While I do appreciate you taking the time to write this thoughtful review, Derek, I must admit that I'm actually now less hyped for OML as a whole. Your descriptions for Nobody Can Save Me and Sharp Edges especially killed a good part of my hype, as I was truly hoping that LP would have at least made their opener different enough from everything else on the album. You mentioned that NCSM sounded quite a bit like Battle Symphony, which I find very disappointing. Opening tracks have always been a strong suit for LP, since they tend to sound distinct, and can stand out by themselves IMO. As for Sharp Edges, the country-esque description has definitely left me skeptical, as that is another genre I have tried to listen to and appreciate, but am unable to whatsoever. Also, what's with several songs on the album being intentionally happy/upbeat if they are meant to depict the life struggles of the band members? I thought this album was supposed to be a darker kind of emotional, but I guess I was way off with what I thought would be the case. I'm sorry to say, but this album may be an almost total miss for me, and it really sucks. LP has meant a lot to me for the past decade or so, and not being able to stand by the majority of a new album from them is just incredibly frustrating and depressing. I hold this band in very high regard, as they are the sole reason I became intensely interested in music, if at all. All of this said, I will give OML a chance, and by that I mean several full listens. Don't think I'm completely dismissing the album before hearing it in full. For what it's worth, I pre-ordered OML soon after it was officially announced in February. Oh, and Good Goodbye has actually grown on me a lot, and is probably the only song I completely enjoy listening to, out of the ones I have heard.
Mike said that fans of all LP albums are welcome to listen to OML which i dont think that is the case after Chester said the old school fans should stab themselves in the face. I mean what a thing to say. What a way to push the old school fans away. If they wanted to push the old fans away they could have done it a better way, even Corey taylor came to defend the old school fans. I mean i think its sad when someone from a different band has to come in to defend someone else's fan base. I mean i get the band get sick and tired of hearing the fan base saying they want another HT, I mean THP was kinda like another HT and just to shut the fans up. Idk what to think of this band anymore. They become A holes imo.
It definitely seems like a possibility. Year after year, mega-fans of LP's older music have been making the same requests/demands, and LP is content with trying to push themselves into as many musical territories as possible. I'd imagine that at least some members of LP would be tired of decade-old demands for HT Part 3.
No, I was saying that I find it difficult to imagine nu-metal fans getting sick of the incessant demand for nu-metal. If they were actually capable of sympathising with the band, they would've also backed the fuck off about it some time during the past decade.
Me personally I don't want HT part 3. Like I said I love the heavier side of LP. But LP can make heavy music without it being "nu metal" I would love LP to try something Tool esq they never explored down that road.
That's a little different to causing the band grief and aggressively bashing their art over the course of 10 years just because they didn't do what you wanted ... and, then, being completely shocked when they finally decide that enough is enough and bite back.
I feel like a lot of people who want old LP don't even like nu metal or LP's music much anyway. Hell, most of them likely have nostalgic attachment to their old albums or forgot the band existed. There's people on the Good Goodbye video like :I forgot this band existed but damn, this isn't what I remember! Pure shit!" Old LP-only fans are like the cringiest part of the fan base by a loooong shot. Even OML-only fans that just like LP's new hits are cool in my book compared to nu metal fans.
Lyrics can objectively lack creativity and thought. I literally think LP wrote the heavy lyrics in like 15-20 minutes. Someone can still enjoy them sure, but if someone plays a G chord on guitar for 5 minutes straight and sings gibberish and out of key melodies, while someone could technically enjoy it, it wouldn't fit societies standards of what makes music "acceptable"( for lack of a better term). Oh cool you enjoy heavys lyrics. So what? I can enjoy a McDonald's cheeseburger and say it's quality food. Ah screw all this just ignore me. I DONT LIKE MY MIND RIGHT NOW ITS JUST SO FUCKING MESSY PEACE!
Just be careful with what you label as "fact". That's all. "Fact" makes it seem incontrovertible. I'm sure if someone said "Heavy"'s lyrics were brilliant and that's a fact, you would have issue with them putting that label on their opinion. Some things are incontrovertible. Like "that car is red", "Linkin Park has 6 members", "Donald Trump is a pigfucker".
I don't want to be a debby downer but do you guys feel like LP could be on the downfall in terms of careers? I'm curious how many more albums we get from them after One More Light. I originally predicted they would release 10 albums but if they keep taking 3 years to release albums from here on out they might retire soon. EDIT: I want to so badly respond to A Wretched King but I have the "there's no objectivity in music" argument way too often on KTT. It's as simple as this and will never change my mind on this. Music is SUBJECTIVE. All of it. Always. Music is always and will forever always be subjective. Person A: I think Radiohead is overrated Person B: You are objectively wrong Person A: How can I be wrong? It's my OPINION.
I don't think we have any reason to worry yet about retirement. I think what you may see eventually is the drawing down of those lonnnnng touring cycles. Release an album, tour it worldwide for 6 months, then take time off to be with family. Maybe the odd festival here and there. I also think the content of the lyrics is going to go in one of a few directions: happier, more introspective/revisionist, or more political. Less aggressive "fuck you" music. We'll probably see less screaming out of Chester to preserve his voice. I think the guys have mellowed out considerably.
Really don't know if I'll enjoy this album as much as I did MTM, ATS or even LT. Probably not, but I am content with them breaking boundaries for once. Not sure if I'm gonna like the rest of the songs based on Derek's review. Sharp Edge is the only one that sounds interesting to me, but it's very short
I will welcome that whole-heartedly, there's too much emo-sombre songs in their discography, hence I'm somewhat glad OML has that essence. To be honest, I'm also glad LP didn't put any political themes into OML due to the current political environment. I forsee it'll be a whole other shitstorm they have to deal with besides just their change in musical style if they did that. Sure MTM and ATS have political themes inside but it's written in a more universal-humanist way that doesn't sound straight-out political. Plus people back then weren't crazy in general. But I wouldn't mind those themes for future albums.
It wasn't really that clear to be honest, other than maybe 'War' and 'Rebellion'. To me the first half of THP is just about showing how rock is 'not dead', whereas the second-half shows the band had something meaningful to write and say about.
I love THP, but it's a perfect example of lazy and uninspired lyrics (sure it's subjective), but I never heard some one complain about them. we all know why, because they liked the songs and now just because they don't like the new songs everyone is like lazy ass lyrics.