Trumtram

Wow... Linkin Park became so much more than just New Metal. They stayed relevant because of their evolution and while I agree that not everything they've done is great it was always another experience. This has nothing to do with being a fanboy of a certain era. I'm started listening to them shortly after HT dropped in the US (before it did in Germany, where I live). I've gone through EVERY major label phase of this band and totally hated the mainstream traction they got after "Crawling" got released (and don't ask me about the teen mayhem that followed after "In The End"). The band was always hated by people even during their New Metal "peak". Nowadays they get so much praise for their first two albums when in reality they got bashed by a lot of the same people for being so cheesy, angsty and new-metaly. I will forever be a big fan of the New Metal phase but I'm even happier that they did, what they did: evolve. I learned a lot creatively from them and I'm really happy that they tried to reinvent themselves time and time again. Like many things in life not everything turns out amazing but you progress as an artist instead of satisfying those people who see this band in this one dimensional frame of "screams and guitars". And to close this: a troll's life is a sad one.

I just cant let this slip by (+ it is kinda on topic), so: ROGUE EDIT: I'm allowing this post because it's balanced and I see it as an important explanation. This should be the end of the discussion. You are arguing that LGBTQ is not normal, may I even say "not natural"? Because that is what you clearly imply here. "Not normal" is a pretty bold and easy way to justify ones orpressive point of view. But it's not just an opinion because it is rooted in irrationality. An opinion has to have some solid backing and a thought process behind it. "Because it's not normal" is no such thing; I'm afraid. That is a major problem with a lot of "opinions" out there in general. 1. You are living a "not normal" life. Everything about mankind these days is that way. It is "not normal" to live 80 years, drive a car, having a warm appartment to live in, obtaining your food in a supermarket or even (and especially) the use of protection when having sex. But we are having all these things because of advancements in technology and science. Advancements as a civilization. And now here you are, putting the brakes on social advancement because (let's be grown up here) you don't like the LGBTQ community. Using "not normal"/"not natural" is just one of these poor arguments made to bring a point across. You clearly are not concerned about "normalness" in your everyday life as pointed out above, only in this case (feel free to correct me) to justify your view around others. 2. Life itself is "not normal" because everything can get created (not refering to god here...). The fact that LGBTQ individuums are existing is because they were born this way. It is in fact natural because it happens through nature. You can't choose to live this way, I hope you at least understand that by now. The way you feel about the opposite sex (meaning: attraction) is the same for homosexual people - in their case just for the same sex. You on the other hand can't say "I'm into my own sex now" because you simply don't feel that way. It's the same for them. 3. You are right when you say that it needs a man and a woman to create new life. But let me ask you this: What is more important? Having two loving caring people raise a child or just make sure it's man and woman? There are probably some people on here that suffered because one (or even both) parent(s) didn't show them love and care. The main flaw in your thought process is that men don't equal each other and the same goes for women. There are a plethora of attributes to each person and while it is possibly true that certain characteristics are more frequent in one sex than the other, it is not a given. Far from it. A child doesn't care for its "parents" as long as they show love and care. What sexes those parents have is secondary, but it gets primary because of people like you who are discriminating them in public. That's the only problem a child raised by same sex parents has to face: people like you. People who would deny an orphan a loving pair of parents because they are neither man nor woman. 4. The saddest part is your position against a whole community. If a person attacks you physically or mentally then it is only "normal" to not be so keen on them. But you are shooting against a whole group of people that (probably) haven't done a thing to you in any way. That is the second time you subliminaly reveal your discriminative nature. 5 Lastly, I'm not proposing that everything that happened in the LGBTQ context was right or should be done this way again. But as I mentioned before, it is called evolution. There will always be mishaps along the way of that. I mean, we are not here because mankind developed on an easy and steady route throughout its history, right? But it is not tolerable to go against a whole group of people just because of one of their attributes (sexual orientation or beliefs or whatever) as long as they are decent human beings by behaviour. The world of yesteryear doesn't exist anymore because we went on. Now don't misunderstand me. I know by experience how this goes and I didn't write all this for you. I wrote it for everyone else who is reading these forums and might have a tendency to fall for this easy, black and white, discriminating way of thinking. Please, think about stuff longer and more in depth rather than to fall for the easiest justification for your own irrationality. The world needs this now.

I think it was pretty underwhelming (especially considering who made it) and nowhere near some of the stuff I've heard around here. But hey, opinions I guess.

Again, don't listen to pre-released songs if you don't want to ruin the experience. It's not that hard.

