Linkin Park – Minutes To Midnight

I don’t know much about Linkin Park. It’s not my thing. Honestly, I don’t even know how this CD got into my house – I think a couple of my humour CDs have been breeding after the lights go out, and this, their offspring, is their idea of some kind of a joke on me.

Since I’m no expert, I did minimal reading to confirm my suspicions, and offer you a quasi-review, point form (think of it as a checklist of items):

– Rick Rubin produced this, their third record. It’s 2007 but sounds like 1994, the typical quiet/loud thing.

– Nasal and screaming. Is it screamo? I don’t know what screamo is, precisely, do these guys fall under that lame label?

– Typical lyrics of alienation and “what’s wrong with me?” and “this is my manifesto, what’s wrong with the world?” blah blah blah “Put me out of my misery!” (gladly)

– Prerequisite party track, with hand claps! (Bleed It Out)

– Song that starts off sounding like Nine Inch Nails and ends sounding like a bad U2 rip-off. (Shadow Of the Day), and follow-up song using identical chords.

– Big chuggy punk turned metal chords.

– Obvious Slayer moment (No More Sorrow)

– Gentle “We really mean it” song (In Between)

In Sum:

This didn’t grab me. At all. It’s like they glued together all of their favourite elements and influences without starting with a sound of their own. I am not their target market. Meh.