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2 hours ago, ErikC said:

This one is so fun to listen to. Does anybody else find it a little bit similar to Figure.09 demo though?

Well a demo is a demo, I don't think it's so bad to revisit sounds that never actually made it compared to actual songs

Also I feel they have free reign to do whatever with the "From Zero" mentality 

The video is so fun, easily my favorite of the new cycle and one of their best in general. So simple and really tows the line of taking the song not too seriously while still embracing the nu metal cool of it. Joe's scratching shots and Emily's moves made it 

It's surreal to see Brad in the videos lol

So fun, this was made to play at my local emo night, I hope it's huge 

3 hours ago, Hybrider said:

Shit... I wanted to ask Mike how many finished songs they have that didn't got into From Zero album. I never catch him there.

We've got 3 titles from the podcast, how finished they are is up for debate but I'd bet if Emily was mentioning them in that context they were kinda far along at least, especially since it seems like a lot of what she did was singing over pretty fleshed out stuff 

I assume that new song is Two Faced if it's a single 

1 hour ago, leftshoe18 said:

 

Weird statement to make considering the AI art that was all over the Meteora 20 rollout.

I feel like the attitude has changed a lot in a year though, and to me there's a big difference between them making any visuals for an anniversary compared to original visuals for a new album.

For the small press moments for M20, they can pay lip service to "experimenting" with AI for some visuals on old songs. For FZ, they're gonna want a "hand-crafted" attitude for something as important as their true comeback, especially in an environment where people are pretty tired of AI being used in places it "shouldn't" and concerns about it taking artist's jobs, which I'd argue is a more dominant narrative today than it was a year ago

Plus, with them cooking all this at the time of M20, who could blame them for any shortcomings of that art. I'm honestly shocked we got that, Papercuts and AO while FZ was being cooked 

12 minutes ago, vinifeijo said:

Two Faced is everything the mainstream expects Linkin Park to be. 

If this song doesn't blow up, i don't know what will

Yeah I feel like it's a no-brainer to have it as a single for that reason. I'd love for some movie to adopt it or something so it gets huge, they need their "Running Up That Hill" moment 

8 minutes ago, vinifeijo said:

What's the piano bit played the last few seconds?

Yeah it's from TEM, cool the it's isolated though. I wonder if they've already cooked up some demo tracks for an LPU disc or if they just exported some stuff or videos like these

The glass being practical is super cool, it makes total sense that their attitude in the age of AI would be to stand up practical effects everywhere they can 

24 minutes ago, vinifeijo said:

Cut The Bridge pre-chorus Emily sounds like Upsahl from Happy Endings.

The sound itself brings me back a little bit to Happy Endings, don't know why.

That moment is the best part of the song for me, kinda makes me wish there was another soft acoustic song with those kinds of vocals throughout. I'm sure there's a demo of that nature somewhere 

Also, I just realized "It's only a matter of time" is something Mike and marketing was using pre-September 5th and it's a lyric of Casualty. Neat

I also like "Counting to zero" as a lyric tying to the album title, I just wish the intro track had a different title 

1 minute ago, LinkinParkinTexas said:

I know they were just in Dallas. So they probably won't come here but anywhere in the state or nearby. I will have to travel to. Can't wait. LP Forever 

 

Austin is on the list, so they'll be there. Wouldn't surprise me if they hit Houston too, or came back at some point for a festival. 

9 hours ago, street-soldier said:

GTG sounds like a Post Traumatic kind of song. It is good, but not that impressive. I can’t understand the hype. 

I stick with Overflow, TEM (of Course) and IGEIH (IT IS AMAZING!!). 

I think it's got a bit more involved instrumentation than anything on PT, but I totally get what you mean with the Mike vocals.

Still though, I think that isn't saying anything bad. I mean Ghosts would be in the top 3 OML songs for me if it was on that album, PT has great stuff and Emily being on this takes it to the next level. Mike's "rap turns into singing" is at its best on this track, and that's something we really haven't gotten on an LP song before so I think it's great. The lyrics are also beautiful. 

