^ IMO, that was a great idea ... but that particular performance just didn't quite sound as good as it could have.
Ahhh Castle Of Glass. After In My Remains definitely my favorite song on LT. This flokish-rock vibe is a great thing. One of the good Mike singing parts in LPs discography Also Chester did a great job here, CoG shows how good both singing could fit The whole atmosphere is a bit dreamy, like there is a picture in your head that got filled with the song. Love the intro of the music video, fits really good to the song. The video is maybe the best from the other LT videos Also if i dont like this MoH vibe in it, also if the lyrics fit like FiP said. Live: Wow , as i saw the first videos of the experience version of CoG i was like , play the damn normal version. But at the Oberhausen concert it just blow me away. Its amazing how this more "emotional" song turns into a damn electronic "rave" party anthem SO MUCH HARDCORE *BOOMBOOMBOOM* So much jumping Great live fun stuff. Definitely, especially with the WJAL references, it gives also the "party anthem" a kind of more emoition. So damn good. Yeah, one of my favorites, in my Top 15.
Flok rock. New genre. I'm gonna be the odd man out here, because COG doesn't even fall into my top 5 on Living Things. It is surpassed by LITE, IMR, Powerless, Until it Breaks, and Lies Greed Misery. Not one of my favorites, but I do like the song. Maybe 23ish on my top songs list. I do really like the glass-like synth they incorporated with the electro drums. The song just feels too short to me, like if I blink I'm gonna miss the good parts. I'm not really a fan of the remix too much, I some of the synths kill the vibe of the song (not all, but some). Not really a fan of the Experience version.
Yeah, but you gotta remember the only reason CB sung that night was because of the charity. He was sick before and after the show, so with him at 100% i reckon it would have been brilliant
Castle Of Glass I like because it switches between Mike and Chester in a similar way to Rebellion. If you know what I mean.
I disagree. On CoG its more the first half of the song its Mike in the foreground and after that it Chester. On Rebellion they switch with verses abd chorus. Just my opinion.
I love it, it's my 3rd favorite song of off LT and it's in my top 20 LP songs. I never really thought about it until it was mentioned here, but it does seem to end rather abruptly. I never had a problem with it before, but now it's bothering me It really does feel like it needs an extra minute or so. The atmosphere of this song is great though, it's just so dark and moody. This is one of the most unique songs in their discography, I would have loved to have seen it get a Tinfoil/Powerless-esque treatment. I would have loved a minute long or so instrumental leading up to it. Still, I love what we got, I certainly never get tired of hearing it, and I always enjoy hearing Mike singing on more songs. I love what they did with the live version too, the added ATS bits are great. I would love to see them play it live in person, hopefully someday.
Love the song, but I agree, it could use more breathing room. As for the other versions, I didn't realize how much I loved Mike's remix of it until I looked at my play count a few months ago. It's just a killer track, made especially badass by that outro. That's why I love the live experience version they've been playing. And it just got better when they added in the ATS parts. That's one song I'd really love to witness in person.
I tried listening very closely for that "glass effect" after you brought it up earlier, but the closest thing I could find was the hi-hat being hit very quickly making a somewhat shattering sound.
It's only slightly similar. I didn't say it was exactly the same way, but it's kind of similar, I suppose.
It's in the very beginning, and it doesn't sound like a hi-hat to me at all. Literally the first sound you hear after the opening synth. I have a sample on my computer tha sounds very similar to it, if not identical, and that's why I insist upon it. Plus, the drums for pretty much all of Living Things are programmed anyways. Doesn't anyone remember the metal clang-like sound they used in Points and in Figure.09 to accentuate the snare? https://clyp.it/bay14bf3 There's the sample. With a little pitch adjustment it sounds just like it.
What can I say about this song? This is my 2nd favorite of LT.I like the video version of the song,with extended intro.
Castle of Glass used to be one of my favorite songs, being in my top 10 LP songs for a while. Then I kinda became bored with it. But I gotta say, after giving it a good listen now, I'm kinda falling in love with it again. The meaning behind the lyrics is fantastic and really stands out. While I think it'd be nice to hear a version with an extended bridge or ending or something, I don't feel like the song falls short as it stands. But I do prefer the music video version of the song over the original. The extended intro really introduces this emotional atmosphere that you don't immediately get a sense of when listening to the original. I also like hearing the sounds of wind at the end. It just makes the song feel more alive. As for Mike's remix. All I have to say is "Damn, Mike!" He has really crafted some beautiful remixes like P5hng Me A*wy and Krwlng and the Victimized remix, and I would certainly add this Castle of Glass remix to the list. While I don't always listen to EDM that much, this remix is one of the few songs I listen to when listening to EDM. Everything from the drop to the synth to in the second half of the song to how Chester's vocals sound, it all just sounds so amazing to me. In addition, the Castle of Glass Experience is very fun to listen to when at a live concert. It really gets the crowd energized. Screw Fort Minor, Mike should make a remix album or something!
