I really don't understand it. In my opinion they've gotten better over the years, even lyrically (minus UIG and a few songs on Living Things"). ATS and M2M are lyrically some of their best work, what's everyones issue? They still haven't gotten over the band evolving 12 years later?
It's like a civil war between LP fans, really. There's those who appreciate everything the band does (love them or not), those who loved certain albums and will hate severely on other albums, those who hate the newer stuff and preach about why they should go back to their older stuff, those who love the newer stuff and will criticize their older stuff harshly, etc. You may find these battles on the grounds of YouTube, Facebook, and some Linkin Park fan sites. Really, what it is is human nature. It's just how we are: we either love, like, or hate to the point where we become absolutely irrational.
I know... thank god a couple of my best friends love LP still. But the majority of everyone I know just hates them. People can't handle change.
Yeah today in Spanish I asked if anyone had heard the new LP song. This kid rudely interrupted me and said," Linkin Park doesn't need to be making any songs anymore." I was not too happy about this, so I asked what bands he listened to, and he said Black Veil Brides and One Direction. I wanted to explain why LP was better than both these groups, but I knew he was a lost cause so I told him cool and that he should respect people's opinions. It seriously made me mad.