Maybe I appreciate it more knowing it's all the way from 2019. I think it's cool when Mike has a demo around for years because he sees the potential in it. All this time not talking about it because it deserved more than a one-off release like AO 

16 minutes ago, xxHybridXeroxx said:

After listening to the album for almost all day, I can confidently say this is my ranking:

 

1. Good Things Go

2. Casualty

3. Two Faced

4. The Emptiness Machine

5. IGYEIH

6. Over Each Other 

7. Heavy Is The Crown

8. Cut The Bridge

9. Stained

10. Overflow 

 

Really good album overall, the only songs I’m kinda iffy on are Stained and Overflow (and they probably will grow on me with time to be honest) I like this album right now more than LT, THP & OML and it might be my 4th favorite LP album overall. 

IMO it's too soon to talk about ranking but if I had to, this is pretty much it. The fact that GTG and Casualty are on the same album is awesome, Two Faced is a true throwback like HITC but more interesting and probably has more staying power. HITC is great but just lacks anything interesting for me besides the long scream. The last chorus really needed something to make it pop IMO 

I feel similarly about CTB, Stained, and Overflow easily being the bottom 3, though idk the order exactly. And I feel like Stained might grow on me over time 

Copying over my thoughts from the listing thread with more since listening to a leak:
 

Cut The Bridge - I'm really surprised that this is the 2nd full song on the album and not something like Two Faced which is gonna appeal to the masses. It's definitely fun, stylized to sound raw like BIO or War. I had fun listening to it but I feel like it'll have to grow on me a bit compared to some others that I already love. Really feels so MTM to me. Emily's delivery of "everything was perfect" is so beautiful. I wonder how many band members are in that "cut it down" chant, we really need acapellas for this album! 

Casualty - I love it, definitely very KTTK-esque. It's the heaviest on the album but not the heaviest LP song for me - KTTK, FTI bridge, Rebellion bridge and other moments feel heavier. But still a contender for top 10 heaviest for sure. I think Mike's delivery being different was a little overblown. Yeah he's doing something rather unique, but he's far from screaming, and the FX on his voice are doing a lot of work. I do feel like the chorus is eerily similar to KTTK and the word casually being in both doesn't help. 

Overflow - Based on the descriptions I really wanted to love this, but it was kinda boring on the first listen. That said, I do think it's unique, and I like that it's long. It could grow on me a lot, but for now I can't remember any melody or cool sounds from it. Way overblown how "experimental" it is from some other reviews imo. That said, it brings a new unique sound to their catalog which is awesome to see 8 albums in. Some of these sounds definitely feel like they came from the same session/timeframe as "Already Over (Nothing's There Mix)" 

Two Faced - WOW! This sounds like Mike worked on M20 and was like "let's make another song like this". Like HITC, instantly catchy and very nu metal. I wouldn't say it's OSC part two necessarily, that literally belongs to Figure 09 and imo also Don't Stay, but it definitely fits the HT/M era. They'd be insane to not make this a single or promo it with some game/movie or something EDIT: It's a single haha

Stained - My least favorite, but also something that brings variety to the album which I appreciate. There are moments in the outro where I feel like I'm listening to an alternative Kelly Clarkson-type radio single, which is not what I'd expect from this album but is pretty cool. Kinda a mix between MTM and OML. I wouldn't be surprised if a OML collaborator influenced this one as well. 
 

IGYEIH - A banger! Idk what to say about this that hasn't already been said

Good Things Go - Probably my favorite, I LOVE that chorus. For me, this one was super undersold. This feels like the best of what they learned during OML. The melodies are dynamic, the lyrics feel super heart-felt, the soundscape feels grand...this is Sorry For Now 2.0 for me, which is my favorite track off OML. Emily and Mike's harmonizing here is the best use of 2 vocalists on the album for me. If you like OML and OEO, you'll LOVE this track. The intro sounds and guitars are so nice. I feel like this song couldn't have happened without his work on PT either, really beautiful stuff. I wonder if the "Halfway apologized" lyric is an intentional reference to SFN/OML era 

Overall thoughts:
This is the most diverse album since LT for me, maybe the most diverse over all besides ATS? Feels like they had nothing to lose and that resulted in such a variety of sounds/structures. I can't wait to hear what else they've cooked over the last 7 years.

Surely there are a few more odd songs from the batch that Overflow came from.

I'm kinda surprised there's not a Mike-only song, I'm sure there are some of those around but they wanted to make sure to make it clear that Emily is part of LP by including her across the entire album. 

