From Zero Out Now | Release Day Thread

I'll try and collect my thoughts here and express how I felt about the album despite still feeling under the weather. However, I will give my initial impressions here after listening to it on my CD system yesterday and then through my wireless earbuds. My scores and thoughts may change after repeated listens and once I've become accustomed to the entire album.

Overall, I really like the album and it's so surreal to think we're officially back as a fanbase with a new album to digest and converse about. For me, I've been a Linkin Park fan since hearing Points of Authority on the radio in my step-dad's car as we were travelling somewhere. Then I was exposed to Crawling on a compilation album and then my friend leant me his In The End CD single and from there, I became hooked. I saved up my money and went to purchase their album at my local PowerPlay (which is now gone) and Hybrid Theory was sold out but they had Meteora in stock and when I when to buy it, the guy behind the desk said it was a great choice and I should enjoy the album. I remember I got home and for some reason, I played the final track, Numb first as the name popped out to me. I blasted it full volume and I was amazed at the sound, it was unlike anything I had ever heard and the lyrics, electronic samples, instrumentation, energy and most of all, Chester's vocals struck me in the chest. I remember my sister was in the next room and came in asking who it was and that she really liked that song and then the rest is history - went and got their discopgraphy that was out at that time (Hybrid Theory and Reanimation).

The band really helped me through the final year of school and in College, where I had my struggles. When Minutes To Midnight came out, I was so pleased they had changed their sound and went in a new direction. I remember also when A Thousand Suns came out, how shocked I was at how unique and experimental it was for the band. It took me time to accept the album (I liked some tracks and appreciated the concept but it was completely different to what I was listening to at that time) and over time, it became and still remains my 2nd favourite album of theirs behind Hybrid Theory. Next, Living Things was released and that was a short, firecracker album and again, I appreciated the experimentation in the 2nd half of the album - with Powerless becoming one of my all-time favourites of theirs. When The Hunting Party came out, it was what I needed as my dog had passed away literally a few days before it released and I was so pissed off (as it was so unexpected) and this album felt like therapy for me and Until It's Gone really struck a chord with me emotionally. That album really helped me during that loss. Then we got to One More Light and by that time, my musical tastes had expanded and I started to listening to a lot more pop, electronic, dance and industrial music, so hearing Linkin Park were going down the pop-rock route, I was excited. I know it has its critics but the album really resonated with me and it has taken on a whole bigger meaning since Chester's passing. When the Legend passed, it broke me and I was so distraught. I've never cried over a famous persons death before but I did with Chester. I was so thankful I got to meet and hug him at the Birmingham show 2 weeks before he passed but yeah, that one really stung. In addition to that, I lost a close family member 9 days later, so again, it was a very hurtful and painful time during that album cycle but still, it's an album I really like still to this day.

Fast forward 7 years and we were still in limbo, not knowing what was going to happen with the band. I was content with receiving the anniversary editions and thought that would be enough for me if the band couldn't continue despite the rumours and varied responses over the years. However, after the September reveal, it has been a complete whirlwind with the journey we have all been on the past couple of months, knowing the band was coming back refreshed with 2 new members in Emily and Colin as well as a world tour and a new album in From Zero. It felt like it was out of no where and the build-up and aniticipation has been huge and the hype has been massive surrounding their return. I held off listening to the other tracks except for The Emptiness Machine, which I loved and thought was the perfect single to reintroduce themselves to the world with Mike taking on the vocals first and then leading into Emily and her raspy delivery. The chorus was huge, the bridge is so catchy and overall, it's been a massive hit that this band fully deserves. I read the impressions of this album from others as well as reviews from other media but it still allowed me to approach this album with an open mind. Therefore, I can now confirm my thoughts below on how I felt about this album.

As stated above, I really like the album. For me it's like I'm meeting the band all over again or greeting a familiar friend who I haven't seen in a long while but once we start engaging, I'm reminded of that relationship we have and how it just works and takes me back to really good times. This album feels like a mix of all of their prior releases, including their Hybrid Theory EP. I think it was a wise choice to go back to their roots and add some experimentation here and there as not only will this appeal to the older fanbase but it will by shared with new fans and with people that may have not heard of Linkin Park before, so doing this style for the album with a mixture of genres ranging from new nu-metal to alternative rock, from hardcore punk to pop-rock as well as having 2 new band members with new ideas and the much-needed return of Mr. Hahn's scratching - it felt fresh but also nostalgic and could please fans both old and new.

