Trumtram

I think the mention of "cover band" in this context is a bit harsh, especially since Brad never was close to being "the best" on stage.

It got posted in the shoutbox earlier today.

I still don't get this comparison. Is it because Emily whispers before the breakdown and Mike does so in BM? Everything else from the vocal delivery to the music is not comparable at all. Maybe I can't hear it because I understand the riffing, but this comparison doesn't hold up. The song as a whole has nothing in common with BM.

After "Papercuts" I'm not surprised about anything THP related.

Fuck it, I ask: Is there an "And One" studio version of what they used to play live in 2000/2001? Like for real. Blink once for yes.

Are you seriously this disconnected from reality? Just wow. As far as I can tell it was supposed to be a ONE day festival? One day for 500$ is absolute insanity. There is no festival in the whole of Europe that even comes close to this level of pricing for MULTIPLE DAYS (as far as I know). Glad they fell flat on their face with this.

Maybe one day we'll get a Xero or Hybrid Theory show. One can dream. Great picture!

Yeah, it was his first show, that's a fair point. Nerves must have been crazy to have your first show on a global stage with streaming and everything. Just for the record, I didn't call him atrocious. The thing with "Papercut" is that the verses are super easy, but can sound off when you don't palm mute correctly (saying this as someone who knows how to play this song on guitar) and that's what is coming through in the recording. But I agree that it's a far cry from being a terrible guitar player. I'll reserve my judgement for the live show next year because I couldn't make out a lot from the fan recordings.

Yeah, I'd agree, but on the "Papercut" video that Mark linked he sounds sloppy during the verses. Which is strange for the reason you mentioned.

Bogota: I can hear the muting, but aside from that I can't make out anything horrid. Dallas: OSC sounds like a different pitch. I can't comment on that, but it might be the reason why it sounds "off". It doesn't seem like Alex isn't playing it correctly. I see what you mean on LFY, but again, he is playing it correctly and there is honestly not much (if anything) a seasoned guitar player could screw up here. I can't make out anything on "Faint". Warner Show: Yeah, he definitely screwed up on "Papercut" with the muted parts in the verse. The main riff sounds fine to me, though. I have to stress that I haven't seen them live with the new configuration and I would take your word over mine when judging his playing. It might be a combination of the new pitches and a certain amount of sloppiness at parts. Anyway: Thank you very much for providing me some links to check for myself. Appreciated!

Out of curiosity, could you post a couple of references? The stuff I've heard so far were great plus Alex provides WAY more energy on stage than Brad did in more than a decade. I agree with Qwerty that he probably doesn't have any influence on the tone. Sure, he might play a couple of parts a bit differently, but for the most part... there is not much to play differently with LP's guitar parts because it is just power chords.

After many spins, it's time to give a verdict. From Zero (Intro): -/10; started off promising, became irrelevant quickly after, instant skip for me now because the talking doesn't add much to the overall experience. The Emptiness Machine: 9/10; certified banger of a song. Feels fresh and familiar. Song structure is interesting and Emily absolutely kills it. Best song of the album. Cut The Bridge: 4/10; Pretty unspectacular, kinda fun, but not much longevity. Heavy Is The Crown: 5,5/10; a throwback to the old days, generic chorus, pretty cool raps, the bridge scream feels super forced and out of place to me, song got stale super quickly. Over Each Other: 6,5/10; a lot happening during its short running time. I like the build-up, hook, atmosphere and the pay-off in the end. Casualty: 7,5/10; super fun track, Mike's rap is unique for LP, the riffing is great, and I like punky songs. Well executed aside from the bridge which falls a bit flat. Overflow: 6/10; aside from the ending pretty boring, uninteresting, forced "experimental" feel. Enjoyable moments, but overall not that appealing. Two Faced: 8/10; Mike's bounce in the verses is fucking cool, great throwback to the old days, chorus is ok, Emily on the bridge and during the end is gnarly, enjoyable and fun track. Staind: 4,5/10; became stale rather quickly, great radio track, nice change of pace, but overall unremarkable IGYEIH: 8,5/10; Great vocal work by Emily and Mike, enjoyable riff, cool dramatic chorus, wild bridge/outro, not much to complain here. Good Things Go: 7,5/10; strong album closer, enjoyable vocal melodies by both Emily and Mike, would have liked a bigger change on the last chorus. Overall: 6,5/10 Of note: It's probably Mike's most diverse rap performance on that album. It helps to keep the songs varied. Emily is a great pick as the new vocalist, even though I'm already feeling disconnected from the band without Chester. The band is now a nostalgia act for me that I like to check out when they have new songs or a new album, but my hardcore fandom has come to an end with this album/era. Ranking (including FZ, even though that one still has to prove its longevity) 1. Hybrid Theory 2. A Thousand Suns 3. Meteora 4. The Hunting Party 5. Minutes To Midnight 6. From Zero 7. Living Things 8. One More Light Like that, I guess?

I don't know how to be honest. Great to get this track in HQ finally. Loved the video.

First impression: It's a good album with more variety than what I expected. It has hard hitting moments that are well executed. Let's see how it develops on further playthroughs. I will circle back to this thread at some point with scores for each track. Standouts so far (singles not included): Casualty, IGYEIH and Good Things Go

A two album cycle thing sounds interesting. Maybe they do the rock stuff now and another release next year with not so rock stuff.