Linkin Park - "A Thousand Suns"

I remember it well. The year was 2001, and my interest in music was heightening. A lot of bands had caught my attention; mostly metal music, which is still my go to genre to this day. Then one fateful day while skipping through the music channels, I heard a song that really hit a home run. That song was Linkin Park's first single, "One Step Closer". Ever since then I have eagerly awaited any new material that the band would produce. From the first album, "Hybrid Theory" there was hit song after hit song, and the album as a whole was a nu-metal masterpiece.

Linkin Park as a band are quite reserved on releasing new material, despite having a large amount of recycled material that became popular. "Reanimation" was an album full of remixes of the first albums tracks, "Meteora" brought a new mellow tone to the the band that wasn't as apparent in their debut effort. As time went on the band seemed to mellow out more and more, focusing on powerful sorts of ballads, and less on their metal roots. By the time "Minutes to Midnight" was released, my interest was at fever pitch! However, my excitement hit rock bottom upon hearing the album. What I was listening to was not what I expected, not what I wanted and generally mediocre. My interest in the band died out; that is until I saw that a new album was on its way.

"A Thousand Suns" is an album that could not be a farther departure from the original Linkin Park sound. On my first listen through of the album, I couldn't help but feel like I had been let down, yet again, by a band I had once gone out of my way to listen to. Every album was one step closer; forgive the pun, to losing my interest. This collection of songs was the final straw for me. I had given up on them.
It wasn't until having a few drinks with some friends that it hit me! I hate it when bands churn out the same old stuff on every album, too afraid to change anything for fear of losing their fan base. I like it when people try something new, something different and interesting. Why was I holding Linkin Park in a different light?

To be honest, I think it is a similar reason to my affinity for the original Korn & Limp Bizkit albums. They were raw, full of angst and a great release for pent up teenage emotion. I am no longer a teenager, and as a result I think that I should be looking at this from a different perspective.

On my second time through the album, I started to note that their were some very strong tracks. Songs like "When they come for me", "Blackout" and "Wretches & Kings" provide a nostalgia for their older material, but at the same time they give you something that is an altogether new experience. The album is broken up using small interludes throughout, and it all adds up to something that Linkin Park have never managed to do before: create an album, not just a collection of songs.

What Linkin Park have achieved is a triumph of music, an incite into the bands mentality and an experience that you will listen to again and again, with every time providing you with a better understanding of the band. If nothing else this album serves as a testament to how the band have matured, and have brought their sound with them on the trip.

If you are looking for something that reminds you of the Linkin Park of days gone by, you might find something here; I did. It was this sliver of what had been that allowed me to persist and hear this album for what it really was. Linkin Park have successfully moved through the barrier to a whole new genre and have kept me as a fan. It is a message, and one that is worth the purchase for the chance to listen.

What Should I do?
BUY IT!

Where to get it?
Play
Amazon