VICTIMIZED “For you snakes in the grass, supplying the venom, I ain’t scared of your teeth, I admire what’s in em” The folk-turned-metal cataclysm Victimized is the seventh of twelve tracks featured on LIVING THINGS. Although the song is only one minute and forty-six seconds long, it incorporates several genres of music both new and old to Linkin Park, including folk, rap, metal, hardcore punk, and electronic undertones. When the tracklist for LIVING THINGS was revealed, Victimized was thought to be an interlude or instrumental. It wasn’t until several band members spoke highly of the song as the heaviest they’ve ever done that Victimized became revered, and suddenly recognized as one of the most anticipated songs on the forthcoming album. Fans began salivating at the prospect of Linkin Park returning to their truly aggressive heritage. Beginning as “Battle Axe” in LIVING THINGS demo sessions, Victimized once featured gang vocals in its foreboding opening as seen in the LPTV video. The song is greatly influenced by punk rock bands such as Pennywise and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, due to its minimal content at less than two minutes in length. Dave “Phoenix” Farrell explained that the demo title “is… what that song is; it’s just this big ‘crack’ and then you’re out.” A static sample opens Victimized before a quaking drum line, leading into what can only be interpreted as a violent maelstrom of electronic distortion. Choosing to rely on electronic density rather than crunching guitars (once again drowned in the mix), the jarring yet relentless introduction wastes no time in setting a frenetic tone. Suddenly the track takes a sharp turn into the alien unknown with a scratchy recording of a man speaking in a foreign language. Mike Shinoda has gone on record to say this individual was a vendor for a Linkin Park concert at one point. Interestingly, “Linkin Park going back to their roots” was dissected from fans early on, even though the recording is in a completely different language. Victimized than falls silent for a moment, save for a brooding piano riff as Shinoda foretells the ensuing catastrophe to follow in a haunting, yet criticizing tone. The same blasting drumbeat explodes and the electronic storm reawakens as Bennington howls “VICTIMIZED” almost demonically in the blazing refrain before throwing the song into a controlling and commanding rap verse by Shinoda. The distorted bridge is gungy and angst-ridden as Shinoda scornfully beckons a “violent rhythm” with his music. As the song reaches its climatic finale, Bennington comes back for another mutilating refrain, concluding the track at its highest point of fury with a grinding scream before another electronic fortress. Lyrically, Victimized is very one-dimensional. The song clearly delivers a message that the main character involved is no longer going to be a victim at the hands of someone (or something) else. Shinoda’s lyrics continue to paint the same rebellious campaign he’s been rhyming about in previous songs from LIVING THINGS, this time going so far as to threatening his oppressors, telling them they will become victims all too soon as well. Overall the song feels like the true breaking point hyped in Lies Greed Misery. Bennington has gone on record to speak about the inception of the mutilating chorus refrain, along with claiming that he believes LIVING THINGS contains some of the best rapping Shinoda has ever done: The Victimized (M. Shinoda Remix) found on Recharged is equally as relentless as the album track if not more so. The track features a blazing-fast electronic-trap beat, an artificially extended Bennington scream that would sound right at home on Given Up, and extremely distorted vocals from Shinoda, similar to those found on Frgt/10 from 2002’s Reanimation. The remix wraps up mercilessly with Bennignton’s screams being sped up much faster alongside a charging synth. In terms of sheer BPM, it’s easily Linkin Park’s most aggressive remix. Fitting for what was hyped to be the band’s most brutal song. Victimized was an absolute monster when performed live, thanks to its ridiculously badass mash-up with one of Linkin Park’s heaviest nu-metal tracks, Qwerty. The Victimized/Qwerty mashup was conceived at the start of the Honda Civic Tour and was played consistently through to the end of 2013. The mashup involved the entirety of Victimized being played before transitioning into Qwerty’s intro riff, which then went directly into the bridge. The end of the bridge brought the insane electronic outro from Victimized back into action and had several of Bennington’s patented legendary live screams. Although the track brought a lightning rod of energy, it was unfortunately dropped in 2014, presumably in favour of promotion for The Hunting Party. Interestingly, because of the mashup, Victimized was never played live on its own. Hopefully the mashup makes a return, as many hardcore fans would welcome it back with open arms. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I must say I enjoyed the hell out of writing up on Victimized, the song really is a blast to analyze. That said, since The Hunting Party, I believe Victimized has succumbed to a lack of identity, as its unsettling aggression has lost its luster in the shadow of Linkin Park’s latest record. However, I still think the track is a highlight for Living Things. Mike’s rap verse is badass and Chester’s screaming is unreal, although the track would be nothing but a disaster without the opening verse, as it sets the stage for the madness that follows. And live the song is just insane thanks to the addition of Qwerty.
I thought the guitars were really prominent in Victimized, and there was a HOG or something being using for octave-splitting? I love this song. Absolute fucking banger.
One of my favorite from LT, although I sorta prefer the Shinoda remix. The hardcore influences in there are just ridiculous!
I remember this was one of the first songs from LT besides LGM and BID that I heard when LT went on YT. I thought it was absolutely insane, I called it Wretches and Kings on steroids. When I listen to Victimized now I still love it, but it feels like the prequel to THP lol. Whenever I get tired of the garage-band tone of THP I go to this track, I love the digital clarity of it. Curious, what part of the song is folk? I don't really see any folk influences in this song. Also, I wanna hear more about the sample of the man speaking. Is there like a source video or something? I've always wondered what the heck that was. And does it really say "Linkin Park going back to their roots"? That's cool. I hope one day we get to hear the gang vocals version. I also hope this song comes back live. As for the remix, it's terrific. A little too long imo, but I love that it's just insanely fast and hard, perfect for the track.
It's a sample of a vendor, I believe I read it was an unofficial rip-off vendor or something, that Mike recorded with his phone. I believe it was stated that it was in Malaysia? Somewhere in Asia, if I'm not mistaken. Astat should know.
I remember when I first heard this. Truly Linkin Park's heaviest song at the time. I will agree that it has lost its identity after the release of The Hunting Party, but there is no denying that bringing it back into the setlist would certainly pump fans up. The VICTIMIZED/QWERTY mash up along with LIES GREED MISERY were hands down my favorite songs live during the Honda Civic Tour!