Astat

The only kind of Making Of documentaries that are worth watching to me are ones that go song by song and show how each one was created, perhaps with interspersed bits about the general recording process. This isn't anything like that, therefore I don't like it. How can you make an in-depth documentary about an album that's 17 minutes shorter than the album itself? This was pretty much 30 minutes of "gotta get the record done, gotta get the record done, OH SHIT REALLY GOTTA GET THE RECORD DONE!" ...and then it ends. I'm not any more educated about what went into making the music on this album than I was half an hour ago, all they really showed me with this documentary is a bit of insight into the kind of pressure they're under when making an album (which I already understood in the first place)...with a bunch of digital distortion/blurring effects thrown in to make the video hard to watch and the dialogue hard to understand. The Making Of documentary for the self-titled Avenged Sevenfold album, now THAT's a good documentary. I'm not even a big fan of that band and I love watching it. The title doesn't explicitly state that it's a "making of," but I believe they said that's what it was several times in the press releases and whatnot. In particular, I remember Mike saying something to the effect of "it's the best making of we've ever done."

It'd be sometime between 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM Eastern.

It's being aired on KROQ 106.7 in the Los Angeles area, as clearly mentioned in the first post...KROQ also has a web stream you can listen to (not sure if it's US-only or what). There is no video of the event, it's a radio broadcast. All of this information is coming from one person on LPU, she's the only person who attended the show that's mentioned anything about it online that I've seen. I'd rather not bombard her with 9 million questions, she's already provided plenty of information. Notes about intros and whatnot will be answered when the show airs anyway.

She actually said the new songs sound even better live, which is something I'm inclined to be skeptical about, but it's good to hear positive things. She also said Mike seemed to handle his vocal parts pretty well and that he "seems to have gotten a lot better" at singing. Mike's parts on Iridescent really aren't difficult at all though, he doesn't go anywhere near as high as he does on No Roads Left on that one, unless you count some of the gang vocal parts at the end. But the entire band does those, so I would think if Brad, Phoenix, etc. can hit those notes, they shouldn't be a problem for Mike.

Yep, that's the one. Thanks.

Also, I'm pretty sure this setlist should give people an idea of what to expect at the VMAs performance, since they said they'll be doing more than one song. They'll probably play The Catalyst first, followed by the other 4, and maybe throw in One Step Closer at the end or something to cap it off.

Yeah, I see where you're coming from there. But look at it this way, this isn't airing until the same day as the NYC show, so unless the rip pops up really early before you leave (with the east coast/west coast time difference, I doubt it), you're probably going to hear those songs live before you hear any live recordings of them. I bet they play more than just those 3 at NYC anyway. Mike mentioned playing Wretches and Kings live at one of the recent Q&A sessions, and he also mentioned The Requiem in the LPU chat earlier. I'm sure they'll air all 5, it's on release day so there's no reason to block anything from airing, and they aired the whole thing in '07. They even aired the Q&A session if I recall correctly. I'll try to record it too in case something happens, it's on way earlier than I'm normally up though (5:30-10:00 AM Pacific time, so it'd be 7:30-noon here). A couple other notes from lpemogrl43's posts on LPU: The contest winners didn't actually get to eat breakfast, contrary to the name of the contest, haha. The entire band did gang vocals on Iridescent and The Catalyst, and Brad played both keyboards and drums (?!) at various points, I'm assuming during When They Come For Me as he has guitar parts during most of Iridescent and The Catalyst is a pretty straightforward song for them to pull of live with their usual instrumentation.

Yes, how dare they perform for anyone who can't be in New York City on the 14th.

As previously announced, winners of KROQ 106.7's Breakfast With Linkin Park contest got to see an extremely private performance by the band yesterday (September 7th) and participate in a Q&A session. The setlist was as follows: 01. What I've Done 02. Waiting For the End 03. Numb 04. Iridescent 05. The Catalyst The performance will be broadcast on KROQ's Kevin and Bean show on Tuesday, September 14th. Thanks to lpemogrl43 from the LPU! EDIT: find the show page here EDIT 2: The performance took place at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

Mike was in the LPU chat earlier today and confirmed that they'll be playing a shortened version of The Catalyst, as MTV won't let them use the full version due to so-called "time constraints." Told ya so.

METEORA Foreword First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/24/2008 Don't Stay First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/24/2008 Somewhere I Belong First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 Lying From You First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 Hit The Floor First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 4/26/2003 Easier To Run First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 4/26/2003 Faint First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 Figure.09 First known performance: 7/4/2003 Last known performance: 9/11/2004 Breaking The Habit First known performance: 11/15/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 From The Inside First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 Nobody's Listening First known performance: 4/9/2003 Last known performance: 3/15/2004 Session First known performance: 2/23/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009 Numb First known performance: 7/4/2003 Last known performance: 8/22/2009

Riders on the Storm just isn't the type of song that's suited for that kind of stuff at all. Had Chester sung Whole Lotta Love, that'd be a whole different story. Speaking of Whole Lotta Love, I was quite disappointed in that one. They played it WAY too fast, and Chris Cornell even got some of the lyrics wrong. That's pretty embarrassing for a song of that caliber.

