Youtube'd (and looking really cool IMO): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uBY1IwFQK0 (It might still be processing because I just uploaded it.) EDIT: It's good now
You are wrong. Every single member of the band is playing on these songs. You just didn't listen past the synths. Take The Catalyst for example. Everyone said it wasn't "rock" and yet Phoenix is playing a sick bass line, Brad's playing guitar throughout the entire verses (although its lower in the mix) and of course the other members are there. Same with Wretches And Kings, that song has all members, it's just that Phoenix's bass line doubles what brad is playing. Same with Blackout. I can clearly hear bass and guitar in that. Same with When They Come For Me (where Brad appears to be playing a sitar instead of a guitar). Need I go on?
Actually Brad has versatility and can play many instruments just like Mike. I don't think he will not be utilized. Many of those songs will have Brad on the guitar rocking in live performances I think...
This is what I think of the clips so far: The Requiem - sounds so fucking amazing! Gives me chills wow great intro. Blackout - very reanimated style which is a good thing for me. Burning in the skies - I really like Chester's part here, nice lyrics too. When They Come For Me - HOLY SHIT! I love the oriental/middle Eastern type of music in this. Potential to be the best LP song ever motherfukaaa! The Catalyst - Still my fave song from what I've heard so far although I'm loving the When They Come For me clip. Waiting for the end - I love this clip! really excited to hear the full track of this as it is the next single. I want to hear more of Mike's reggae style rap that we heard it in that other clip a couple of days ago. Wretches and Kings - Such a SICKK beat! It will be amazing live. Chester's accent sounded funny at first but I'm used to it now and it sounds good. the speech at the beginning gets annoying after a while but it sounds better at the end with Joe's scratching. Robot boy is not how I thought it would sound like at all and Iridescent didn't really grab my attention either. Chester's vocals sound really raw and emotional on The Messenger, I understand how it could be some people's best track of ATS but once again it doesn't grab my attention. * I'm not a big fan of the interludes although Jornada del Muerto sounds really interesting. *
I was a little skeptical earlier when I listened to these, but re-reading what people who've heard the album said, and listening to these clips, I still believe this will be one of their best albums. I say "one of" because, unlike most of you here, I absolutely love Meteora. It's my favorite album ever, and it's not easily topped. Whether or not A Thousand Suns can take the spot of Meteora is entirely questionable, but I have no doubt that this album is in no way reflected by the 30 second snippets we now have. BTW, Burning In The Skies sounds fucking awesome.
The sad and pathetic thing is I guarantee you that some of the people who are trashing this album from 30 second clips will come back within a few months saying they love it and that this is how LP should've sounded all along. You know it's gonna happen. It always does.
All my point is we all can agree that LP is not as heavy as they were before... Is that ok to say? Will I be rediculed for saying that... Some of us like the fact that they are not heavy as before and some of us don't like the fact that they are not heavy as before... I for one like a good mixture of heavy and soft but this album sounds like all soft but two tracks, and I don't even classify Blackout and Wretches and Kings as heavy but there heavy sounding on this album... What I miss is that heavy sound of LP, and I shouldn't have to go back and listen to their first two albums to remember what LP heavy used to sound like, they should still keep those elements in their music... It's great to see a band like LP mature, I find it very commendable, they are writing in ways they never have, they are going to be performing in ways they never have, I guess the a big reason why I fell in love with this band was their original sound, that ground-breaking sound of rapping, angst/screaming/singing but in front of heavy beats and guitars... It just sucks to see that all go away
lparker55 you and I are on the same page. I grew up loving songs like Forgotten, One Step Closer, Don't Stay, and even Given Up. It does suck to see all of what made them Linkin Park dissolve and disappear.
It sounds really proggy. It sounds like it has potential, very interesting things they're doing here. I still wouldn't say they're "experimenting" as many have said, as I've heard similar stuff in other places (some of them prog bands, actually). That being said, this might be their best since Meteora (which is hard for me to say, being an LP old fogey and all), and will probably end up being their second major breakthrough album.
Who are you to say what Linkin Park SHOULD sound like? Stop looking at the band as one entity and take into account that they're six people who've matured far beyond the nu-metal days, and are writing songs that are relevant to them now. They're just people, like you and I. They're not obligated to write music that satisfies anybody but themselves. So get over yourself and stop bitching about it not sounding heavy enough or good enough for you.