Copying the same "First listen review" i posted on LPA and Reddit:
I think the biggest mistake people could make is going into this album expecting a new Hybrid Theory/Meteora. As an LP fan that listen to all the albums i was happy to find traces of every LP era in a single album.
IGYEIH, Two Faced, HITC - Hybrid Theory/Meteora
Overflow, Stained - A Thousand Suns
OEO, Stained, Cut the Bridge - One More Light
TEM, Cut the Bridge, Good Things Go - Minutes to Midnight / Living Things
Casualty - The Hunting Party
The album reminds me a lot of Minutes to Midnight, both in pacing and in its variety of sounds. It feels like an alternative version of LP post-Meteora, with “less hesitation” to sound nu-metal at times. If I could choose the band’s path, I believe this balance is perfect for continuing their legacy.
Some things I found interesting: Emily sounds very much like Demi Lovato in some songs, though I can’t recall exactly which ones, but the last track is a good example. And that’s not a bad thing—in fact, I believe she’s worked with Demi before.
The non-nu-metal songs flirt heavily with modern pop rock, similar to Twenty One Pilots and Imagine Dragons. I find it interesting to go from 2000s-style rock to what today’s youth would consider rock.
In the end, Mike remains an exceptionally talented songwriter, and the band embraces not only its roots but all its post-Meteora work as well. A reminder that LP is "One Step Closer" and "A Place for My Head," but it’s also "Friendly Fire," "Heavy," "Waiting for the End," and "Lost in the Echo."
Finally, Emily brings excellent vocal variety. I think very few current vocalists could span from "Casualty" to "Good Things Go."
Just two months ago, I thought the band was over, and now I’m seeing an album that celebrates all their phases.
May they keep going this way.
