blackout

I am not sure if it's Teddy Swims on the left because at 1:29 we can hear Emily's laugh. So... either both Emily and Teddy were working together in the studio at that time or it's not him.

I've just listened to Let You Fade a few times. What a great track! I don't know, maybe it's just because it's fresh, but it might be one of the best songs from From Zero era. It feels that it has much more soul than some other tracks from the album. The lyrics seem honest and they definitely come from a much more sincere place than some of the lyrics from the album. I don't want to speculate on whether the song is about Chester. I think it might be, at least partially, but perhaps it's more about the transition from the old era of the band to the new one than specifically only about Chester. Musically it's very interesting. It sounds like it could be on a hypotehtical 2023 Mike's solo album that would also include Already Over. Similar vibe! And that's why I probably like Let You Fade so much because I like Already Over very much too. I think it's something new for the band but also very Linkin Parkish at the same time. The guitars sound great. The drums have an intriguing garage/grungy sound, like from a Meteora demo. In general - a very good song!

I've been to Open'er two times and honestly, they've never had many proshots available. I was on Open'er in 2022, when Twenty One Pilots were the headliner, and they didn't even publish a single video from their performance. Sometimes they publish one song from a concert, but that's not always the case. However, this year supposedly they have an official partnership with the Polish national TV so it might be different this time round.

I'm attending Open'er too! I hope they'll play the full set, but wouldn't count on that.

Is it possible that they'll play longer sets on other festivals or it's probably this 90-minute set on every festival? I know that nobody really knows, I'm just wondering. I'm going to the festival in July and LP is the headliner. 90 minutes is fine, of course, but the longer, the better, obviously 😅I hope we'll get some rotation spots in festival setlists too because I'd like some surprises.

It seems that they had a lot of fun creating Casualty. You can sense the party atmosphere when they were making the first demo of the song. So cool to observe!

It seems that Over Each Other was an OML demo and that's why Jon Green is credited for this song. At the beginning of this LPTV video they say "it's still the same" so I guess it was being worked on during OML sessions because they already know the song. It sounds like Dave and Joe certainly heard this song way earlier than December 2022. Same with Brad at the end of the video. This makes me think that maybe even Chester heard Over Each Other in this demo version, interesting... Probably there's no version with Chester vocals - Mike sang on a lot of demos first and then Chester recorded his vocals after picking the right songs. I am wondering why they blurred parts of Joe's notes in the video. There's something about "live setting" there, I suppose? Were they thinking about live shows back in 2022 already? Intriguing. Something doesn't add up here because they said that at first they were just hanging out without thinking about working on a specific serious project. Maybe it was just a thought while working on one of the songs. I'd love to hear Mike's demo versions of songs from FZ. They sound great! Emily's voice is awesome, don't get me wrong, but Mike's demos give more classic LP vibes. I also agree with @demoncarnotaur - the final version seems slightly overproduced - in the demo version we can hear some more raw instruments. Brad joined very late in the process, it seems. Probably only a few months before the release of the album. In this part with Brad talking, Over Each Other sounds almost the same as on the album.

Certainly... I'm so disappointed that we haven't got a song about Chester at all. Honestly, I expected something like Black Gives Way to Blue from Alice In Chains comeback album. But to be fair, we shouldn't expect specific subjects from the band. When you are a songwriter, certain topics just don't come easily to you, and you need some inspiration to write a song about a specific subject.

