Remember when Linkin Park was the king of middle school angst? Well believe it or not, the band has grown up, and it shows on its latest release, “A Thousand Suns.” Does this newfound maturity work for them? In short: sometimes. It’s always admirable when a band extends its sound beyond the set comfort zone, but Linkin Park lacks the chops and edge to make “A Thousand Suns” as effective as it could be.
But that’s not to say that the album is a failure. Nostalgia aside, this just might be Linkin Park’s best effort yet. It’s apparent right from the start that the band really wants this to be a cohesive album, as opposed to just a collection of songs. This goal is largely achieved through the use of atmospheric interludes, which work surprisingly well. The songs themselves aren’t always up to par, but the album still maintains a very nice flow.
As far as their new style goes, anyone expecting the pop-rock, nu-metal, rap-core (or whatever else they’re considered these days) that Linkin Park is known for, they have another thing coming. The rock elements are only marginally present at this point. Instead, Linkin Park draws a much stronger influence from EBM/Electro-industrial music. They still try to preserve their pop-rock accessibility, but this time it’s against a backdrop of programmed beats and sound loops.
In terms of songwriting, Linkin Park has never been the master of subtlety. For the most part, the cheesy, melodramatic lyrics remain. Fortunately, Linkin Park do manage to throw us a few curveballs. For example, “The Catalyst” initially seems like it will simply be a schlocky, call-to-arms track, but quickly develops into the album’s best anthem (which is a good thing, seeing as the album already has a schlocky, call-to-arms track, the awful “Wretches and Kings”).
The other highlight, “Waiting for the End”, is rooted more in rock music than the electronic-sounding “The Catalyst” and features great vocal interplay between Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda.
Unfortunately, with the exception of a few tasteful electronic interludes, the rest of the album ranges from bad to mediocre. Even the better tracks such as “Blackout” and “Robot Boy” tend to be on the forgettable side.
Though the more subdued, electronics-based style of the album is a nice change of pace, Linkin Park hasn’t quite worked out the kinks necessary to make “A Thousand Suns” a truly gratifying listen.