In Pieces – 4/5 – this is a good song, but I think it could’ve been better if it was a little better. But I still like it a lot
The Little Things Give You Away – 4/5 – I like the song, and I think it may be one of their more popular songs, but I don’t like it enough for it to ever be a favorite of mine that I just can’t get enough of

Amazing Album
     

1. Wake
To begin their long awaited album, Linkin Park choose to gently set the wheels in motion rather than forcefully kick-starting lively music which fans have come to expect. Instead, they present a slow, short intro track with a synth-heavy melody and a nice building ambiance, which gradually increases in volume. 4/5

2. Given Up
The smoothness is soon thrown out the window however when the scratchy turntable sound of this second track transforms into a gargantuan heavy rock riff. This is possibly the most in-your-face song on the entire record – the punk rock style drumbeats are brash, the guitars thrash and Chester Bennington sings his lungs out. When it reaches the bridge, he goes from singing to screaming the line, “You put me out of my misery” over and over again. It’s heated, emotional and enjoyable. Old Linkin Park-esque to say the least. 4/5

3. Leave Out All The Rest
From one extreme to another, three tracks in and we’re presented with a ballad. It’s very listenable pop rock with tranquil vocals and dominant bass guitar. It seems odd to position such a slow-paced tune so early into the album but it’s radio friendly style is bound to be popular with many. The piece of music does end rather abruptly though and you may be left wanting more. 4/5

4. Bleed It Out
This is much more like the Linkin Park we’re used to hearing. Mike Shinoda starts off with a casual rap before trading off with Chester and some insightful lyrics, “I bleed it out, dig it in deeper just to throw it away.” Very listenable and catchy. 4/5

5. Shadow Of The Day
Possibly the most listener friendly song on ‘Minutes To Midnight,’ the style is very soft yet clear with both vocals and bass taking a poppy turn. Percussion comes across clear and dominant, but overall the song remains average in terms of technicality. It seems to offer nothing more than a break-up in the record, but its dreamy nature is quite certain to be a hit with the fans. If not Linkin Park, then Nine Inch Nail's fans, for sure. 3/5

6. What I’ve Done
Generally a hit from the moment it is played, ‘What I’ve Done’ soars with a catchy chorus and likeable verses, before developing into a brilliant bridge and climatic ending. A gentle guitar solo midway adds depth and versatility before another welcome chorus. The haunting piano and synthetic drums combine to create a fantastic addition to Linkin Park’s third album and a perfect choice for their first single. 5/5

7. Hands Held High
The marching drumbeat and simple melody is an ideal backdrop to Shinoda’s poetic rapping and it has certainly developed in the space of two previous albums and his hip-hip focused side project Fort Minor. Again, Chester’s melodic singing comes in later, but the central theme of the song does seem to be soldier’s homecoming in the aftermath of war. Maybe it was written to get those arms flailing lighters around at rock festivals. Either way, it’s still an impressive track. 4/5

8. No More Sorrow
Opening up with a creeping lead guitar, ‘No More Sorrow’ rocks heads with a deep double-bass drumming intro switching over to a simple paradiddle on the snare. Definitely the best chorus of the album so far, with an enigmatic riff and emotional shouting from Bennington. The tune flows naturally with a heavy bridge followed by a modulation and even higher pitched screaming. There’s no DJ elements to this song and it has to be said that some of the vocals and drumming becomes repetitive fast – even more noticeable is the fact that the band don’t seem to be stretching themselves in terms of song writing techniques. 4/5

9. Valentine’s Day
After a somewhat depressive two minutes of ballad-laden lyrics and slow-moving guitars, it finally kicks in with another extremely infective hook and harmonious backing vocals. “On a Valentines day” is passionately sung with interesting vocals spoken over the top, before annoyingly ending abruptly and letting the song down. 2/5

10. In Between
Those sweetly spoken vocals are back once again alongside grainy drumbeats, but without any differences in tempo there’s nothing exciting here. It’s peaceful, but there’s no denying this is a weak ballad track amongst Linkin Park’s repertoire of excellence. Stick to rapping Mike, it's why we love you. 3/5

11. In Pieces
Thankfully, faith is restored with quite simply the highlight of the album. This is soft yet rhythmic with synthetic drumming you can’t fail to be taken in by. The stirring piano and powerful bass proves to be a winning combination for the band – with vocals at their best only boosting the song further. Another build up after a few minutes adds more magic to the piece, with sweet sounds and eventually more heavily distorted guitars, minus screaming. The song slows down and ends dramatically with a simple beat and ska-style guitar plucking. 5/5

12. The Little Things You Give Away
Acoustic guitar and Linkin Park in the same sentence? You better believe it. One last ballad, with those great mechanical style drums and melodic vocals from Chester rounds ‘Minutes To Midnight’ off fruitfully. When the bass cuts in, the song hits another dimension before ending a very decent record. 4/5

Overall - Not many heavy tracks, as other albums – instead, Linkin Park have shifted to crafting softer, easier listening songs. Despite it not being a patch on ‘Hybrid Theory,' it still delivers. Hardcore fans will say it was worth the wait, and Linkin Park themselves may have very well found an entirely new group of listeners. 5/5

Linkin Park Breaks the Habit
     

Now, trust me when I say that I’ve been listening to Linkin Park since Hybrid Theory seven years ago (I was nine-years-old back then) and I’ve been through almost every passing phase of LP fandom since then. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about…like, enjoyment every once and a while, directly followed by obsession, even more obsession, and then some serious regression as the obsession starts to take its toll, only to rekindled by a new album…until it’s later deemed “uncool” to listen to Linkin Park, followed by a conscious denial (because god knows we can’t be cool if we still listen to Linkin Park.) But then time passes, and by now you really have outgrown nu-metal, then excitement when word of a new “anti-nu-metal” LP record drops (may even be “cool” to listen to them again), and the love for LP nu-metal mildly returns (you still may not admit it, though, ‘cause you gotta be cool) but you’re ultimately hungry for the total reinvention of LP.

