 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Ed Colver")
Since igniting the rock music scene with their debut album Hybrid Theory in September 2000, Linkin Park has been closely associated with "nu-metal." The fusion of hip-hop rhymes from Mike Shinoda, alongside the powerful hard-rock vocals of Chester Bennington, created a sound that was inimitably their own. However, their third studio release, Minutes to Midnight breaks all stereotypes, bringing a softer, less innovative pop-rock sound.
According to Bennington, the title is important because it sets the theme for the entire album. Minutes to Midnight refers to the doomsday clock at the University of Chicago, which calculates the end of the world by nuclear war. When the minutes are close to midnight, total destruction is eminent. But, as the minutes pass and are further away from midnight, the world is safe.
The title sets the tone for a hard-hitting, blow-your-mind rock album, but comes up entirely short.
Co-produced by Shinoda and Rick Rubin, Minutes deviates from the typical LP sound of Bennington screaming over hard guitar riffs in exchange for pop-rock melodies. Throughout, it's hard to remind yourself that you are actually listening to Linkin Park, as the sound is a turnaround of what they once produced. Some may even say they have finally sold out to fit into the mainstream, which seems to be overrun by pop-rock moneymakers like Nickelback.
The album only features two tracks with Shinoda rapping, disappointing news for fans that enjoy the rap-rock combination of albums past. On a brighter note, however, Minutes is the first Linkin Park album to feature a parental advisory label. Rock music just isn't rock music if a few choice words aren't thrown into the mix.
Minutes opens with a short instrumental track called "Wake" that gives the album a slight electronica twist, compiled by DJ Joseph Hahn. Sadly, this is the only track Hahn seems to be present on, unlike previous albums where Hahn's turntables were a staple in every song.
The intro leads into the first full-length track, "Given Up," which is by far the closest song on the album to old-school LP sound. The song will surely be stuck in your head with the catchy beat and passionate vocals from Bennington. Although it lacks Shinoda's lyrical linguistics, Bennington does a good job bouncing back and forth between each verse and the screaming chorus.
Don't get too caught up head banging though. This album has its fair share of watered-down vocals from Bennington. Tracks like "Leave Out All the Rest" and "Shadow of the Day" will leave you believing that a boy band took over his body. The songs give you that "woe-is-me" feeling and are far more simplistic, leaving fans to wonder where the creative juices were when LP went into the studio.
"Valentine's Day" is a prime example of where Linkin Park went wrong on Minutes. The song is disappointing with a sappy chorus and second-rate vocals by Bennington. Although the verses are lyrically strong, the overly-whiny chorus taints the entire song.
Linkin Park does give the slower songs some variety, though. For example, fans get a taste of Shinoda's voice on the ballad, "In Between." Although Shinoda can be heard singing as part of his side project, Fort Minor, this is the first Linkin Park album that features his singing voice. Alongside Bennington on the chorus, the two make a good combination.
LP later makes up for the break-up ballads with "Bleed it out." Shinoda works his hip-hop magic, despite rumors that the album would be sans-rap. The upbeat tempo makes the song addictive and may even make you want to get up and jump around. Although not as heavy as what may appear on their former albums, the band delivers on this track.
The album closes with "The Little Things Give You Away," which clearly references the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. The vocals are stronger than the other ballads on the album, and lyrically the song is captivating. Although it is much softer than what LP fans are used to, the track holds a special meaning. It is the best ballad on the album, as it doesn't seem forced.
Overall, Minutes is a more lyrically mature album. The lyrics seem to come more from the heart and are deeper emotionally, with many of them seeming to stem from Bennington's divorce in 2005. There is an eerie, dark feeling to some of the songs, perhaps to tie in with the "doomsday" theme. However, it is disappointing that the compelling lyrics have been paired with diminutive, whiny vocals.
The powerful guitar riffs and DJ effects of Hybrid Theory and 2003's Meteora are essentially lost, giving hardcore fans little to relate to. If you're looking to pick up Minutes to Midnight as a CD to crank in the car and drive around to, or expecting to hear an improvement of old-school LP, it's probably not the best choice.
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