You've made a few good points, for sure. I especially agree with TEM - I think it's one of the songs from FZ era with the best lyrics and after listening to this song first, I had high hopes for the rest of the album in terms of lyrics. I also agree with the part about Emily singing lyrics personal to Mike or the rest of the band's old line-up. I haven't thought about it, but it's definitely true. However, let's not forget that Mike has a lot of vocal parts on the album too. The argument that the band is now a bunch of new friends is a cheap excuse, in my opinion. They wrote some stuff together later in the process, but the album started with Mike, Joe and Phoenix working on stuff first. They all have known each other for a long time and worked on numerous projects together. Same with Brad, who joined later. I just simply can't believe that intelligent musicians and songwriters like Mike or Brad don't have anything else to say other than what we've got on From Zero, especially after what the band has gone through in the recent years. Maybe it was intentional, as you're saying. The album definitely works as a little "fireball", as Mike described it, so perhaps that was the intention more than putting out a lot of personal stuff, which would definitely make people focus more on the lyrical content than the energy of the music. From Zero is also definitely intended to be a "fresh start" thing, so maybe that's why they didn't want to dwell on the dark past too much. Honestly, stuff like that is also usually just a matter of preference. I have always liked personal lyrics (usually dark and emotional) the most so it's natural for me to look for this type of songwriting, which is mostly not present on From Zero. The album is also the first Linkin Park album released after I graduated from high school. I have a bit different perspective on the world now and even though some lyrics songs from the past albums are vague too, I look at them from a nostalgic point of view. That's why I don't really care that much about them, enjoying songs from previous albums as they are because I have a deeper emotional connection with them - more memories from my teenage years and childhood.

Exactly! What I love the most about LP is the combination of Mike's production and Chester's voice. There's definitely something special in Chester's voice that made me drawn to the band's songs too. Every time we got a new LP album, one of the things I had waited for the most was some new melodies sung by Chester. Awesome, thank you! I think that the lyrics on FZ are really bland and uninspired. The melodies are catchy, don't get me wrong, but the lyrics (with a few exceptions) seem to be stereotypically Linkin-parkish. Mike went from writing songs about his kids on OML or writing some dark stuff on PT to making Emily yell "from now on I don't need ya" or "stop yelling at me! I can't hear myself think". In almost every rap verse (apart from GTG which is probably the best written song on the album), he talks about being betrayed, ignored and lied to, like on Hybrid Theory or Meteora. When TEM was released, I thought that we would get much deeper lyrics on the album, talking about the situation of the band during hiatus, something about Chester, something about the band's career in general - not directly, of course, but alluding to the stuff that they've been going through in the recent years. With the comeback album they had a great opportunity to write more retrospective and introspective lyrcis. But we got almost nothing like that, basically except TEM and GTG. I enjoy the album very much and I think that though quite generic, it was perfect for a comeback album, but after such a long break I expected something more in terms of lyrics - something I can build a connection with, like with songs on OML. Well, some might say that on every album we've got songs about being lied to - I agree. However, in addition to a song about lies, for example, on Minutes to Midnight (NMS), we got a lot of different topics discussed throughout the lyrics on the album - more personal stuff (VD, IP, SOTD), some political-global subjects mixed with personal experiences (TLTGYA, HHH, WID). Most of the lyrics were much more inspired and relatable, not like now with almost 50-year-old Mike rapping about being betrayed and lied to on every song on FZ. And yeah, if I don't focus on the meaning that much, I still sing/rap along with Mike and Emily. I can enjoy music without it being very deep. I just expected more from my favourite band in this aspect, especially that throughout the years they've released numerous songs that are very important to me. I haven't heard Let You Fade yet - it seems like this song is going to be somehow more emotional, like GTG or TEM. Fingers crossed for some more introspective lyrics in this track.

Thank you for saying that! When I got the notification, I thought we would need to argue again, but I'm glad that was not the case 😅 BTW, a few minutes ago I was reading my review of From Zero, and I am surprised that my perception hasn't changed since November, like... I like the album but it's missing something, especially in the lyrics.