I don't think the musical style and Chester's voice are directly linked, other than the way Chester goes about singing certain parts. I think the most telling evidence of this is the Dead By Sunrise album - there are a lot of higher-pitched parts on that record that about 6 or 7 years ago, there's no question Chester would've sung with his classic HT/Meteora era raspy tone. He hasn't lost the ability to sing that way, but I think he's a lot more careful about picking and choosing when to do it these days.

Yeah, for sure. But the other songs could always be used for other purposes though...

K, here's my much-requested review. The Requiem: Fading in with some kind of flanger/tremolo effect, is that a really distant guitar? I also hear Chester yelling way in the background. Some eerie piano and scratching...the "ooh ohh" harmonies are really eerie too. They did an awesome job manipulating Mike's voice to make it sound like a woman, the noise that builds up underneath it is awesome too. Rating: 9/10 The Radiance: Honestly I think this should've been on the same track as The Requiem, it doesn't serve much purpose on its own. The speech by Oppenheimer fits nicely, and the beat underneath it really gets me pumped up. Rating: 6/10 (only because it doesn't need to be its own track) Burning in the Skies: The opening piano reminds me a bit of What I've Done, but it doesn't last long, once the beat and the guitar (GASP, guitar!) comes in. Nice use of time signature changes, the verses are in 6/4 and the choruses are in 4/4...the transition from Mike to Chester is seamless, really nice. Nice harmonies in the second verse, I also like how the bass is prominent in this song. The guitar solo is a nice surprise the first time you hear it, it really takes the energy of the song up a lot. The buildup to the last chorus is great, and the guitars they add to it manage to make it seem heavier even without much distortion. Not sure how I feel about Mike being tacked onto the end of the song, but otherwise I think this is a great track with huge single potential. Rating: 9/10 Empty Spaces: Not much to say, it serves as a nice bridge between Burning in the Skies and When They Come For Me, and I like how they used a bit of "megaphone Brad" here. Rating: 3/10 (I can't really give an 18-second interlude much more credit than that, regardless of how well it works in context) When They Come For Me: As a side note, I love how there is literally no break whatsoever between the first 5 tracks on this album. Definitely an "experience" as they've been saying all along. Anyway, I love how the distorted synths and at the start of this song are syncopated to the point that it's hard to even get a grip on the rhythm for a while. The tribal drums are SICK, definitely the dopest beat on the album. Can't wait to see Rob play this live. The reference to Points of Authority and Jay-Z in the first verse are pretty witty. The line "I'm not a robot, I'm not a monkey/I will not dance even if the beat's funky" really seemed silly when I read it out of context, but it works nicely in the song. The Middle Eastern/Indian-flavored vocals on the chorus are awesome! The arpeggiated synths after the second chorus definitely give me a Muse vibe. A bit more "megaphone Brad," followed by one of the most awesome moments on the album, the abrupt fakeout ending that jumps back in with Chester's wailing vocals, it made me jump the first time I listened to this song. Awesome. Rating: 9/10 Robot Boy: The vocal harmonies on this track are amazing and I like the beat that comes in with the first verse, but I don't think this song really gets going until the synth solo kicks in about 2/3rds of the way through the song. I don't think it's "terrible" like a lot of people seem to be saying, but there's a certain degree of monotony through the first part of this track that isn't found in most other parts of the album. Once the synth solo does kick in, this song instantly goes into epic territory. I honestly don't care all that much for Chester's ad-libbed vocals over the ending of the song, I know one review said he was over-singing on The Messenger, but I would say the ending vocals on this song are a better example of that. I like the little staccato part (synth or guitar? I can't tell) at the end. I know this track was one of the earliest demos they worked on, and as far as I know, the only one from that batch that ended up making the album. Perhaps that's why it feels a little detached. Rating: 7/10 Jornada del Muerto: My favorite interlude on the CD...have we determined yet what the vocals in this are? Last I knew, the consensus seemed to be that they're Japanese. The synth solo on this is awesome! I think I hear some guitar buried under all those keyboards too. Rating: 8/10 Waiting for the End: I love the beat on this song, the synth sequence that kicks it off has that "science fiction emergency siren" vibe to it. I know some people don't care for Mike's delivery on this, but I think it's pretty cool. The dense harmonies sound great. The really stripped-back instrumental when Chester comes in is a nice touch too...more nice harmonies after the first chorus, there's even some suspended intervals in there that sound really cool. Another song with a nice prominent bass part. Yet another song with an epic synth solo, that's three in a row! Not that I mind, haha. Chester hits some AMAZING notes at the end of this song, that long sustained "holding on to what I haven't...GOOOOOOOOOOT," holy fuck that's incredible. This song is going to blow up once it's released as a single, I guarantee it. Rating: 9/10 Blackout: As much as I was pumped about Chester's screaming, I have to say this is one of my least favorite tracks on the CD. The vocal delivery and the instrumental just don't mesh well in my opinion. Maybe that was the idea, but I think