NickDuffy Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) Artist Direct posted a review of LIVING THINGS: LIVING THINGS comes to life with a blip of cackling feedback on "LOST IN THE ECHO". Soon, everything is subsumed by earth-shaking beats from drummer Rob Bourdon and airy synth sorcery by Joe Hahn. Brad Delson's guitars gut the swell as Mike Shinoda launches into an airtight verse beginning with the words, "You were that foundation". Chester Bennington sounds potently pristine during the stadium-size refrain, locking into an impenetrable harmony with Shinoda. They remain the most intriguing duo in music at large, and their interplay here is utterly mind-blowing. A cybernetic frenzy sizzles during a scratched out bridge before Bennington echoes, "This time I finally let you go". Phoenix's bass rumbles throughout the landscape, and suddenly you're plunged into a world ruled by these six individuals. A torrent of scratching fuels massive danceable percussion on "IN MY REMAINS" as Bennington's divine delivery entwines with shimmering electronics. Military drums punctuate the song's mid-section as Shinoda elegantly croons a haunting harmony over piano announcing, "Like an army falling one by one". "BURN IT DOWN" is already a timeless anthem in its own right, boasting that inescapable and irresistible refrain. Shinoda sounds like he's rapping from another universe on the skittering and staggering "LIES GREED MISERY". A majestic 21st century bitch slap, it's glitched-out, pissed-off hard rock. Subtle handclaps bounce with the keyboards during the beginning of "I'LL BE GONE" before another instantly incisive hook. It's a firestarter with more snappy riffing from Delson. There's a folk elegance to the spacey "CASTLE OF GLASS", evincing some of Shinoda and Bennington's most poetic lyrics to date—"I'm only a crack in this castle of glass." The band manages to harness that indie vulnerability moments before their heaviest track ever "VICTIMIZED". They've never done anything this bruising and brutal. Thrash paranoia steamrolls with tribal drums before a throat-slashing scream on the hook. It's vicious, violent, and vibrant. This unexpected drop is just plain fucking sick. You can practically envision festival crowds tearing up the ground to this one. "ROADS UNTRAVELED" nods to classic rock, but it's unlike anything you've ever heard, especially once that big distortion hits. There's a glimmer of electro spunk to "SKIN TO BONE" before everything gets all tripped out on the refrain—another welcome surprise. On the other end of the spectrum, "UNTIL IT BREAKS" stands out as the band's most poignant ballad ever. Everything culminates on the cinematic closer "POWERLESS". It has the heft of a John Williams score and the power of any of Linkin Park's best output. Not only is Living Things one of the best albums of the decade, it's a new classic. Once again, Linkin Park raise the bar. This is a hybrid like you've never heard and won't again—until their next album. The world's been crying out for a great rock album, and this is it. EDIT: @master360: @rickflorino So on Living Things NO SKIT? all SONGS? @rickflorino: @master360 there's an instrumental interlude called "TINFOIL" that's killer TINFOIL is confirmed to be an instrumental. Thoughts? Edited May 11, 2012 by Hahninator Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
[High_Voltage] Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 cam't wait for "Victimized" Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161331 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickDuffy Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 "In My Remains" sounds like it's going to be really good. I noticed they forgot the last two tracks. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161332 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HybridThe0ry97 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) That's a strong review. I'm excited. Edited May 10, 2012 by HybridThe0ry97 Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161333 Share on other sites More sharing options...