I never got the hate for that approach? Geki seems to be annoyed by that all the time. I mean, if you want to experience the album without any more spoilers just avoid them (not directed at you personally, leftshoe18)? Linkin Park are not responsible for a lack of self-control . I always thought it was a shame that only singles get a release while a lot of songs never get a spotlight. Having 10 songs on the new album makes for maybe two more pre-releases?

The song is pretty good, I'd say. At first I was afraid of it being a simple pop song with no excitement but that changed while the song kept on going. It actually builds up quite nice and doesn't get too repetitive with its hook. There is a lot of nice stuff happening in the layers of it which keeps it interesting and makes it stand out to other simple pop songs. Plus I really love the fragile vocal delivery from Chester in the bridge (I think it was there). He sounds really emotionally hurt on that part. But if you ask me this album could finally be the game breaker for Linkin Park with their fans. If the whole album heads in a similar direction (like announced) the audience at the live shows will drastically change to a (even) more mainstream crowd. I'm just saying this because I grew up being in mosh pits at their shows but this live energy declined from album to album. This should be on the mind of anyone who seeks a cathartic experience while attending their live show. Still I applaud them for their direction and will forever be interested in what they are doing and where they are going from there. I'm not that hyped for the new album as I was for THP (which is overall pretty rad!) but I'll probably spin it more than I'm expecting at that point. Like always.

awesome! besides that I wouldn't get my hopes up too high for multitracks as you play along the actual song which deviates from the likes of guitar hero or rock band.

that's so not true. it's rather your attitude and the way you word your opinion when someone doesn't share yours. it seems to me that you have a very hard time accepting different views. no one bothers which album you like the most. I made a "Living Things Ep" from all the album songs in a new order that flows pretty damn good. half of the album is pretty forgettable to me and it even contains some of their worst songs ever (Burn It Down, In My Remains). then again I'm really enjoying songs that get an indefinitely amount of hate (Lies Greed Misery, Until It Breaks). I was never a big fan of ATS as it contains sections of pure boredom. still it probably was the first more "complex" album for a lot of LP fans in their lives so it opened a door for them to find access to a lot of really great albums which they wouldn't have touched in the first place, so I can understand why many of them cherish it the way they do.

thanks for that

wow, geki, you got some serious problems which you might be able to comprehend and take care of someday… hopefully.

@astat why is "Until It's Gone" on the album? what's the story behind that?

Rebellion

Final Masquerade

Final Masquerade

Final Masquerade

this is one of the best lp related things to happen this year. fuck, i miss this energy at shows. they really should do a club tour. i'll take this crowd over almost any other every day. they just enjoy themselves.

i agree that it isn't exactly the same. there are differences throughout but it's very similar to my mind. they stripped down the effects for sure, but that doesn't help much as it remains a musically similar part. if "VICTIMIZED" would've been a demo from the LPU that wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. it just irks me because ALITS is amazing throughout but i guess we can leave it at that.

i got the same feel on my first listen and it's still apparent to me. it might be a different key, but the way it is sung is almost the same. even the musical portion resembles "blackout". but this is just a minor thing for me. the biggest issue i have is the "VICTIMIZED" part in ALITS and that one can't be denied, not even by geki. everyone can decide for themselves what they make out of it. i still find it fascinating that they more or less copied that part as their breakout on ALITS. it's still my second fav on the album, though, and is touching GATS' top spot.

I totally agree. The whole tribut thing ("Blackout" and "VICTIMIZED") makes absolutely no sense. I could see it for GATS as a kind of theme on the album, but aside from that it's really out of place to do it with absolutely no reason. Coming across as the revolutionary rock radio reformists and recycling old stuff? Nah!