either one would sound better on its own. The breakdown is pretty dope from an instrumental standpoint, but I generally don't care for chopped-up vocals, and this is no exception. Whenever I hear something like that, it gives me the impression that they tried to come up with more lyrics for that part and couldn't, so rather than repeating the chorus, they decided to "remix" it. Mike's part at the end really saves this song in my opinion, some of my favorite lyrics on the album there. When Chester joins him, it gets pretty epic. Not sure how I feel about the weird effects on the vocals at the very end though. Rating: 5/10 Wretches and Kings: Mario Savio's delivery on his speech makes me want to...well..."fight the power," haha. I'm sure that's why Mike decided to reference that song here. Love the beat on this track, not quite as good as When They Come For Me in terms of the hip-hop heavy tracks though. I'm really not sure what's up with Chester on this track, he normally has excellent diction but I never would've gotten the lyrics to the chorus right if Mike hadn't posted them. I love the way Chester's singing, I just don't care for the way he delivers the lyrics. I think my favorite part of this song is the ascending synth that plays an A in 4 octaves during the second chorus and the end of the song. I really don't care for the "front to back/side to side" part at the end, it gets repetitive and feels like filler. The re-use of the Mario Savio speech after it is cool though. I can imagine how hard it was to sync that up with music. Joe's scratching at the end is dope too, is it just me, or is he scratching a sample of the crowd's applause after the Mario Savio speech? Rating: 7/10 Wisdom, Justice, and Love: This is probably one of the saddest-sounding moments on the record. I love the morphing robot voice on the Martin Luther King speech, and the piano/choir underneath it. The only thing I don't like, unfortunately, is something that totally ruins this track and severely hampers the momentum of the album: repeating "cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love" no fewer than SIX times is seriously way too much. Not sure what they were thinking there. Rating: 4/10 (cut a couple repeats off the last line, and it'd instantly go up to about a 6 or 7) Iridescent: This is my favorite track on the album. Again, seamless transitions between Mike and Chester's singing parts. The little guitar interlude after the first chorus is nice, a bit U2-like, but still moves the song along nicely. Another nice guitar interlude after the second chorus...and then wow, the unison choir-like vocals are incredible. I can already visualize an entire arena of people singing this. This song could easily be destined to become an anthem if they ever release it as a single. Rob's got some nice drum parts at the end of this track too, and hey, some guitars! Not sure what happened to the guitar solo, I guess they decided not to use it, but I don't think it hampers the song at all. Rating: 10/10 Fallout: Ooh, vocoder (a lot of people seem to confuse vocoder with Auto-Tune and vice versa...this is an example of the former. T-Pain is an example of the latter. There's a big difference, kids). I love this kind of concept album stuff, re-using themes at various points. The way this song goes into The Catalyst reminds me a lot of how the keyboard interlude after Shadow of the Day goes into What I've Done. Second favorite interlude, behind Jornada del Muerto. Rating: 7.5/10 The Catalyst: Hearing this song in the context of the album really gives it new meaning. Definitely meant to be the climax of the album. I really hope they get the whole band singing those gang vocals live, it'd sound awesome. I've already given a substantial review of this song, so not a whole lot to add...love the synth solo and the way the entire mood of the song changes when it hits the "lift me up/let me go" part. I can definitely visualize explosions and all kinds of devastation going on during the ending of this song, probably why they used it in the Medal of Honor trailer. Rob's drums at the end of this one are great too, I end up air drumming to this song more often than not when I listen to it. Rating: 8/10 (up from a 7/10 on my original review) The Messenger: Wow. This is hands-down the greatest vocal performance of Chester's career. I never thought I'd hear anything of this caliber out of him, maybe out of 2004 Chester, but not 2010 Chester. The one review that pointed out he was singing "without Auto-Tune" and "way over-sings it" had me thinking I'd be cringing at off-key notes left and right, but he really nails it. I love the understated instrumentation on this song, as far as I can tell, it's just acoustic guitar, piano, and whatever that keyboard instrument Mike was playing in the Meeting of A Thousand Suns preview video is (the one that has a bellows-type thing on it that he has to squeeze while playing, I forget what it's called but it sounds like a synthesizer crossed with an accordion). This would be my favorite song on the album if Iridescent wasn't so damn anthemic. Rating: 9.5/10 Overall, this is my favorite of Linkin Park's 4 main studio albums (and in competition with Reanimation for my favorite Linkin Park release period). They somehow managed to create a concept album where everything fits in context, yet there are a bunch of potential hit singles on it as well. With guitar being my primary instrument, part of me wishes there was a bit more of it on this album, but then again, I can't imagine these songs working with different instrumentation anyway. Definitely an album that requires a lot of digesting, there are tons of sonic layers to pick apart. I'm sure that'll go a long way in helping this album's longevity...not that it really needs much help in that department to begin with. Final rating: 9/10