I also feel like some softer songs must be out there with acoustic instruments or something like OML/Messenger/Devil's Drop, but they wanted to keep the album tight and high-energy. Well we already know like 3 titles that didn't make it, I'm sure we'll get something, not to mention some interesting demos from this hopefully through LPU 

I'm really hoping for the return of a OML song or at least some kind of melody from it in an interlude or something. The GG rap over POA or something seems like a no-brainer too 

Also I really want Emily to do the Go Away part after the APFMH BIO bridge, feels incomplete without it! 

Cut The Bridge - I'm really surprised that this is the 2nd full song on the album and not something like Two Faced which is gonna appeal to the masses. It's definitely fun, stylized to sound raw like BIO or War. I had fun listening to it but I feel like it'll have to grow on me a bit compared to some others that I already love

Casualty - I love it, definitely very KTTK-esque. It's the heaviest on the album but not the heaviest LP song for me - KTTK, FTI bridge, Rebellion bridge and other moments feel heavier. But still a contender for top 10 heaviest for sure. I think Mike's delivery being different was a little overblown. Yeah he's doing something rather unique, but he's far from screaming, and the FX on his voice are doing a lot of work. I do feel like the chorus is eerily similar to KTTK and the word casually being in both doesn't help. 

Overflow - Based on the descriptions I really wanted to love this, but it was kinda boring on the first listen  That said, I do think it's unique, and I like that it's long. It could grow on me a lot, but for now I can't remember any melody or cool sounds from it. Way overblown how "experimental" it is from some other reviews imo. 

Two Faced - WOW! This sounds like Mike worked on M20 and was like "let's make another song like this". Like HITC, instantly catchy and very nu metal. I wouldn't say it's OSC part two necessarily, that literally belongs to Figure 09 and imo also Don't Stay, but it definitely fits the HT/M era. They'd be insane to not make this a single or promo it with some game/movie or something 

Stained - My least favorite, but also something that brings variety to the album which I appreciate. There are moments in the outro where I feel like I'm listening to an alternative Kelly Clarkson-type radio single, which is not what I'd expect from this album but is pretty cool. Kinda a mix between MTM and OML. I wouldn't be surprised if a OML collaborator influenced this one as well. 
 

IGYEIH - A banger! Idk what to say about this that hasn't already been said

Good Things Go - Probably my favorite, I LOVE that chorus. For me, this one was super undersold. This feels like the best of what they learned during OML. The melodies are dynamic, the lyrics feel super heart-felt, the soundscape feels grand...this is Sorry For Now 2.0 for me, which is my favorite track off OML. Emily and Mike's harmonizing here is the best use of 2 vocalists on the album for me. If you like OML and OEO, you'll LOVE this track

I was in that Casualty pit, unreal man. And I really did not expect AFN to actually happen, crazy stuff 

I'll be there! Can't wait. 

Am I correct thinking COG in the interludes is the first time we've had songs appear not only as their full self but in interlude/shortened form? And I guess same for BID in the rotation and the Numb/ITE melodies 

When the "lift me up let me go" intro in THP tour was used, Catalyst was not in the set, same for the NMS ebow melody, every rap Mike has done over another song, stuff in the Joe/Mike solos etc 

I wonder what is so special about COG to them for this tour to appear in multiple interludes and have the full song in the set

I'm gonna guess that something like LFY or POA gets a rotation with something like Runaway (boo) or FYI (yay)

Friendly Fire might get left out for Over Each Other but I honestly hope it gets a little more time, or rotated for more actual OML tracks 

32 minutes ago, bloodbath said:

I'm up for any kind of pro shot release, so even it's just one song I'll take it

Yeah agreed. Hopefully we get a live album from this era with some kind of video release. 

Still can't believe a song that has this much Mike singing is this big and played this prominently consistently, I remember when him having vocal moments like this was limited to stuff like The Catalyst bridge 

9 hours ago, LeonardoMF93 said:

 

I think it wouldn't make much commercial sense to release a second album in 2025, since From Zero is gaining a lot of attention from the press and the public. It would be more interesting to continue promoting the album with tours and releasing the singles gradually.

 

Maybe the songs they are currently working on will be released as individual singles, or perhaps they will be used in connection with another entertainment product, like New Divide was with Transformers.

