The second of three new songs available on Linkin Park's upcoming deluxe release of From Zero, "Unshatter" has now been released on digital platforms around the world, following the announcement earlier this week. The band has released an official visualiser for the track - a fairly minimalistic work with a monochromatic neon look, showing a series of vector patterns in motion. Along with the other bonus tracks, "Unshatter" was briefly described by Linkin Park in a short blurb introducing the From Zero deluxe edition: As a non-album cut, much like "Up From the Bottom", "Unshatter" fits neatly with the songs that actually made the final From Zero tracklist, particularly the more straightforward rock numbers that make up the bulk of the album. The song is built around a meaty guitar riff and some Motown-style drums that will instantly remind Linkin Park fans of "Bleed It Out" and "Cut the Bridge", setting the stage for vocalists Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong to rap and sing lyrics about being lied to and betrayed. First-time listeners might be surprised to realise that "Unshatter" is not a random working title but actually a linchpin in the song's chorus lyrics, representing a yearning for the past: After two choruses, the song breaks down for some tense whispering, building up to the bridge with the promised "huge vocal" - during what is easily the heaviest section of the song, Armstrong cuts loose and delivers one of the angriest performances to have come out of the From Zero recording cycle. The deluxe edition of From Zero drops next month on May 15, and will feature "Up From the Bottom", "Unshatter", and a third song, "Let You Fade", which is as-yet unreleased. For now, you can check out "Unshatter" on platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. Full lyrics: Source: Linkin Park on Twitter
Unshatter caught me off guard with how un-Linkin Park the vibe is. It's already growing on me though. This is by far the song where Emily sounds the most like in her former band, both melody and tone wise. Pretty alt-rock / grungy. Intense bridge. Side note, I like how Emily doubles some of Mike raps in the verses. They do that a lot live on songs like BIO, and it's maybe the closest we got to have a studio version of that kind of thing.
I don't know - after From Zero, "Unshatter" sounds squarely Linkin Park to me. And this came before most of the album was conceived, I get that - I actually described it as "Cut the Bridge" but better in every respect. The only thing in it that did surprise was the bridge, which really goes up a notch in relation to the rest of the song I do want to see Emily meshing a little more with the hip-hop side of the band's music, and this is indeed a step in that direction.
It feels very Hunting Party for me, like All for Nothing, as I said in the shoutbox. I'm getting aaaa looottttt into it just because I love rock, and LP. And this is all we can strive for.
I'm going to hold off listening to Unshatter and Let You Fade until the deluxe album comes out in 3 weeks time. I want to listen to these for the first time on my CD stereo system at full volume. However, going by the comments, this song sounds interesting, especially with the mixed comments of it sounds un-Linkin Park or it does but relates to Cut The Bridge, Bleed It Out and that it has the vibe of The Hunting Party with its raw sound and Emily's aggressive vocals. I'll reserve judgment for when I listen to it though but I can't wait! Hope you all like it.
I agree that in the formula, the song is very Linkin Park. There is a very subjective aspect to it, I can't really put a finger on it, other than, if I'd hear that chorus out of context, I would think Dead Sara, not Linkin Park. Whereas in something like Cut The Bridge, the long sustained sing/scream notes, the piano, the riff production, all of it made me think "Yup, this is LP". Even on something more experimental like Overflow, the electronic elements make it feel somewhat familiar. That said, it's true that, taking into account From Zero only, it's still very anchored in the same universe. But like, a different planet in that universe. If that makes any sense at all