Iridescent...just BARELY over The Messenger.

Yeah, there's guitar in the end chorus of Iridescent, I think there are even 2 parts going at once. The 4 songs that stood out as having significant amounts of guitar to me were The Catalyst, The Messenger, Iridescent, and Burning in the Skies. I know there's at least a little guitar in Wretches and Kings too.

Give it a few hours, I'm working on one. Also, just to clarify something to people downloading the leak: There's an alleged 320kbps rip going around right now, it is NOT legit. It's just an up-converted version of the 192kbps rip that leaked yesterday.

How about instead of going to see them in Argentina, you find a way to go back in time and go to the first Brazil show, since you're clearly stuck in 2004. Uhh, no. Just no. They'll continue to play their old songs live, genius. And he might have to use it on some of the new material as well, depending on what tuning they end up playing some of this stuff in. If it chases off people like you, I'd say they made the right decision with this album. Let's see...this album has: -More rapping than Minutes to Midnight (more akin to Hybrid Theory) -More electronic-tinged songs than Minutes to Midnight (more akin to Hybrid Theory) -More scratching than Minutes to Midnight (more akin to Hybrid Theory) You can think what you like about the album, but saying there are no similarities between it and the music the band made in their early days is flat-out wrong. I stopped reading your post after the second line. Sorry, but if you expected a rock album, you've been completely out of the loop for the past 2 years. Your own fault for not paying attention. And you sir, sound just like one of those old blowhards from a long-socially-irrelevant generation that swears "real music" died when Elvis started swinging his hips or when the Beatles landed in New York. You've got 10 years on me age-wise (meaning you probably grew up worshiping Nirvana, one of the most laughably overrated bands in the history of music, but I digress...), but at 22, I'm significantly older than the majority of LP's fanbase. Roughly 90% of the music I own was recorded before 1980. And I can say with 100% honesty that I think this is the best album Linkin Park has ever made. Yes, that's right, for all the people who gasped at the concept or didn't have it register the first time I said it: I believe A Thousand Suns is a better album than Hybrid Theory. I read a comment on another site yesterday that really put it in perspective for me: "R.I.P. Linkin Park. Long live Linkin Park." I would be perfectly content if for the rest of their career, Linkin Park continued to break down all perceptions of what they sound like with each successive album. The idea of what "Linkin Park" is in the eyes of their fans and the media is something that deserves to die every few years, and then be reborn according to the ideas of the only 6 people in the world who truly have the right to decide what "Linkin Park" really is at any given point in time.

It's already confirmed that the filming for the VMA broadcast will take place earlier in the day in a secret outdoor location. The VMAs themselves are taking place at the Nokia Theater.

Not my favorite, but definitely not as terrible as some people seem to be saying. The harmonies are great, and the song really picks up once the synth solo comes in.

I guarantee you've never listened to an ACTUAL dance record in your life, since you clearly don't have a fucking clue what one is. I really should give you a warning for this post as well, since you're essentially flaming a good majority of the people on this forum by calling them fools for liking the album. I read that as "I will be leaving shortly" at first glance. Normally that would get my hopes up...but then I read your review, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that you like the album for the most part. I even agree with you about the ending of Wisdom, Justice, and Love - repeating the last line 6 times gets pretty redundant. Same here. I'm surprised how confident Mike seems to be that it won't be an issue. Between all the unconventional instrumentation and the extremely layered vocal parts, it's going to be interesting, to say the least. I've given the album one listen all the way through...I definitely love it, but it's a LOT to digest (I have a lot on my mind right now too, today happened to be my first day at my new job). I'll probably post my review tomorrow.

The sound of this album has 100% NOTHING to do whatsoever with the band still being on Warner. Wanna hear an album that was the direct result of the band making the record Warner told them to make? Go listen to Meteora. Haven't listened to the album yet myself, gotta wait until I get home from work tonight (go figure, the album leaks the day I start my new job, haha).

H! VLTG3. Ew.

I think Akira was an alter-ego name of sorts that Mike went by in the Hybrid Theory days, but he probably ditched it years ago.