A Thousand Suns

[Aeon Mathix]

Coming from a long time linkin park fan since their Hybrid Theory days, I can say i enjoyed their latest release "A Thousand Suns". I know Ill probably get a lot of hate considering how hated this album seems to be, but I just wanted to touch on something that has always annoyed me about what critics say just about everytime any artists release a new album and thats that "all the songs sound the same" or that "its the same old stuff."

Obviously every artist's music is going to sound the same in one way or another, its called a rhythm that they develop and then stick with the term "If it's not broken, don't fix it". Even though I am mixed on Linkin Park's newest CD, I have to commend them for taking a chance and trying something different. Even though what I realized is that when an artist tries something new they will get shit on even more so, then having their new material not stray far from what they had before. Its just another case of "you cant please everyone". Lets be honest, the whole rap-rock genre expired a while ago so what did Linkin Park do with their previous release before A Thousand Suns? They evolved with "Minutes To Midnight". MTM was a good commercial success with such songs that appeared on movie soundtracks, although It took a big chunk of the band's fanbase. But they werent the same angry Linkin Park they once were they grew as musicians and tried different things

A Thousand Suns, then, in my view, is Linkin Park's first glimpse of solace. Listening to it, I see the wounded man internalizing his anger differently now than in Hybrid Theory, taking the weight of his troubles on his own shoulders rather than throwing them onto others. A salve of sorts is applied to some of the old scars, though a few new cuts are evident too. It's not a happy album by any means, but it is peaceful, in a way only LP can make industrial noise sound. It's also not a simple album; I am sure that future listens will reveal even more about the music to me.

While "A Thousand Suns" may not be exactly what everyone wants from Linkin Park, at the end of the day, no one can accuse them of repeating themselves or recording the same album twice. At this point in their career, it would be all too easy to rest on their laurels and keep churning out "One Step Closer" clones. It's an album that lacks commercial edge and takes more than a few listens to fully sink in, but when approached with an open mind, it reveals itself as one of the band's most inspiring and definitive pieces of music. If you're hoping to get your white-boy angst on with this record, you may feel Linkin Park owe you a thousand apologies for "A Thousand Suns," but in the end, they don't, and really, you should have grown out of it by now.

So what are your thoughts on Linkin Park's "A Thousand Suns"?

 

[Arkham Noir]

I like the new album alot. I've loved Likin Park for as long as I can remember and I appreciate that they put out different music as their albums progress. I was actually considering making a thread about how people seem to turn on bands because they change , using this album as my lead example.

I can see why some don't like it though. They aren't the same as they were ten years ago but come on, do we really expect them to stay the exact same? Their writing is much better now and I can actually take something significant out of their lyrics. Hybrid Theory was great, but I could have written lyrics with as much meaning.I personally like their new sound as well. Waiting For The End is one of my favourite songs right now. People need to grow and if one doesn't like how their sound has changed than it's too bad, but move on. I woudn't expect Linkin Park to remain the same and would actually be dissapointed if they had.

In the conclusion, I say this is a solid album and love hearing anything these guys put out.

 

[Calderownz]

From what I've heard of the album, I enjoy it. It's not as good as Minutes To Midnight, in my opinion, however it's a solid effort. I REALLY love that song "Waiting For The End," I can listen to that shit all day.

My fiance hates Linkin Park (for whatever reason), but even she likes that song.

 

[Fizzy]

Epic album. Theres a few songs that I could live without on the album, but when the album shines, it fucking shines. The Messenger is one of the most emotional songs I have ever heard. His voice in that song is fantastic. The Catalyst was the most played song on my itunes. Love it. Iridescent is amazing, as is Wretches and Kings which is more like their old stuff. Behind Nightmare it is my favorite CD released this year, and I continue to listen to it quite a lot.

 

[Cracka Jack]

Definitely one of the best albums I've heard all year. To give some perspective on my opinion, I was a pretty fan of theirs after hearing Hybrid Theory. Meteora was good, but a bit too much like HT for my taste. They then stated that their next album would go in a different direction musically, which I was happy to hear. The resulting album, Minutes To Midnight, was something I didn't exactly enjoy. It wasn't bad; it just felt empty. I actually felt like giving up on the band.

Imagine my surprise when listening to A Thousand Suns. Not only is it good, it's great! They once again changed their sound, but this time it felt totally fresh and original. I never expected them to put out an album like this, but I'm glad they did. If Chester's voice wasn't so recognisable, I wouldn't have had a clue it was them. I never thought they'd win me back over, but I'm officially a fan again. I hope the band can continue to evolve the way this album has shown they can.

 

[LSN80]

While it's not one of my favorite albums to come out this year, I surprisingly enjoyed it.

The Catalyst is a huge departure from the typical Linkin Park style, but that's not a bad thing. Hearing the song live is an epic experience. The big single, but my favorite song off the album nonetheless.
The Messenger is another song that isn't typical Linkin Park, but it shows their growth as a band, both musically and lyrically. I really enjoy the meaning behind the song as well. Wretches and Kings is a bit of a throwback to their original sound, with a heavier beat, which isnt necessarily a bad thing.
Irridiscent is another beautiful song. I think if any song reflects the new direction the band has taken, it's this one. They've grown up, theyre not as angry anymore. What results is a great song.
Waiting for the End is a damn catchy song, then Chester's voice kicks in soothingly. Brilliant.

