
So over the past 4 years I have waited for them to come out with a new album and waited and waited, while they went on tours and did mix cds with Jay-Z or branched off and created Fort Minor, simply waiting for their next album to drop. And come last wednesday I hear a song on the radio and go, huh Linkin Park came out with an album, granted I was only one day late but that should have been a warning sign. For albums that I am looking forward to that much, I know when they come out, and I'm the type of guy to run out to Best Buy and buy them on that day. I don't buy a lot of CDs but the ones I do, I know I want, this was one of those.
So I dilly dallied a bit, I asked my buddy if he had known that Linkin Park came out with a cd, and he said ya and that he downloaded it on BitTorrent a few weeks ago. So I naturally asked him how it was and he said in a less enthused tone, "it was ok, it was good, but it wasn't as good as the second album, that was really good". So I waited til the weekend when I had more time to pick it up, but still didn't have much time to dedicate to listening to it.

Then here's where the torture begins from songs 7-12, or the entire second half of the album there is little to no resemblance to anything Linkin Park has ever done with the exception of song #8 No More Sorrow. The cd concludes with 4 songs that are softer than anything that has ever made it on their previous two albums. One even goes into a gospel like Amen for a few seconds. What the heck happened to these guys in 4 years? Did they lose all their bite? Where is the aggression, where is the CD that was supposed to get me pumped up. What am I supposed to do with this CD, that has some aggressive tunes and some utterly docile songs.

I should have read the CD's booklet first where they preface the concepts of the album:
As this is written, the album is not yet finished. No cover art has been chosen. We aren't through mixing and mastering songs. It is safe to say, however that this will prove to be a different kind of album for us... When we first met with our producer Rick Rubin, he asked us what we wanted this album to sound like. Going around the room, each of the six of us answered the question in a similar way: we wanted to create something that maintained the integrity of the band's personality, but pushed our boundaries...
No I do not appreciate you broadening your horizons, I bought a Linkin Park cd expecting Linkin Park. Perhaps, after a few more listens I will come to enjoy the album but it will never parallel Meteora, it will never be as good and I can't believe I waited 4 years for this.
Comments
I hate it when heavy bands pussify themselves as more releases go on. Just listen to Incubus' first albums and then their latest crap. Metallica did the same thing.
Perhaps its because the bands are suddenly millionaires and are no longer angry?
Don't forget about Staind, they were perhaps the biggest culprit of all, their first album was all metal, then Outside was a hit and It's been Awhile was a bigger hit, and then wham their third album was pussy and I gave up.