Trumtram

That's a fair point.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there was no other song in LP's discography, where they changed the pitch for their live performance. At least I can't recall any cases from the first three albums, but I'm not an expert. "The Messenger" is most certainly one of these cases, even though the song itself was never meant to be played live like on the studio version, it's a special thing. I'm just confused on why they would record a song for their comeback album (intending to play it live), only to not being able to actually sing it? What's the point? @JZLP common practice? Nah. Singer's get pitch corrected in studio versions, but usually a song gets performed live in the way the studio version is. I mean, it's all good, the majority seems to be happy with it. I found the official live version to be a bit flat because of the change in pitch/tone/whatever.

That's... something. I get it for the old songs, but this got written and recorded with Emily. Strange...

I'm confused: Why is it lower than the studio version? It lacks compared to the recorded version IMO.

"Mike slamming Chester's legacy in new fan chat" Really cool of him to do that. I'm happy they are happy!

Wow, that's some sad news. Thank you for everything and rest in peace. Edit: I wasn't sure, but I went back in my PMs to the very beginning and there it was, nkramars PM where he asked me for a trade, some 16 or so years ago. He is the reason I have my orange Contributor status. He was a very fair trader, and I'm happy to have played my very minor part in his trading legacy.

Absolutely, I also found peace with the whole thing when they had their comeback. Like I said, Emily is doing incredible and it has nothing to do with her. But my emotional connection to the band was mostly carried by Chester, and it influenced me greatly (you know what I talk about as someone from back in the day). The best way to describe it is, in fact, getting some closure and being happy for all the moments that LP provided me while I was growing up and entering adulthood. Now that I think about it, none of the "From Zero" songs make me FEEL. Sure, TEM gets me pumped and "Two Faced" is a fun little banger. But I didn't have any instance of me going "Wow, this is incredible, damn". I just outgrew my LP phase after all, I guess.

Yeah, no hate towards Emily or anything. She is great and does a super job both live and on the album. It's just... I feel no real connection to the new LP anymore. Chester's voice was more crucial for me personally than I would've thought. Fun music, some cool songs, but it's also a bit... bland overall, to be honest. Then again, it has been that way for over 10 years now (7 of which were a hiatus). I'll just be happy for all the anniversary stuff and anything with Chester on it. And, of course, I will always check out new LP stuff, for sure.

Yeah, I have listened once to "From Zero" this year, I think. Moved on super quick from it. It's a good album with some great songs, but I feel my passion is not the same anymore. It is, what it is.

I can feel Mark boiling. Also "If you don’t have vocalists who can cover every genre, the band’s raison d’etre would be stymied." Yeah, man, you know words, good for you.

Haha, yeah, that is probably the best description of the whole thing.

That was a super enjoyable interview. Great chemistry between the two.

Wasn't that said to Don Gilmore? They severed ties with Jeff before Reanimation came out, if I recall correctly. I feel like the whole situation with Jeff and the band is strange in a way. I have no fixed opinion on Jeff. He is super proud of his work in the industry and the artists he helped to push, as he should be. To me, it seems like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place once he joined Warner. Let's not forget that we are talking about the record industry in the late 90s. There were certain ways of handling artists, and he describes these problems in his book. He was forced to apply "label rules" in his function and had to please his new employer. At the same time, he was this big fan of the band which he advocated for. He tried to strike a balance, but the band seemed to think that he wanted to sell them out to the label. They probably felt betrayed and offended by his input after a certain time (which is natural when stuff like taking Mike out of the band is proposed). Once they became a worldwide sensation, they had the means to demand stuff, and they didn't want to repeat what happened during the making of HT. So they cut Jeff out. There is probably stuff we don't know about, but I think it's super harsh to not even acknowledge Jeff and his immense contribution, even after 25 years. Without Jeff, there wouldn't be Linkin Park because he took the risk of making it a condition that LP gets signed with him to Warner. Even if everyone in the band agrees that his handling of things was not good, he deserves a lot of credit for discovering and believing in the band. Personally, I can't recall one positive mention of Jeff by anyone from the band when it comes to the band's history. It's not the best look in my books, but it is what it is. That being said: It's super cool that he is inviting people like LPL-staff to check out all this stuff he has because it is a GOLD MINE. So, thanks for everyone involved here and looking forward to what the future brings.

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?