"Session" - Song by Song, Let's Talk Linkin Park

Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by hawk, Jul 2, 2014.

  1. Alexrednex

    Alexrednex Well-Known Member

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    Always loved how the drums sound on this track, and Mike sounds great in the verses with that slick beat. The riff is kind of cock-rockish, but has a nice groove to it.
    I personally don't mind the rap verses on this track at all, definitively his best rapping on THP (not that's saying much).
    My problem with the track is the chorus, which has little to no melody and Chester sounds like he is trying way too hard to make it work.
    The concept of the song is great, a throwback rap rock track about the wastelands which is the modern rock scene.
    However, I feel like it sticks a bit too close to that concept, and I wish that the second half of the track totally broke away from it.
    Think Blackout-ish breakdown, just this time it turns into a serious alternative rock sounding track ALA No More Sorrow or a long epic solo ALA TLTGYA

    The Viscera re-imagine is straight up fire.
     
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  2. BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    Everyone has pretty much shared my sentiments. Not my favorite, but not one I'll often skip either. The layers are all very nice and complimenting, I absolutely love the drums. Mike's flow is definitely really cool, but the lyrics are uninteresting to me. The chorus is cool, very similar to GATS. As Chester said, it's not so much singing as it is just yelling on key.

    My main complaint for this track is the bridge. It's decent, but it is also kind of empty. Maybe if during the second half we got a guitar solo, or some screams, or a new rap...anything besides just the power chords slamming over and over.
     
  3. IronDust71

    IronDust71 Well-Known Member

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    Never really been into Wastelands at all, as much as I love the verses and the chorus. I find the rap verses well done, not the best but not the worse. Though I find the song's overall pretty weak, probably because of Chester's voice which is not as raspy as I expected when first revealed.
    I usually won't skip the song when listening to the album in its entirety (although I almost never skip any song when listening to an album as a whole)
     
  4. Tocaraca

    Tocaraca A part of me screams away silently

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    If I truly like an album I would never skip a song (unless it was an interlude like Empty Spaces and I really wanted to listen to the next song).
    I used to skip In Between but I don't anymore.
    I also once removed The Messenger from my A Thousand Suns album because I was an idiot and I thought that The Catalyst deserved to be the finale.
    I also once removed the 2 interludes before Burning in the Skies because I didn't see the point in them. I'll never get them back ;-;
    I also removed the outro of When They Come For Me. I don't regret that. :kappa:
     
  5. Modern Guitar God

    Modern Guitar God Nets 2021 LPA Super VIP

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    This made me laugh haha

    Yeah, I do skip a lot of songs on their albums, no lie. I really only listen to THP the whole way through. On ATS, I almost always feel like I want to skip Blackout, Wretches and Kings or Catalyst.
     
  6. minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    I agree that "The Messenger" makes a weak ending to ATS compared to "The Catalyst", though

    Anyway, I don't skip songs if I'm listening through an LP album either, but I'm rarely listening through them whole anymore.
     
  7. TheZlajaZlo

    TheZlajaZlo Closing LPA Super Member

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    Me too... the song would end naturally after the last chorus, and also Chester sounds annoying with his singing on the outro. #noragrets
     
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  8. catalytic

    catalytic New Member

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    Actually whatever Linkin Park makes it's the best. Quote" I don't think they know how to work below standards" .So true.

    Hybrid theory is one of the finest nu metal and electronic I've ever heard. Tagging a particular recording won't be fair to others but Session is special....
     
  9. catalytic

    catalytic New Member

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    And I thought I was the only one to think that The Messenger lacked the X-Factor....
     
  10. Atticus

    Atticus Bullets lance the bravest lungs

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    REBELLION
    [​IMG]
    “I want a flood, I want an ocean, to wash my confusion clean”

    Rebellion appears as the eighth track on The Hunting Party. Mere minutes before airing for it’s live radio premiere, the track was released on iTunes Russia and subsequently leaked online. However, for the majority of fans, Rebellion was first listened to on the BBC Radio 1 Zane Lowe show on June 3rd, 2014, with the track becoming the second promotional single the day after. Later that year, Rebellion became the fourth official single for The Hunting Party.