The opener I like, especially the humour in it when the girl realises the connection of the album name and is then cut off before she can say what it means, which leads into The Emptiness Machine. After that we have Cut The Bridge and for me, this song will need to take some time. To me, it sounds almost like a pop-punk A Day To Rember song with the guitars and drums. I do like Mike's delivery and flow here and I like parts of the chorus, which is catchy as well as Mike's bridge but I'm not sure on the "cut it down" part. For me at this moment, it doesn't quite work but in general, it's a decent song that may grow on me. I do understanding the Minutes To Midnight and especially the Bleed It Out references in parts but this doesn't hit me like Bleed It Out does as I really love that song. Heavy Is The Crown is fucking awesome! Absolute banger of a song! Love the opening synth at the beginning as well as being utilized at the end, enjoy Mike's raps here and some of the lyrics with "You're already on that list, say you don't want what you can't resist, waving that sword when the pen won't miss" standing out for me. Emily really delivers in the chorus (so catchy!) and the guitars are huge here. Emily's 15-second scream is incredible and a stark reminder of Given Up. To me, this has vibes of Faint and Mike's song, Already Over. Brilliant track. Then we lead into Over Each Other and I thoroughly enjoyed this track. I see some LP fans find this the weakest compared to the others but I really like this song. Emily's delivery is beautiful, especially with the way she sings at the end of the track and holds her note. The song reminds me of something another artist I adore called Mothica would produce with the instrumentation (songs she's done like Highlights or Vices being similar here) and the way it builds and then implements the guitars at the end. This could be on Living Things or One More Light... it's so good!

The "screamy pants" song is revealed with Casualty and holy shitballs is this track awesome! This is like Victimized and Keys To The Kingdom but with something new. Has the punk elements of War also but I instantly think of those 2 tracks being similar to this. Emily's screams are immense here, I like Mike's take in the verses where he comes in with a rather aggressive style - almost growling and reminds me of other songs he has shown a bit more anger in his voice, such as A Line In The Sand and a much older one, Part Of Me. The drums and guitars are great here and the build up to the end where Emily just lets loose is amazing and I do like the back-and-forth with Mike and Emily, which is Figure 0.9 like and the scratches are great here. Next, Overflow and I really love this song and appreciate the use of the With You sample at the end of Casualty and leads into the start of this song, being layered on top of the other synths and really works. The track has an almost haunting yet mesmerising start to it with building up the electronic sounds to introduce Mike, where his delivery reminds me of his solo work, especially Post Traumatic and recent single work. Emily's voice is on fire here, especially the way it starts slow and then builds up as the track progresses along. It does have that sort of Deftones vibe but has that A Thousand Suns experimental electronic sound to it, sort of an electronic landscape being created here with this song. The way it gradually increases in volume and brings in the guitars with Emily becoming more aggressive in her delivery and belting out the title name of the song is fantastic. To me, it sounds like the end of Powerless but more angry and the Fuse snippet at the end is a nice nod to the past. Awesomeness.

Two Faced is a nostalgic blast. Mike's raps, Mr. Hahn letting loose on the turntables, the chorus being catchy and oh my god, Emily going wild like that by screaming "STOP YELLING AT ME" over and over gives me One Step Closer vibes. This is a song that could have been on their first 2 albums or EP but has a fresh sound to it also. No wonder fans are raving about this, it's such a great song and a smart choice for the next single. Love the official music video also and how much fun the band is having and some of the camera work/effects are great also - especially love the way Mike in one shot throws his jacket over the camera only to have it on in the next shot a split second later as a visual effect and the way it ends with the banter between Emily and Mike made me smile. Glad they included that in from the actual track. Stained is similar to Cut The Bridge where it will have to grow on me or take a few listens to gauge an overall opinion on it. Right now, I'm not keen on it. I like Emily's delivery and the way the guitars build at the end as well as Mike's vocals in the verses and the way he sings (reminds me of a bit of his track Ghosts) and the way both he and Emily intertwine in the 2nd verse but I don't know, the chorus just doesn't grab me at the moment. Will have to wait and see if this gets better for me on repeated listens. IGYEIH is incredible! Love the way the track opens with Emily coming in by screaming in a frenzy - "I gave you everything I have! Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!" and it's just a track full of energy and guitars throughout. Emily is amazing in the verses and I like Mike's rap-singing here with a couple of lines to share with Emily. This goes into another really strong chorus, which really sticks out to me and was one I kept singing in my head along with Heavy Is The Crown before I went to bed last night. Got to say, the ending is so intense and one of the best endings of a Linkin Park song ever! The way Emily screeches and screams out "From now on I don't need you" over and over with the screams getting more warbled and then her finishing with "From now on, got amnesia" is a real highlight for me. One I will definitely be blasting over and over.