Well, so I've had my fair share of listens right now and I guess it's time to review it a bit. I'm overall pleased and had some moments with a nice smile on my face ("War", the count-in on "Mark The Graves"). I really enjoy most of the album but one thing really bothers me. Why did they re-use older songs or even parts from the same album? That was something they got bashed for on Meteora. I spotted several parts, some of them even hugely bothering to me. 1. ALITS - the intro reminds me of "Fallout", but just a bit, so that's not too worrying. But why the hell did they almost copy "VICTIMIZED" when the drums kick in? It's basically the same structure and pattern (even when the guitar kicks in). Plus, the main riff resembles GATS quite a lot. These three things were apparent on my first listen. Especially the "VICTIMIZED" rework is a real downer for me. Even a friend of mine pointed it out (and she is not too familiar with everything LP related). 2. "Mark The Graves" marks an use of "Blackouts" second half. I still can't believe that no one inside the band pointed it out. Both, "Blackout" and "VICTIMIZED" are songs which got played live. 3. "Wastelands" chorus vocals are pretty similar to GATS', too. But that's just a minor problem for me because the riffing is not similar. A quick review: Keys To The Kingdom: 8/10 - The vocal effect at the beginning feels unnecessary to me. The song is straight forward, even though the main riff feels really uninspired. What makes this song so special is its outro. That's new LP territory here and something which I know and love Thrice for, but not LP until that point. Still gets me everytime. Cool solo at the end. All For Nothing: 7/10 - Solid song with great rapping and an addicting hook. Enjoying Mike a whole lot here. The talking at the end is a fucking sweet transition. Guilty All The Same: 9/10 - I tried not to listen to that one too often before the album because I was afraid of overplaying. What can I say, it's the best song on the album. It is energetic, has a great breakdown, sweet verse from Rakim… It pushes me everytime I listen to it. Plus, it has the biggest Thrice influence which I highly enjoy. The Summoning: 5/10 - Nice build up interlude. Sets the mood for what's about to come. War: 8/10 - This song is so great for many reasons. It is straight forward punkrock but feels fresh and might be a new live hit. Chester fits in perfectly and it is highly enjoyable to listen to it. Length feels perfect. Again, really cool solo. Wastelands: 7/10 - The pacing on this album is well set and it begins to show on this track. Fucking grooving riff, solid rapping… the chorus is alright and provides some sweet energy. Grew on me from it's first listen. Until It's Gone: 7/10 - That would've been an 8 for me as it grew the most from its initial listen. It fits so perfectly on that position and still feels energetic in a way which unfolds in the album context. I have to cut it one point short though, because even though it has some nice spots lyrically, it's really lazy overall with it's main phrase getting repeated all the way through (which is not even a special one). The songwriting is pretty cool, though. Rebellion: 8/10 - Could be a great live track. Love the dual vocals, the riffing is alright and the lyrics are one of the best of the album. It sets the pace again very nicely after UIG. Mark The Graves: 6/10 - It starts off as a banger but loses itself in weird arrangements and not too interesting parts. The chorus doesn't do for me. Still it contains one of my favorite parts of the album when Mike counts in the heavy riff. It gives the album a great jam-feel and feels raw, something that I give them credit for on this album. Still, the progressive nature of the song give it a legitimation to be there. Drawbar: 4/10 - I can't believe how bad LP are at jamming. For a band which exists for so long it ashames me a bit to imagine poor Tom Morello stepping in and trying to do something creative and all that he can do is repeating the same melody over and over again, hoping, that the rest of them come up with something. At least it feels like this to me. His part is ok but I could've done without the piano outro which feels like a seperate track. I listen to a lot of post-rock and Drawbar is cringy worthy, as it kind of steps into this territory. Final Masquerade: 6/10 - Nice power ballad which grew on me, but still doesn't touch me emotionally. It's an ok transition to the furious ending of the album. A Line In The Sand: 8/10 - It would've been the best track on this album if it wasn't for all the recycling (see above). It is everything I hoped for, when I read about "The Little Things Give You Away" back in 2007. It was this first long track ever for them and described as an epic build up. Having their sound from that era (HT and Meteora) in mind, I hoped for something like ALITS. It's still one of my favourite songs by them, but that's another topic. ALITS combines sweet vocal melodies from Mike with a raw and energetic Chester. The riffing is amazing, the solo is great and it is a really fitting closer for that album. Pretty Epic. Total Score: 7/10 Ranking: HT > THP = Minutes To Midnight > Meteora > A Thousand Suns > Living Things

11/25/00 9:13pm had the OSC file from napster for a long time. it had the bridge two times which I thought was right until february of 2001 when HT was released in germany.

if i remember correctly meteora was leaked on the 17th of march. some of it was well known by then because of the nottingham radio show (don't stay, somewhere i belong, lying from you, faint, from the inside), which was shared right after its online broadcast and i think easier to run and hit the floor were leaked from bootlegs during the lpu tour before release, too. anyway, fun times.

wow, look how far they've come. good for them. even though I never really liked most of their stuff when they became Beta State (ex-Strata) after their inicial singer Eric (now 1/2 of The Limousines) left. Still, great work! You guys should check out "Strata Presents: The End Of The World". One of my favorite albums of all time for sure.

there you have it. got it from an official source today that it will include a "live from berlin" show. so, chances are very high that this refers to the telekom street gig show. makes sense, since it got heavily edited in post-production in the first place.

this is so amazing! thank you guys for that show. a true gem! the energy is just pure awesomeness. I saw them a week after that show in cologne and to this day I'm so glad to actually having had participated in an authentic way on a linkin park live show .