    A stuttering, bellowing synth opens Rebellion before a monstrous, blitzkrieg guitar riff devours the soundscape aligning with a thunderous drum line. The resulting chaos is consumed by a grittier guitar riff and earth-shattering drum fills until a rebellious, almost Arabian lead riff enters the fray. The instrumental madness is irrevocably System Of A Down, wielded by none other than the alternative metal band’s lead guitarist, Daron Malakian.



    Half expecting Serj Tankian to take command of the microphone, Shinoda instead rises from Wastelands to serenade us with his soothing, timbre vocals. His tone matches that found in Keys To The Kingdom’s foreboding introduction, or Castle Of Glass’ graceful verses, however it carries an aggressive, urgent undertone. Malakian gallops alongside, strumming a relentless riff of sixteenth notes while Bourdon builds a clashing drum beat.



    Just when the verse seems to be leading to a cataclysmic chorus, Bennington comes forth. The lead vocalist calmly sings a melody over a wall of wailing power chords. His resting voice doubles halfway through, as one soars high above in harmonization. The chorus concludes with the frenetic, Malakian lead riff, bringing the violent instrumentation back to the surface for another charge.



    The second verse increases the tension as Bennington’s harmonizing vocals from the chorus return to bolster Shinoda’s deeper presence. The chorus removes Bennington from lead vocals in favour of Shinoda while the former harmonizes, causing a blissful delivery, on par with any of the band’s best performances. The chorus is extended slightly to repeat “rebellion” several times, each time Bennington gets angrier until the final repetition ends on the verge of a scream.

    Rebellion’s bridge encompasses the virtues of The Hunting Party. Malakian’s lightning-fast riff is bolstered by electronic sound effects accompanied by Bourdon’s relentless barrage before Bennington unleashes a wretched outcry. His rasping screams sound more savage than anywhere else on the record, giving Rebellion the perfect crunch at the most opportune moment.

    Shinoda blissfully brings the uplifting chorus back into action for one last round. A composed Bennington joins him once more after the first line, creating the same soaring harmonization. The rip-roaring Rebellion ends at its highest peak, with both vocalists belting it out alongside Malakian’s malicious guitar riff.

    Despite the praise and the fantastic collaboration, Rebellion wasn’t the most successful Linkin Park single. The track screeched into the US Mainstream Rock chart at #14 and improved to #13 on the UK Rock chart. The song later became a piece of downloadable content on 2015’s Rock Band 4 videogame.

    Rebellion is an intriguing beast to analyze for lyrical content. Although the song is beyond aggressive, there is a powerful message to be delivered. Rebellion is a statement showcasing that first world countries are greedy and unable to realize the true problems happening in neighbouring nations. In a nutshell, Linkin Park has decreed “first world problems” to be asinine. While someone is complaining about their cellphone having a low battery in a well-developed country, they are blissfully unaware of the dangers across the sea or over the horizon. Others less fortunate are stricken with poverty, disease, or hunger while watching their homes burn to the ground and loved ones killed in cold blood.



    The entire uplifting melody is meant to be sheer and absolute sarcasm, as referenced by Shinoda. Rebellion fires off the notion that we are fortunate to be living in a civilization of trivial problems, where most of us do not need to worry about whether or not we’ll wake up in the morning.

    Unfortunately, the closest thing to an official Rebellion music video being released was the lyric video, an obvious lack of effort by the band. Witnessing the lyrical content, it is without question that a music video for Rebellion could have truly been outstanding in delivering a statement. In LPA’s podcast interview with Shinoda, he has gone on the record in saying that he wished they had made a music video for the track. Originally, Linkin Park was planning on using a montage of live footage to make the video, but the plan never came to fruition.