I think I understand what most of you have been talking about here, but my opinion is not as strong... I really like From Zero and I listen to this album a lot. I am still crazy about the band, but not as much as I used to be a few years ago. It seems like the band has lost its soul a bit. A lot of the lyrics in this new era of the band are now rather soulless. They sing about betrayal and lies like it was Hybrid Theory again, but... the problem is that these lyrics now don't seem honest. There is no teen angst in Mike anymore, but I believe that he thinks that's what the Linkin Park's songs should be about. I don't find any songs from From Zero to be as relatable as most of the songs from the past. I think The Emptiness Machine describes well the current situation of the band and Over Each Other is pretty releatable (not a surprise because it was written with Jon Green who wrote NCSM and BS), but the rest of the lyrics are very generic. Well, this doesn't mean that the songs are bad. I love Casualty, for example, this song is a jam! However, I don't care for the lyrics because they sound like generated by AI. I was drawn by the darkness of the LP's lyrics and this aspect seems to be gone now. I believed in the words that Chester sang - the vulnerability of his voice and the actual anger in other songs. Emily's voice is another thing. I think she is a very good singer and has a lot of qualities that Chester had. Her performance and delivery are impressive, but I don't get chills when I hear her voice as I did when I heard Chester's songs in new songs. I actually got goosebumps when I heard some of the songs for the first time. I still remember listening Friendly Fire for the first time, not so long ago. Not a single song from From Zero gave me goosebumps like that. Only the intro to the comeback show - that was incredible, watching it live on the stream! I am aware that most of the things I am writing about are caused by nostagia too. The old line-up was with me since I was a kid until the end of high school - all the albums were big parts of different periods of my life, and with new people on board now it seems like something was taken from me. I need to say, however, that I am glad that the band is back. It is better with them than without them. I am glad that Mike is happy again creating music with the band, the legacy of which he has been consistently crafting throughout the years. The thing is that nothing will probably ever replicate the feeling of hearing a new song with Chester on vocals, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can't wait to see the band live soon - I've already bought the tickets and I am looking forward to listening to all these beautiful songs live.