The conclusion to the album is the beautiful Good Things Go. The build-up throughout, the back-and-forth again between Mike and Emily feels like the key to this song being so amazing and the lyrics are so meaningful. The "Feels like it's rained in my head for a hundred days", "Stare in the mirror and I look for another face", "Checking my eyes for some kinda light but nothing's inside" and the chorus of "Only you can save me from my lack of self-control, sometimes bad things take the place where good things go" really capture the beauty of this song and hit me hard. It truly is a magnificient piece of work here and it makes me proud to be a Linkin Park fan. It's such a touching song but catchy at the same time. The way it builds and builds with Emily getting more aggressive in her delivery and Mike supporting her (as well as his raps towards the end, which I really like the style of his delivery and the way he picks up the pace of it along with the instrumentation growing) and then the climax of Emily holding her note with the raspy sing-scream overlayed on top and then it ends suddenly and abruptly and leads back into the opening track is a unique way to end such a great album.

Overall, I'd rank the songs and album as the following:

From Zero (Intro) - N/A but appreciate the funny side to it
The Emptiness Machine - 10/10
Cut The Bridge - 6/10
Heavy Is The Crown - 10/10
Over Each Other - 8/10
Casualty - 9/10
Overflow - 10/10
Two Faced - 9/10
Stained - 5/10
IGYEIH - 10/10
Good Things Go - 10/10
From Zero Final Score: 8/10

The Emptiness Machine, Heavy Is The Crown, Casualty, Overflow, Two Faced, IGYEIH and Good Things Go are my top favourites and top tier with Over Each Other also being one I really like. Stained and Cut The Bridge are average for me and may take time to grow on me. However, upon further reflection, I think an 8/10 is fair, especially with it being such a short album, which I actually think does work in this regard. However, I hope for much longer and experimental tracks in the future, especially where they've confirmed they've done more longer and mellow songs in recent interviews. We'll see what the future brings but really looking forward to the shows next year, hopefully more songs from this era are distributed to us and then LP9 to wait on!

How this compares to my album ranking, it'd go:

1. Hybrid Theory - 10/10
2. A Thousand Suns - 9/10
3. The Hunting Party - 9/10
4. From Zero - 8/10
5. One More Light - 8/10
6. Minutes To Midnight - 8/10
7. Living Things - 7/10
8. Meteora - 7/10

 

There's a lot to think and feel around this album release (mostly fucking fantastic things!) and I've really only posted my thoughts randomly - but a huge part of why this release feels good is this community coming back to life. I've been here for almost 20 years, and I'm very grateful Derek, and all the other fantastic staff. LP is just as much communities like this as it is the band.

 

Yeah, I remember my friend asked me if I heard of Linkin Park and I said I was familiar with 2 songs. Next day, he brings me In The End CD single in Maths class (I was 14 at the time) and says he thinks I'd like it and it was completely different to the usual music he likes as he was a big Iron Maiden fan. I got home, listened to it and the rest is history. When I went to go buy their CD, it was when Meteora had just come out.

Yeah, I concur with this. As soon as I hear the drums in the build-up, I was trying to figure out a song or artist it reminded me of and Mothica quickly sprung to mind. Over Each Other is just a great song, I feel Emily really showcases her singing here, especially towards the end and I just love the way it naturally builds throughout. Really good song.

 

What a day yesterday.