    Following The Hunting Party’s other tracks, Rebellion is a monstrous performance onstage. The track was constantly hyped up leading to the album’s release to be live pandemonium, thanks to the blistering guitar riffs, galloping drums and brutal screams, and the outcome was more than satisfying. Shinoda’s vocals fall flat from time to time, an issue that has pervaded through most of his singing live, but overall the track is a delight to behold in a live environment. Linkin Park has even brought Daron Malakian onstage several times throughout the touring cycle. Rebellion’s live debut didn’t come until the Carnivores tour, but the track remains a significant staple to the set, even if it disappears every few shows.
     
  11. Captain-EO

    Captain-EO Also Prog Nerd Now, Thanks Gibs LPA Super Member

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    Rebellion is actually my least-favorite track from The Hunting Party. The Summoning isn't great or anything but I don't truly dislike it. I actually actively avoid this song. It does not click with me. I really don't like Mike's vocals on this track--or Chester's harmonizing with him either--and something about them just sounds really uninteresting and bland, lyrically and in terms of delivery. I know it's an unpopular opinion but eh.

    :shrug:
     
  12. minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    "Rebellion" is one of my top-favourites on the album. I never knew that I wanted Shinoda singing over heavy guitar riffs but I liked it straight away.

    I never liked Chester's part in the bridge, though.
     
  13. Captain-EO

    Captain-EO Also Prog Nerd Now, Thanks Gibs LPA Super Member

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    Our opinions are literally the exact opposite. :lol:
     
  14. Alexrednex

    Alexrednex Well-Known Member

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    Rebellion is awesome because it captures the nostalgic SOAD sound but gives it a little twist.
    Lyrically, it is one of the band's best written tracks, although the bridge seems counter-intuitive and generic, it gives the song the climax that such a heavy riff demands.
    Unlike about half of the album, which has grown a bit stale to me over time, Rebellion still kicks ass.

    I am kind of disappointed about how this song failed to be a hit on the rock radio, and it honestly didn't translate well live because of Mike's lackluster vocal performances(the bridge, however, translates amazingly).
     
  15. Modern Guitar God

    Modern Guitar God Nets 2021 LPA Super VIP

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    I like that the intro is so violent. Drums sound really fantastic here also. I love the lyrics actually. Not a fan of Mike's singing really but it doesn't take away from the song. I think it's one of the best songs on the album.

    They really benefit from writing with other musicians and producers.
     
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  16. minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    loser
     
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  17. Michele

    Michele Praise Brad Delson, our Lord and Savior. LPA Addict

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    Rebellion is definitely one of my favorite LP tracks ever. I like every single thing on the song (beside the bridge, the bridge is just good).
    From the SOAD-ish guitar riff to Bourdons drumming and Chesters and Mikes singing, there is no one single thing that bring me to skip the song.
    Live this song is a monster, sadly the concert i went to, the people were more for the old stuff there.
     
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  18. BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    This track definitely raised THP to a new level in my eyes. The style is so distinctly different, but still coherent with the rest of the album. It's an awesome collaboration for sure, and the lyrical content is great. The chorus reminds me of Castle of Glass a little bit, and the bridge is awesome. One thing that was a real bummer from UIG and Wastelands for me was the lack of an awesome bridge. This song really brought that, and the screams are brutal. I felt weird about seeing so many collabs when I saw the tracklist for THP, but this was definitely worth it. I never thought we would get a song this heavy where Mike takes so many lead vocals either, it's really cool that he pulled it off, even if he can't quite match it live.
     
  19. Tocaraca

    Tocaraca A part of me screams away silently

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    This sounds terrible live, but the studio version is amazing. I love the harmony throughout the song, and the guitar sounds great. The screaming in the chorus is one of Chester's best screamo performances.
    I have covered this song before with my terrible 14 year old vocals :p If you want to hear it then fine:
     
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  20. Modern Guitar God

    Modern Guitar God Nets 2021 LPA Super VIP

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    You sing in key and harmonize - you just don't have much projection and breath. Your screaming needs a lot of work though. You're still really young and have a lot of changes to go through with your voice, so there's a lot of potential for growth. Have you ever thought about joining a choir or looking for some singing programs in school? Trying to not to be offensive with these comments - sorry if I am.
     
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