I'm a little bit late... I'm voting for IGYEIH

A few days after the release, I think I can share my opinion on the album. Well, it'll definitely change in the future. I still remember when Halfway Right was my favourite song from One More Light initially... First of all, the 15th of November truly felt like a special day. Just a year ago, nobody even thought about a new Linkin Park record and here we are talking about it and the band's world tour. I had dreamt about this day for 7 years after Chester's passing and I am so happy that they're back. Chester's death felt like the end of the band's career at some points, and I'm glad that they found strength to kick off again. And to start with, I'll say - I like the album. I am such a big fan of the band that I like most of the things that they've released. I like From Zero more than a lot of albums from other artists and bands. However, I am sure that I like most (if not all) of their albums recored with the old line-up more. When the band came back in September, it was difficult for me to fully accept all the new members and it was difficult for me to get used to a new voice in older classics during live shows. I even described my emotions in a different topic on the forum... After a few days, I started getting over it and drew a line between the old and the new era. The past will never come back and we can either accept it or quit. Even though I think this way, I am not sure if my mind can adjust to it. I cannot help comparing From Zero to the previous albums and Emily to Chester. Emily definitely has a great vocal range and amazing capabilities. I especially enjoy her screaming in songs such as Casualty, Heavy is the Crown or Two Faced. However, when she sings more softly like in Good Things Go or Stained, I find her voice a bit bland and uninteresting. Her voice in Stained could be replaced by most pop-punk female vocalists and nobody would even notice. Chester's voice was much more distinctive. You knew it was him when he was singing. Many know me as a fan of One More Light - this hasn't changed, I'm still very keen on this album and enjoy listening to it often. And I think it's Chester's voice that makes some of these songs sound good, even though the instrumentals are a bit generic. And speaking of generic... I think a lot of the instrumentals on From Zero are indeed a bit too bland and too generic, even more than the ones on One More Light. I think most songs lack some characteristic melodies or guitar riffs, like on One Step Closer, Numb or In The End. Everybody knows the melodies from these songs, right? They are the elements that made these songs big hits. Unfortunately, I think From Zero have no such moments. And I'm not talking about vocal melodies here, but mostly about the instrumentation. Most of the sounds selected for the songs are some basic airy synth pads in the background, or power chords guitar. I expect something more from Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson! I don't know why I started with negative aspects because the album have a lot of advantages too. Generally, I like all the songs on the album. Well, maybe except the intro, which is a bit too short and weird. I think its potential has been wasted. I think something similar to the Inception intro from the live shows, something more powerful and mysterious, could have worked much better. Nevertheless, I think the first proper song on the album, The Emptiness Machine, is one of the best on the album. The vocal melody is catchy. I like how it's building up all the time and how it introduces Emily in the second verse. In general, I think most songs are arranged in a very clever way. Overflow with a heavier ending out of nowhere, the ending of IGYEIH, in which the chorus is not repeated again like in the traditional song structure, the bridge of Heavy is the Crown with a small nod to Chester's Given Up performance. I think these are all great moments and good moves in terms of the songs' arrangement. What's more, I really adore Mike's performance throughout the album. He got more confident, which is also definitely hearable during live shows, and I enjoy it how he experiments with different styles of rapping. This rap-singing in some of the songs is fantastic - the bridge of Cut the Bridge... wow! His verses in Good Things Go are excellent too. He inspires me to also experiment with the way I rap now - it almost feels like the entire upgrade to his flow from the past albums. I'm kinda proud of his delivery in Casualty too. I didn't expect his grittier vocals to sound so good! Personally I believe that Emily is the star on heavier tracks, as mentioned earlier. She shows off her vocal ability in many songs. I think she is a very good singer in general, and it's interesting to observe how well she fits in typical Linkin Park structure. She can do all the things that Chester was capable of - her voice, in my opinion, is just not as distinctive as Chester's. She's definitely a good choice for the future of the band, especially in comparison to most of the singers from Chester's memorial show. What is more, in the entire album, I think the production of drums shine. They sound great - they are punchy and modern-sounding. We have a lot of nice fills... It's a pleasure to my ears - especially in songs such as Over Each Other or The Emptiness Machine. I liked Rob very much, but I think Collin is a very proficient drummer too. I think the style of the songs on From Zero is very intriguing too. And I don't know if intriguing in a good way or in a bad way. Most of these songs are very safe - they sound like most people would expect Linkin Park's songs to sound like. And I think it's a good choice for the comeback album. Especially that we have this predictable style mixed with a completely new voice. And after everything the band went through I think it's alright that some of these songs sound like something taken straight out of Hybrid Theory or Meteora. I find it a bit funny, however, that the band was running away from their nu-metal style for so many years, even publically critisicing it, and now they released songs like Two Faced. To sum up, I just enjoy the songs. They are fun heavy bangers and most of them reminded me what Linkin Park is really about. I am glad that the band is back. Nevertheless, it has been difficult for me to build any deeper emotional connection with them, like I did with Nobody Can Save Me or Waiting for the End. The lyrics lack some dark emotions that are present in Linkin Park's past albums. On the face of it, most of the songs are monothematic, talking about being betrayed or lied to. Nothing groundbreaking, I guess. And I like the ambiguity in the lyrics, but the band has written much better ambigious lyrics. I think I'll listen to From Zero a lot because I love Linkin Park's style, Mike's songwriting and style of production, Brad's simple but effective guitar riffs. It's all there and it feels good to have more of it on the album. It is just missing something at times... and that's why at the moment it's my least favourite Linkin Park album. As I said earlier, I still like it more than some of the albums from other artists, but taking it into the perspective of the band's entire career, it's nothing too special. I'd give it around 7/10. My favourite songs are Good Things Go (the best lyrics on the entire album - I think it's emotionally the closest to what I expect from the band; fantastic melancholic instrumental), The Emptiness Machine (catchy vocal melodies, great vocal delivery by Emily, the comeback single) and Casualty (I absolutely love it! it's heavy, it's just fun; it makes me want to jump around). Least favourite: IGYEIH (I like Joe's scratches there, I like Emily's screams, but Mike's performance is definitely the weakest and a bit cheesy here, it's the least memorable in general and although the ending is surprising, I find it a bit repetitive).

I like this version very much! I wish it were longer.