F0RG0TT3N Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 cam't wait for "Victimized" I can't wait for the album!!! Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161334 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickDuffy Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Everybody they just added POWERLESS to the review! I edited the main post Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161335 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HybridThe0ry97 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm very excited for this album. It appears as though there is one instrumental (judging from only 11/12 reviews). Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161336 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONDREUS240 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I keep telling myself that this album won't live up to my expectations like ATS did. But after reading this review, we'll just have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161337 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astat Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 This interview reads like something written by a total LP fanboy with little knowledge of actual musical composition. Pretty amateur stuff here, wouldn't be surprised if this falls into the "deceptive track descriptions" category that Mike's mentioned. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161338 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickDuffy Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 This interview reads like something written by a total LP fanboy with little knowledge of actual musical composition. Pretty amateur stuff here, wouldn't be surprised if this falls into the "deceptive track descriptions" category that Mike's mentioned. Everybody likes to play the "unexcited" role these days. When a positive review comes out I see people trying to keep their enthusiasm low and I don't get why. It doesn't make sense. When an A Thousand Suns article came out with six song descriptions everyone was like "oh this is beautiful! four minute songs? mike singing more? odd structures? omgomgomg!" but when these articles for LIVING THINGS come out there are some people that are like "meh Mike said that 50% of these are wrong so i'm sticking with his opinion". I haven't seen one bad review of any of Linkin Park's new material yet. So why the pessimism? Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161339 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyP Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Everybody likes to play the "unexcited" role these days. When a positive review comes out I see people trying to keep their enthusiasm low and I don't get why. It doesn't make sense. When an A Thousand Suns article came out with six song descriptions everyone was like "oh this is beautiful! four minute songs? mike singing more? odd structures? omgomgomg!" but when these articles for LIVING THINGS come out there are some people that are like "meh Mike said that 50% of these are wrong so i'm sticking with his opinion". I haven't seen one bad review of any of Linkin Park's new material yet. So why the pessimism? Artist Direct writers seem to get boners while listening to anything, so it's kinda "eh....we'll see" Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161340 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astat Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Everybody likes to play the "unexcited" role these days. When a positive review comes out I see people trying to keep their enthusiasm low and I don't get why. It doesn't make sense. When an A Thousand Suns article came out with six song descriptions everyone was like "oh this is beautiful! four minute songs? mike singing more? odd structures? omgomgomg!" but when these articles for LIVING THINGS come out there are some people that are like "meh Mike said that 50% of these are wrong so i'm sticking with his opinion". I haven't seen one bad review of any of Linkin Park's new material yet. So why the pessimism? I'm not pessimistic about the album. I'm pointing out that this review sounds like it was written by a 15-year old kid who's never played a note of music in his life. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161341 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeardyWilderness Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm not pessimistic about the album. I'm pointing out that this review sounds like it was written by a 15-year old kid who's never played a note of music in his life. Don't need to be a musician to appreciate good music. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161343 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andros Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 What about 'Tinfoil'? Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161344 Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorast Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 No, I think Astat's right here. Dude labeled the album a "modern classic." This reads like the kind of thing an LP fanatic with an inability to review music impartially would write. No thanks. I'll wait for the actual album to come out. Also, the "best album of the decade" label strikes me as idiotic because we're not even three years into the decade. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161345 Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearOfTheDuck Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Being an ArtistDirect review, I'm not going to pay much attention to it. They give 5 stars to EVERYTHING. Having said that, if Victimized really is their heaviest track to date... *ugh*. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161350 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hahninator Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm not pessimistic about the album. I'm pointing out that this review sounds like it was written by a 15-year old kid who's never played a note of music in his life. The guy is as biased as it gets, lol Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161359 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPxDC Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm not pessimistic about the album. I'm pointing out that this review sounds like it was written by a 15-year old kid who's never played a note of music in his life. Being an ArtistDirect review, I'm not going to pay much attention to it. They give 5 stars to EVERYTHING. Having said that, if Victimized really is their heaviest track to date... *ugh*. The guy is as biased as it gets, lol lolol wait till you read a review from RichardThinks.Org, if it sucks I'm not afraid to give something a 1 star! Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161360 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hahninator Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I learned last time from the ATS reviews of "oh Rob fucking rapes the drums on the end of that one song, oh it's so good" -> Iridescent. FML. I learned don't judge anything until you hear it yourself lol, ATS reviews taught me people on first listen tend to think it's way more epic than it really is. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161362 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelbeats Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'll just wait to i hear the album. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161366 Share on other sites More sharing options...
FORTsunrise Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The next review will say Victimized is one of the more melodic tracks. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161367 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggiee2180@aol.com Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 So I guess this all by confirms that Tinfoil is an instrumental/interlude track? haha Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161368 Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydlp Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Very interested to hear Victimized..., well the whole album really. From what I've read about Castle of Glass thus far, IMO it could be Living Things equivalent of Robot Boy, In Between and Hit the Floor. Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161369 Share on other sites More sharing options...
lp_mohd Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 VICTIMIZED Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161371 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papelbon Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 In before the "I told you so's" And before Terrell tears apart the entire album then says he loves it... *trollface* Quote Link to comment https://lplive.net/forums/topic/8504-living-things-review-artist-direct/#findComment-161372 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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