My first listen was exactly at midnight and then I listened to the album nonstop at work. It's just so good. So surreal that we're here now, 3 months ago it was never a possibility.

My thoughts so far:

• The From Zero intro and The Emptiness Machine set the mood outright, new beginning and it takes me back a little to that incredible reveal show, where Emily walked out to be introduced in the second verse. It's a historic moment for the band, so epic, so monumental.
• Cut the Bridge is kinda uncharted territory for LP, a completely different vibe. I love the drum beat and those string-y melodies in the verses, it makes the song sound so big and Mike's delivery accentuates that punch. It's so different from anything the band has made before. The bridge sound very Post-Traumatic. Emily's harmonies are great.
• Heavy is the Crown. I still love this song, I know many folks perhaps don't rate it as high as other songs but it just hits me on the right spots. I love Emily's chorus. It's solid. The scream is right to the history books of the band.
• Over Each Other. This one I put it in the "uncharted territory" but only because Emily fronts it by herself. She does such a great job here, also the music video I think elevates it even more. They fit each other so well. When I listen to it it takes me to that emotion and I connect with it so well.
• Casualty. I'm sure everyone's already said it before but this song is this era's "Victimized". It goes hard. Mike's muffled voice along with Emily's screams and the guitars give me HTEP vibes.
• Overflow. The most "ATS"-esque song of the album. Beautifully crafted, huge atmosphere, signature Shinoda beat. The rap flow is SO GOOD.
• Two Faced. We're raving over this one. One of the best music videos of the band already. They did a good job presenting the song like this, it just elevates it more and gives us more context. It's tongue in cheek, it's fun, it's carefree.
• Stained. Reminds me of Post Traumatic as well. 2nd verse onwards gives us classic vocalists synergy, they both have such great chemistry, it's a blessing.
• IGYEIH. The vocal work is opposed to Stained, It's Emily on the front and Mike complimenting her very well. Also look how the mood of the song is different, Emily has a heavier track to lead while Mike has a more controlled, more melodic instrumental. Both of these are built around their respective leads and it fits so damn fucking well.
• Good Things Go. I thought this song was going to be really sad. Part of my surprise is finding out that Good Things Go was in the sense of "where something is supposed to be" rather than "Good things come to an end". I thought it was going to be about the latter and had a story in my head that maybe it could have something to do with Chester (like a friend leaving, a relationship parting ways, etc), especially given that it was listed as the closing track. It's a track that's sitting somewhere in the ATS-esque, 2nd half of Living Things music wise.

This album is amazing. It really does live up to the point that Mike was making during the reveal that these songs just could not be under a different name than Linkin Park. These as LP songs through and through, and something that amazes me is that, in just 30 mins these guys managed to lay out and revisit 17 years of musical identity. We have the heavier side with throwback guitar sound, "firecracker" tracks and screams, but we also have that softer side that we used to see in MTM/ATS/LT, using a big atmosphere but also guitar sounds in a different angle than the nostalgic early 00s.

Emily fits the band. Emily is part of the band's identity now, this album lays out everything anyone needed to know and I'm so happy we have her on board. We are so lucky and blessed. I don't know how the path forward will be but it really does feel as if we and the band struck gold twice. That first lineup change where Mark left and Chester came in, which basically drew the difference of the band from being promising to fucking legendary. And now in this case where the band literally faced an impossible situation, how do you come back from losing such an iconic, generational, trailblazing talent. A brother no less, a member of your family. You can't just haphazardly grab someone and put them in that position, I know it all happened completely organically and unexpectedly but we all know and they surely know that no other man on earth could fill that void. It was just meant to be.

From Zero. So familiar, yet it feels like a clean slate. I'm so happy and overjoyed.

 

I’ve listened to the leak, and now the release a few times. I really wish I liked it more but it feels weird to have such a heavy HT/M sound when they made a decade of music talking about how they’d never go back to that sound. I don’t really feel like it’s too engaging for me personally.

But regardless, the album itself is okay, the melodies are catchy and the production/mixing is super freaking clean. I guess it’s just not my cup of tea anymore. I’d have really loved this album like 10 years ago but my taste is different and less rock/metal oriented. Glad they’re making new music and I hope to enjoy it in the future, but for now I know they’re cashing out on the nostalgia so good for them

 

I don't really know. HITC and especially Two Faced sure are nods to their HT/M days - on purpose - but outside of that there is not really a track that could have fit well on HT or Meteora.

