Review - Minutes to Midnight

Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Minutes to Midnight
Record Label: Warner Bros.
Producer(s):Rick Rubin, Mike Shinoda
Release Date: May 14, 2007
Genre: Rock
Strong Points: The band takes several big steps away from the repeat sound of Meteora, and does so surprisingly well; the bands lyrics remain simple, but are far more mature in nature.
Weak Points: The band seems to be straining themselves while reaching for a new sound.
Technical Score: B+
Artistic Score: B+
Final Score (not an average): B
Moral Warnings: A number of the songs use the F-word in them (Given Up, Bleed it Out, Hands Held High); the album is very politically charged against the former President Bush, with specific implications against the Iraq War.

Meteora was, ultimately, a carbon copy of Hybrid Theory. That album did not see Linkin Park growing as a band, musically or lyrically, as they performed a repeat of angry men growling angry words backed with angry music. Minutes to Midnight, while not perfect by any means, sees them taking several large steps in the right direction, and doing it with precision and grace. They attempt to shake the remaining dust from their previous sound and build a new image for themselves. Die-hard fans of Hybrid Theory and Meteora will likely have hard feelings towards this new album. For the rest of us, the result of the band's efforts is a Linkin Park that stretches for higher heights, newer sounds, and better music.

Despite this reach, the album is not without flaws. To change one's sound so extensively is a feat that must expect some mistakes along the way. Linkin Park is not immune. Even distantly, the band retains the feel of their previous work, and on occasion this conflicts with what they are trying to make new. For instance, the first song that shows a true difference in the band's style, "Leave Out All the Rest," reveals a far softer side to Linkin Park, but it's done through synthesized melodies and computerized beats that feel reminiscent to the final song off Meteora, "Numb."

In other areas of the album, the band strains for originality and just flat out misses the mark. One of the last songs on the album, "In Pieces," sounds like what would happen if Chester Bennington replaced Ben Gibbard's voice for The Postal Service. The song is well-written and performed, and on an album where the music is so varied, it fits in appropriately. But it's still a long stretch, and a sound that Linkin Park hopefully will not pursue in the future.

Indeed, songs like "In Pieces" or the ebow centered "In Between" seem to have been written for the sole purpose of Linkin Park being able to say that they're far from one dimensional. And they certainly have that right. Whether the change in sound is enjoyed or not, it's impossible not to be impressed at how they prove, song after song, that they deserve to be taken seriously.

In all the places where the band's old sound conflicts with the new, or the places when they stretch too far to find something new, there are just as many spots where old and new come together perfectly. "Given Up" shows Linkin park retaining their emotionally driven (that emotion being anger) lyrics and music. But the music is pure metal, something the band has never attempted before, and something they do with near perfection.

In comparison with the aggressive despair of "Given Up" and the politically charged "No More Sorrow," for most of the rest of the album, Linkin Park reveals a softer side - one far more thoughtful and mature than the Linkin Park from Hybrid Theory and Meteora. Perhaps the best example of this is "Valentine's Day", which is arguably the best song on the album. It's slow, gentle, melodic. The empty mood of the music reflects the story that Bennington sings of - a man who is burying his love after she has passed away. "And the crowds above moved closer/looking so dissatisfied/and the ground below grew colder/as they put you down inside." It's a lyrically simple, yet beautiful song, sure to tug at heart strings.

As far as moral content goes, the F-word is used on and off throughout the album, but no other bad language is used. The political attacks in Minutes to Midnight are frequent, and don't pull any punches, which could be a turn off for some. "Hands Held High" expresses the need to stand up and protest the war. "Jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumpin/**** that/I wanna see some fists pumpin'." "No More Sorrow," a metal song, has lyrics pretty close to hate aimed towards former President Bush. "Your crusade's a disguise/replace freedom with fear/you trade money for lies." Finally, "The Little Things You Give Away" expresses disgust for how Hurricane Katrina was handled.

Minutes to Midnight features several new sounds for Linkin Park, most of them fresh and impressively performed and writtten. Some will be disappointed in this switch in musical focus. For the rest, it's an impressive step in the right direction.

Album Highlights:

Given Up
What I've Done
Valentine's Day

Zak Mellgren - (zak@revolve21.com)