Linkin Park – Living Things CD review

Over the past few years Linkin Park have ditched their nu metal roots seen on their first two albums, Hybrid Theory and Meteora and taken to more of a pop, radio friendly sound to keep up with the times and trends of the ever changing music scene. Now in 2012 with the release of their latest album entitled Living Things – we see that Linkin Park may be on the path way back to their original sound; bringing back the rock musicianship into their songs and going a little lighter on the decks and keys. Although this album isn’t Hybrid Theory II, Living Things is the start of Linkin Park’s comeback to form, for let’s face it… They couldn’t have got any worse than the way they sounded on 2010’s effort, A Thousand Sons.

Whilst the clean cut, radio friendly aura around songs such as ‘Burn It Down’, ‘I’ll Be Gone’ and ‘Lost In the Echo’ still remain, there is clearly so much more attitude in Linkin Park’s new material, showing that these ageing rap rockers are giving all they can give in every song to try and get back their tarnished reputation after their past two abysmal records. There is clearly the anarchy laden rock n’ roll vibe present in the tracks on Living Things that was seen on the bands earlier material, but this time in more of a modern and contemporary fashion, making Linkin park’s new sound the best of both worlds – combining the old and the new to form a sound that all era’s of Linkin Park fans should enjoy.

With A Thousand Sons and Minute to Midnight there seemed to be a lack of dual vocal lines and a lot of the vocal duties were taken away from Mike Shinoda and given solely to main man Chester Bennington. However with Living Things, it seems Shinoda is back to his old antics, rapping in tracks like ‘Lies Greed Misery’ and ‘In My Remains’ and ‘Skin To Bone’, to support Mr Bennington’s vocal onslaught. It’s just another factor which shows Linkin Park are trying to delve back into their old and much better sound, and it’s catchy tracks like these that make you wonder what experimentation Linkin Park are going to partake in on their next record.

If the songs on this album aren’t good enough to put your faith back into Linkin Park, then the three live tracks you get with the bonus edition of this album most definitely will. ‘New Divide’, ‘What I’ve Done’ and ‘In the End’ are three of Linkin Park’s most memorable and infamous tracks – being used in films, as well as being genuine crowd pleasers when played live. So to heard these songs being performed recently really show that the true Linkin Park are still in there somewhere. They are just waiting like the phoenix to rise again from the ashes.

For those who lost faith in Linkin Park from Minutes to Midnight onwards, Living Things is the perfect pickup point for you. It’s the sound of one of the most influential rap rock bands returning to their roots, but yet sounding bigger and more modern than ever.  By far their greatest album since the mighty Hybrid Theory! [8/10]

01. Lost In The Echo
02. In My Remains
03. Burn It Down
04. Lies Greed Misery
05. I’ll Be Gone
06. Castle Of Glass
07. Victemized
08. Roads Untravelled
09. Skin To Bone
10. Until It Breaks
11. Tinfoil
12. Powerless