Mike to say he's "not on some What I've Done shit" again. Give me amorphous song structures and experimental shenanigans. I'd even compromise with a 4 minute song.
I'd like to see them play around with a brass section, they've never used one. That would be truly something new for them, also, let Brad sing again More acoustic guitar, longer songs, averaging around the 5 minute mark would be good Also, I'd love if they finished or repurposed some old demos, a studio version of Searching for An Answer for example.
Longer songs. Some of the tracks on FZ are just too short and feel like they're building to something more expansive. I do get that as a comeback album it was always going to be a case of packing as much punch in as short amount of time as possible, and particularly with modern audiences having way less of an attention span. I hope next album they start going into proper story telling mode.
I just want a good mix of longer songs, experimental and creative space, variety of rock and more calm and electronic stuff Basically A thousand suns 2.0 :v
Like many have already said... longer album run-time. I was a huge fan of Mike's song Fine and hoping for something more Industrial sounding on the next album... more grit without necessarily meaning more screaming. Give me another song with Brad singing!
Similar to what others have said - longer songs, stranger song structures, interludes, instrumentals. Interesting sounds and fusions of genres. That's not necessarily to say ATS 2.0 in terms of sound (although I wouldn't be against that), but rather ATS 2.0 in terms of ethos.
You know, I'm gonna add one thing here, because it was such a badass moment on the album. More Mike's AAAR raspy vocals please!
Need a song where Mike just freestyles/scatting nonsense for a good verse. Something akin to Fear or the intro to Blackbirds. Maybe make it part of an instrumental loop
Moar Guitarizz. Drrruummmb Soloz. All joking aside, I want the band to continue making music that they like and enjoy. I feel like when the band does that and is that comfortable with what they are doing and making, the end result is more enjoyable for everyone, including the fans.
Seriously, I think the band peaked with A Thousand Suns. The creativity and diversity on that album still amaze me to this day—it was such a bold and forward-thinking project. I wish the band would rediscover that hunger to experiment and push boundaries even further. The band right now has a lot of experience and talent; I truly believe they are capable of composing another album on that level. At the same time, I sometimes wonder if the pressure they faced during the ATS sessions made them hesitant to revisit that level of ambition. Maybe it was a challenging process that they decided not to repeat, or perhaps they’ve simply moved on and are no longer interested in exploring that kind of direction. Either way, it’s fascinating to think about what could have been if they had continued down that experimental path. Who knows—maybe one day…
I have sometimes been thinking the same. Never have I seen the band as stressed as in the ATS documentary. They are of course very proud of the album and it is also Mike's favorite, but the stress they experienced during that time may be the reason they've not gone further down that road. Then again, the band has been challenging themselves after ATS - I remember the story of Rob practicing 10 hours a day and injuring himself during the THP sessions - but the global musical direction has been less out there. I could see them trying to pull an ATS - or weirder record at the least - with the next one. I think they just need to be in the right mindset, with everybody onboard and in a good dynamic, before attempting such an adventure again. FZ is definitely a good start in that direction ; the band dynamic is awesome right now.
The thing I fear with ATS is that Mike has described it as the pinnacle of their (and his) career so many times that it's possible he may have convinced himself they couldn't top it or do it again. I think in every album since they've taken little experiments here and there in the spirit of ATS (COG, UIB, MTG, ALITS, most recently Overflow...I'd even argue a couple tracks on OML), but I wonder if we'll ever see a full album of experimentation again. I sure hope so.
Maybe being optimistic here, but I see it happening. Either next record, or more likely, the one after that - I know, thinking of LP10 now is nuts Now I'm going full speculation mode. The way I see it : "From Zero" is the rebirth / friendship / having fun record. It is the new foundation, the one that helped the band come back to life The next one, I'd imagine them expending on that, and continuing on the studio momentum they have been having. Possibly finalizing a bunch of songs that were part of the FZ sessions. I could see another alternative / rock record, but with even more variety, more experiments, and a slightly more mellow approach But then! If all goes well, by LP10, I can see the new line-up wanting to make a big creative statement, and consciously trying to craft "their masterpiece". By that point, they would have 2 records under the belt, and couple of years of touring behind them. Emily and Colin would feel 110% confident participating in the creative process. And I think they will want to go bonkers. Emily has mentioned WFTE as her favorite LP track, and Overflow as her favorite from FZ. She has a taste for adventurous tracks. Maybe they'll push it and go for it with LP9 - I'm sure a lot of people here would like that ^^ - but I feel it may be too early. But if it happens, that's cool too!
Yeah I wouldn't rule it out completely. My only counterpoint is that we have seen Mike move and settle into a much more conventional songwriting and production style following ATS (with the notable exception of THP). Obviously I have no idea what's going on his head, just spitballing. I'm all for getting surprised, but I like to expect the status quo so that I can really get that smack in the face (like with the countdown, where I stubbornly ignored all the leaks and stuff and set my expectations just at "maybe a tour" ). Dave I feel also really likes when the band pushes boundaries. He always seems to really like the tracks that are the more experimental ones. Honestly wouldn't be surprised by Brad or Joe either, based on some of the insight Mike has given us on From Zero so far. Colin is the only one I feel unsure about, since I don't know much about him other than the past work he's done as a producer and writer, which is by and large mostly pretty safe by rock standards (ONE OK ROCK, Papa Roach, All Time Low). But I'm sure if the rest of the band was on board, he would be too. They went with him for a reason.
I feel like Mike has gotten really comfortable with the established LP formula over the years. I rewatched the Making of ATS documentary yesterday, and there’s a part where Mike says he didn’t want to make ‘another What I’ve Done shit’ lol. And Joe mentions avoiding ‘Linkin Park-izing’ their songs. It’s a shame that even Mike acknowledges A Thousand Suns as their most challenging and standout work, yet he continues to rely on the same LP formula. Don’t get me wrong—I like it, obviously. But I’d be far more excited if they decided to take risks and experiment again. They’ve shown they’re capable of breaking boundaries, and it’d be amazing to see them embrace that creative spirit once more.
For as short as From Zero is, there's a lot going on that it doesn't feel that short. I remember feeling this way at my listening party, like it was the longest 30 minutes ever, and that's a good thing. At this point, they can do whatever they want and I'll just be happy and grateful. I would like something longer, though, and more cohesive instead of a collection of songs. From Zero gets 1/4 of the way there for me. The studio banter and all of the other little things to tie the songs together are great. If there was an interlude or two, a longer intro, and an Instrumental track, this album would be graded 2 points higher for me.