The rest of the album I can live with or without, but that doesn't make it a bad one in the least. Good call on this on, DJ.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A Thousand Suns is just simply amazing. The first time through I thought to myself "Wtf.... THIS is what they came up with after 3 years!?".... but I gave it a second chance. This time I listened to it in the track listing order, without shuffling anything. THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. For those who are familiar with Dark Side of the Moon, this album has been compared to that. You need to listen to it with shuffle turned off in order to get the best experience.

It's unlike anything Linkin Park has done before. Older fans may still criticize them for not bringing back the sound they had on Hybrid Theory, but it's definitely better than Meteora and Minutes To Midnight because the band has kept evolving without having to rely on doing the same stuff over and over again, but also have been successful with trying new styles too. If you didn't like it at first, give it another try without shuffling tracks. You won't regret it. I know I didn't. I could listen to it over and over again, what a fantastic cd!

Highly recommended for everyone. It's awesome!

 

[Dave]

A thousand Suns is really bad a points but it is really good at others. Really, if I was pushed to rate this album out of 10, it would probably get a 5.

The problem with A Thousand Suns is that everything sounds the exact same as the last one. Now, creating and falling into a niche is all well and god. However, the fact that I got an album that was basically the same song over and over seemed to get on my nerves throughout the album.

The other thing that annoyed me was the fact that there was very little rock music in the album at all. There was very little guitar that has become synonymous with Linkin Park and it broke my heart to not hear Chester Bennington give us a trademarked vocal attack. To me, this album lost everything that had made Linkin Park great and that was very unfortunate. Coming off of Minutes To Midnight, I was really excited to see what they had left in the tank and it turns out that it is very little. To me, they just sound like every other generic “rock” band.

The content is not so bad that it should be written off but they could have definitely gave us a better album on the whole. Something that felt more true to Linkin Park would have been better and would have resulted in a higher score but they failed to deliver. A lot of the songs just fail to separate themselves from the others and for that reason, the album is pretty mediocre.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A thousand Suns is really bad a points but it is really good at others. Really, if I was pushed to rate this album out of 10, it would probably get a 5.

Dave, I normally agree with almost all of your posts.... but I disagree this time. I think 5 is a little harsh. Did you listen to the tracks in order with shuffle turned off? The disc is meant to be listened to that way and is SO much better when not shuffled. I made that same mistake the first time I listened to it. I would honestly give it at the very least an 8 or a 9.

The problem with A Thousand Suns is that everything sounds the exact same as the last one. Now, creating and falling into a niche is all well and god. However, the fact that I got an album that was basically the same song over and over seemed to get on my nerves throughout the album.

It was designed that way though. There was talks of releasing a secondary version of the cd on iTunes that was the cd in its entirety as a single 47+ minute track. It's meant to have the feel of one gargantuan track, much like Dark Side Of the Moon. I can see how that would upset some people though.

The other thing that annoyed me was the fact that there was very little rock music in the album at all. There was very little guitar that has become synonymous with Linkin Park and it broke my heart to not hear Chester Bennington give us a trademarked vocal attack. To me, this album lost everything that had made Linkin Park great and that was very unfortunate. Coming off of Minutes To Midnight, I was really excited to see what they had left in the tank and it turns out that it is very little. To me, they just sound like every other generic “rock” band.

Linkin Park was never about "rock" music though. They began by trying to incorporate elements of rock, rap, etc, all at once back at Hybrid Theory. They have always been about trying new things that hasn't necessarily been done before in the world of rock music. I do agree that Chester should have had a long yell in a couple of the songs. His regular singing is actually very good too though. Look at songs such as What I've Done, in particular. I like how they are constantly evolving on each disc. They needed to change their sound because the "rapping over rock" fad had died out. They outlived it, and we are still lucky enough as fans to get to hear more music from them.

The content is not so bad that it should be written off but they could have definitely gave us a better album on the whole. Something that felt more true to Linkin Park would have been better and would have resulted in a higher score but they failed to deliver. A lot of the songs just fail to separate themselves from the others and for that reason, the album is pretty mediocre.

That's just the thing though.... They wanted to do something entirely different this time around. They got accused of sounding too much like Hybrid Theory on Meteora. They tried to completely start over with a new sound on Minutes To Midnight, only to receive a negative attitude from the fanboys who still live in the past and refused to accept the new style the band had picked. Then what do they do this time? They released A Thousand Suns, a cd so complex that I struggle with finding the words to even describe it.... It's simply amazing and anyone who dislikes it should give it a second chance. It keeps getting better and better with every listen.

Now, do I like it as much as Hybrid Theory? No. They might never top that one. However, I have enjoyed every single album they have released and am just glad to have such great music to listen to. Bands change over time, as does their sound. I like One Step Closer as much as the next guy, but newer songs such as Burning In The Sky are so beautiful and would easily end up on a greatest hits some day.