The context is also different than it was during the MTM > OML run. It went from being an established band pushing its boundaries - and probably annoyed at the "go back to ht/meteora" critics - to being a band that overcame a long period of uncertainty and got allowed to celebrate a second life.

It does certainly look like the band has come full circle and is not running away from their past sound anymore - at least not for the sake of it. I find this a good thing. Writing music they're excited about, without trying to fit in or outside a box. As a fan of most of their catalog, it feels great to have the band backing it up again and being proud of the entire spectrum of music they've made.

 

After having the album on repeat since release, one thing I wish it had was an instrumental track. Every album has had one minus OML and FZ. Hopefully instrumentals return in future releases.

 

I don't quite think they vowed to 'never' go back to that sound. The point was not doing it a) for the sake of it or b) They were never going to do it on command. (Insert WTCFM quote)

It's always been more "we do things because we WANT to, not because we're being told to".

You could argue the same to the opposite direction, they didn't drift from the core nu-metal sound because it was a decreasing trend or to "stay relevant" in the business, they did it because their own creative needs took them there.

To me, the album puts on display how Linkin Park truly are masters of their craft. They can literally do anything they set themselves to on a creative level. And we also have to keep in mind this was a piece of work born without setting any expectations for themselves. For a "let's see what happens" type of work, this is incredible.

 

I feel like Qwerty and Andreina both really hit the nail on the head:

Obviously every album should stand on its own, but I also think this is an album that you can really miss out on a lot without considering the context of the past seven years. This is the first album since they released Minutes to Midnight 17 years ago where they're not on the tails of critical/fan reaction of a previous album that comes down to "not as good as Hybrid Theory". They haven't had to continually shoo away those kinds of people in a while.

Add to that the fact that they went through all the old stuff they wrote for both Hybrid Theory and Meteora with this unburdened perspective, and I'm not surprised they've decided to revisit some of those sounds. Obviously, not everyone got into Linkin Park because of that sound—they have a pretty varied output—so it's natural this would click for some and not others.

However, I don't think I would label the whole album as revisiting HT/M sound. In fact, I would argue only one or two songs are fully throwbacks like that, and maybe two more partially so. A lot of the songs have some facets of their other albums, while also channeling Mike's solo work with some poppier ideas. While it's definitely a rock/metal album, I think there's a fair bit of newer hip hop and pop influence that also adds at least a little bit to the variety.

 

you have a link for this?!

 

While there is no bad song on this album, there isn't any that gives me chills either.

 

Gunna say it because some things are "Obvious" and maybe they are not. And Mike has always been respectful, but right at the start of Good Things Go, it is either....anyways.... "I will be waiting with a song In my soul. An unfortunate weakling, that I have foretold".

Also specifically using the line "Trying to make Amends like your hand's still clean"

Feels deliberate. If Mike (and company), are going to use it not only for the first time, but in this way. I wanna discuss it as it may have begged for it. Not sure if this is the place for that. Not everything has to be rainbows, this is a chance. ♥

 

I don't mean to be rude but, I really don't know what you're on about. And making a connection like that with just one word is reaaaaaally a stretch.

 

It miiiiiight be.

Also, no offense taken. I've always enjoyed your comments/insight over the years. Maybe even more a reason to talk about it since you had an opinion enough to reply.

 

Hmm. I've got many chills-inducers personally

• TEM (that first Emily chorus and that bridge, still)
• CTB (that bridge and final chorus ; not on the first few listens, but it's crazy how good it got so fast.)
• Casualty (that freaking chorus)
• Overflow (the whole thing, really)
• Two Faced (the whole intro, time-machine effects to the xero days; the explosive bridge too)
• Good Things Go (the whole thing, really)

 

Exactly my thoughts! I’m so happy to see the band back together again. One More Light feels so close yet so distant now. I’ve been a Linkin Park fan since 2013, and I can’t recall the band ever being this active or their new songs being this successful.

 

Apologize to Powerless and Sharp Edges right this instance!

(Fr tho, this band never misses with their closing songs)