And here we are now. Linkin Park returns to the music scene after an extended vacation, destined to drop the nu-metal sound completely, with none other than Rick Rubin manning the mixer. The results? Iffy.

In the case of the Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight is an album of extremes. It’s louds are loud, it’s softs are soft, and it sort of alternates between loud and soft every other track, leaving you in a false sense of security. The most obvious extreme would be that all traces of nu-metal, a word once synonymous with Linkin Park, have been pretty much washed away. Sure, Hahn is still programming, Chester is still angsting, Shinoda is still rapping…a little, but it sure doesn’t sound like the same band that created “In the End” and “Numb”, among other things. But the band realized that rock/rap nu-metal just not the music people want to hear anymore, right? Nu-metal has come and gone, right? NOBODY wants to be subjected to a Hybrid Theory 3, right? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Anyway, they’ve updated their sound for the constantly aging fanbase, maturing their musical style, considering it was the only way they could work themselves out of the corner they trapped themselves in after Meteora. It’s just that in the process of doing so, they’ve created an album that’s similar to a baby bird who’s just been forced out of its nest. It’s still not quite ready to fly.

And that’s Linkin Park’s music sounds on Minutes to Midnight: forced. You’ll notice that music is of an explicit nature, which is fine for the most part. Cursing doesn’t bother me, but the way they drop several poorly executed F-bombs all over the place is just a mess. It really feels like that was only used as insurance in their goal to become a more mature band. The lyrical mood changes quickly throughout the album, from emotional reflection to straight-up Bush-bashing. Again, just another piece of the maturity puzzle. Of the most importance is this drastic style change that didn’t seem to come very naturally for the band either, since the album can’t really decide whether it wants to rock or brood (though, by the end you’ll see it chooses the latter).

After a somewhat unnecessary introduction, it’s off to a pulse-pouding start with “Given Up”. You knew this song was coming when “QWERTY” wasn’t a confirmed album track. While it isn’t the most original track ever (what is these days?), it’s pretty solid. Just as our blood’s flowing, Chester brings it down, and we get a halfhearted ballad about his love life. But he just saves the energy by the skin of his teeth with “Bleed It Out”, a throwback to the old LP and quite possibly the best track on the album. Unfortunately, the novelty of the hand claps has already faded, thanks to “Given Up”. The next track “Shadow of a Day” falls flat at its overall clichédness, and “What I’ve Done”, while one of the better tracks on the album, feels like it’s missing something important. “Hands Held High” tells the story of how Mike Shinoda had an extra track leftover from Fort Minor, and threw it more or less haphazardly on the album, and “No More Sorrow” is the story of Chester still wanting to sing about his love life, though I kind of enjoyed this song. From there the album only waddles slowly until the very the end. Mike’s definitely upset that his rapping mic’s been taken away – He didn’t quite realize that switching genre’s would result in limited rapping. – so he steals Chester’s mic and sings “In Between” absolutely solo, definitely the low point of the album. It’s a shame really. I’d like to support this guy’s singing career, but at the moment, it’s not going anywhere. Stick to rapping, Mike.

All in all, despite it’s drastic difference, Minutes to Midnight is still a fair album, but don’t be misled. This isn’t evolution, this isn’t maturity, this may not even be Linkin Park…but really it is, and that alone will ensure the success of M2M.

That said, it’s been four years since Linkin Park injected us with an intense dosage of pure, unadulterated nu-metal, in the form of an album known as “Meteora” (a.k.a. Hybrid Theory 2.) Hybrid Theory 1 was like sweet, sweet sanctity in the midst of an era where boy bands deafened our ears with the atrocious sound of lovesickened pop, and where the genre of rock was tearing at the seams. Linkin Park’s confusion, angst, and aggression was exactly what this world needed…and still needed three years later…and I can conclude that we still need it, even after we’ve already seen nu-metal to its grave.

Just a few months ago, I was thrilled to hear that Linkin Park was stripping itself of its nu-metal sound for something different, something better. I myself had grown tired of LP’s nu-metal awhile ago, I’d almost taken it for granted in a way, but suddenly after hearing their latest album, I think I’m ready for the return of the sound that brought this band to fame.

But you know how it is when you take something for granted. You never miss it ‘til it’s gone.

Biography

Formed: 1996 in Los Angeles, CA

Genre: Rock

Years Active: '90s, '00s

Although rooted in alternative metal, Linkin Park became one of the most successful acts of the early 2000s by welcoming elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica into their music. The band's rise was indebted to the aggressive rap-rock movement made popular by the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit, a movement that paired grunge's alienation with a bold, buzzing soundtrack. Linkin Park added a unique spin to that formula, however, focusing as much on the vocal interplay between singer...
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