by: Charley (@ruperto2106)
So, Linkin Park's new album dropped this Tuesday (6/17) and like most fans when they heard that a new LP album was coming out, it was met with a collective "Eh". Their last two albums, A Thousand Suns (which may as well have been called A Thousand Craps) and Living Things were downright garbage (no insult to Shirley Manson intended). That was not the Linkin Park that many fans remembered. The one glimmer of hope that LP would make at least a half way decent album again was when Stone Temple Pilots announced they kicked out Scott Weiland and introduced Chester Bennington as the new lead singer and released an EP of new songs. Chester fit in perfectly and it was a seamless transition. It left me wondering that maybe LP could remember how to rock.So, I went to my local Best Buy on Tuesday and picked up the The Hunting Party by Linkin Park. I figured that if I'm going back into this music reviewing thing that I ought to give the band another shot.I'm glad I did. “Keys To The Kingdom” starts with Chester screaming and then shoots into heavy drumming, loud guitars, killer vocals, and an inspired rap by Mike Shinoda. If you thought this was the heaviest track on the album, you are making a sad mistake.“All For Nothing” features guest vocalist Page Hamilton (lead singer and guitarist for Helmet) who sings on the chorus. This track is all about Shinoda’s rapid fire, no holds barred, rapping ability.Lead single “Guilty All The Same” will have you head banging and playing air guitar in no time! It also features Rakim rapping a verse over amazing drum work by Rob Bourdon.My favorite track on the album and also the heaviest and sadly the shortest (not counting the 1 minute instrumental track “The Summoning”) is “War”. This track is nothing short of perfection. I need to hear this song live. If this song doesn’t get you pumped up, and ready to taking on the world, check your damn pulse because you’re probably dead. “Final Masquerade” is a close second favorite as it’s probably the softest track on the album and perfectly balances the albums heaviness.Every track is a standout in its own right. “Wastelands” features some of Shinoda’s finest rapping to date. ”Drawbar” is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental track and it features Tom Morello. What more can you want?I hope that Linkin Park continues cracking out these types of albums. Albums that kick your ass an ear drums and makes no apologize for it. This album is Deserving of a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. If it was longer than the 45 minutes it clocks in at, I would have given it a perfect score.Check out the lyric video for “Guilty All The Same”. If you’re interested in purchasing this album, here is a lovely link to do so.>>>> The Hunting Party