“From Zero? Like from nothing?” Linkin Park’s new frontwoman, Emily Armstrong, asks just seconds into the band’s eighth studio album, From Zero. The question isn’t just an allusion to Linkin Park’s original name from 1996 to 1999, Xero, but a subtle acknowledgment of the elephant in the room: the suicide of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017, leading to the band regrouping. Linkin Park is embracing the inevitability of change, framing it as something that can—and should—be seen as a good thing.
It’s baffling, then, that the band spends much of the remainder of the album’s half-hour runtime reliving the past. Specifically, From Zero apes the sounds and styles of Linkin Park’s first three albums without attaining their emotional or sonic impact. The angst-ridden fury of Hybrid Theory (on “Two Faced”), the hook-laden anthems of Meteora (on “The Emptiness Machine”), and the alt-rock leanings of Minutes to Midnight (on “Cut the Bridge,” an egregious “Bleed It Out” rip-off) aren’t merely reference points, they’re the entire foundation of the music here.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing—a safe, back-to-basics rebranding is at least be more tolerable than the pop and EDM-heavy slop that plagued Linkin Park’s last few releases—but none of these songs can stand shoulder to shoulder with, say, “In the End” or “Breaking the Habit.” Most of the material here is composed of a lot of overworked huffing and puffing in an apparent attempt to recapture the feeling of restlessness that those earlier songs effortlessly generated.
“Can you get your screaming pants on?” Mike Shinoda jokingly asks at one point, right before Armstrong starts shrieking her brains out on “Casualty.” Due to the overwhelmingly toxic and misogynistic nature of the backlash Linkin Park faced for replacing Bennington (as well as some legitimate reasons to not be entirely pleased with his successor), many will no doubt place the blame for most of the album’s deficiencies on Armstrong. But aside from her performance on the fairly lifeless ballad “Over Each Other,” she’s often the best thing From Zero has going for it.
Serving as the throat-shredding yin to Shinoda’s straight-man rapping yang, Armstrong’s vocal range is a bit limited, but she largely sticks to her strengths, welcomingly counteracting some of the band’s worst tendencies (for one, she helps resuscitate the drony “Overflow”). But it’s a pity that she’s essentially reduced to engaging in what mostly feels like Linkin Park karaoke.
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Only honest review I have seen so far.
Meh, I liked it.
This review is spot-on. From Zero is really just Post Traumatic 2.0. This album is so on-the-nose about Mike’s on-going resentment and anger towards Chester (from him outshining Mike when he was alive, and then taking away his band when he died). This album is dripping in resentment, bitterness, and Mike should have seen a therapist instead of regrouping because this album is a joke.
Emily did the best she could with what she was given-which was essentially nothing, so if there was any highlight to this album, it was her.
Thank you for that. It really sums up what im feeling about this whole mess.
This Album shows that Mike was really carried by Chester. And Emily tries to solve this Problem and shines in ” The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy is the Crown” but once they deviate from her strengths everything falls apart. Mikes only strenght is his rap parts, as soon as he tries something else like in “Cut the Bridge” it shows that he is only a subpar Singer.
terrible review, ew
nevertheless i think if they haven’t chosen emily and it was someone else in her place people woud still criticize LP for their new direction
Linkin Park’s new album definitely tugs at the nostalgic heartstrings. While most of the tracks aren’t particularly groundbreaking, it’s a beautiful blend of the sounds and styles of their previous records – embracing the past and moving forward in a new era. Oh, and Overflow is a masterpiece.
Just 2.5? This is at least 3.5,but i smell some hate