Yeah I feel like this is more likely. I don't see Mike going crazy with the LP name and releasing EPs every year, I think he still really loves the ideas of albums and for huge artists like LP they can still do it. Plus, I wouldn't really wanna see the LP discography diluted with repetitive tracks that might come if they feel pressured to drop an EP every year. I already kinda feel iffy about HITC offering nothing new to the band, but can accept it because of the "comeback" context and Emily showing off the scream. The set also is really more of a greatest hits set than ever, so I kinda wanna hear new stuff that really contrasts with those formulas in the future.

But if they do 1 or 2 one-off tracks that are guaranteed to be huge because of a movie tie-in, and/or something really unique like ALTNC was because of the collaborative nature of it, I'm all for that. Like a mini reanimation 2.0 that continues weird stuff like the 100 gecs collab would be so up my alley 

One thing we all need to keep in mind is Mike's potential to turn on all these songs on a whim lol. We still haven't heard the original THP demos but did hear so many times about how he just trashed everything for THP sound, and I'm sure he's done a few things in the last few years like attempt hyperpop or make more songs that sounded like Happy Endings that he eventually changed his mind on. Who knows what he'll wanna make in 6 months when it actually makes business sense to drop more stuff. Personally I want another ATS weird cycle that just pushes the boundaries of the LP sound further.  

After seeing how Lost and MTV were just set aside with no fanfare for 20 years, I wonder how much great material from 2019ish-2025 we'll have to wait decades for lol 

1 hour ago, martinez said:

Added credits for the song to the first post. Also small correction on the lyrics.

 

 

Now I think we listened to the leak from two different sources. Compared the leak with 24 bit lossless, I don't hear the differences in the mix.

There is none and there is no difference w the MV audio either. Feels like ppl are imagining differences when it's really them just focusing on or hearing new things on subsequent listens. That, or there was a very poor source out there besides the one which was 100% high quality and reflective of what we got 

10 minutes ago, Qwerty18 said:

I've thought about that a few times. 

 

In a way, I'm mildly confident the state of the market has always been in the back of the heads of (some) band members. I re-watched part of the ATS making-of recently, and in there you can see in spots how the band was uncertain and stressed about going full "unconventional" with the song structures and the singles.

 

It's not at all a criticism about the artistic value of the band.  I just think, maybe even unconsciously, this element has always been there one way or another. The amplitude of the its impact, that's something we can never know for sure though.

 

That said, when most of the songs you have written in your career are 2:30 to 3:30, you probably also just mostly enjoy writing sweet brief tracks  

 

Yeah I do agree that they've always been trendy. Also, more songs are short than ever, so it makes sense someone like Mike would just naturally dig the trend and it would make its way into his writing whether he's realizing it or not

On the other hand, we've seen Primo become IBG, so I feel like it's pretty plausible that some of these tracks were longer and trimmed for the sake of fitting a vision that maybe didn't necessarily let the song breathe as much as it could've. Whether that's true of OEO or not, it definitely makes me feel like it needs room to breathe sometimes. Like it's a beautiful ballad, let it have some longer dramatic moments and really live in that space 

I think of every OML track as being pretty lean, and yet every track on that album is longer than OEO! 

One thing idk how I feel about is how blisteringly fast this song moves from one section to another. It feels especially apparent in the bridge with the "are we over each other" part ending as soon as it possibly can for the soft part (which I love), and that part immediately being thrown back into a final big chorus. 

It's one thing to make a song punchy, it's another to cater to today's short attention spans. I can't help but feel like they might have slightly over-optimized the runtime of songs like this and the album in general for brevity 

And I feel like the video kinda exemplifies this with how fast it moves. There's like no context for the relationship between them before the arguing besides one shot of them holding arms in the parking lot. It feels like a storyboard more than a video almost because of how brief it has to be. Feels like this song would've benefitted from the COG treatment with an extended into for the mv 

Cool to have LGBTQ representation in an LP video though, even if not really that explicit 

48 minutes ago, leftshoe18 said:

How is anybody saying this sounds like One More Light? It's more similar to something like Leave Out All the Rest or Final Masquerade than anything from OML. This is a classic Linkin Park ballad through and through.

The lyrics and melody are very OML, the instrumental in the first verse is very OML, there are no vocals more aggressive than TTM. Even if we didn't know Jon Green was involved I feel like the OML comparison is pretty evident, especially with FF and WAYW considered as OML

Another factor is that almost every second of the song is driven by vocals. No guitar solo, no synth hook, no walls or guitarz. Very OML