Linkin Park
From Zero

Release Date: 11/15/2024 | Tracklist

A lot of concern was had leading up to From Zero. Such as the question of whether Linkin Park should reunite to begin with after Chester Bennington's passing, or the questions of new singer Emily Armstrong's supposed ties to Scientology and her alleged support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, the latter two of which the vocalist of The Mars Volta understandably called out. But before I get into the music, I would like to pose the following question: why in the hell would Mike Shinoda hire an avowed Scientologist to front the band, given their notorious doubts about psychology and mental health despite all evidence to the contrary? Call him money-hungry or whatever all you want, but I find it ridiculously hard to believe that he and the rest of the band wouldn't have done a thorough check on things like that before making the decision. Removing that from the equation, does From Zero even succeed, or is it a dumpster fire that proves once and for all that Bennington was the true heart and soul of the group?

The answer is squarely in the former.

From Zero is an excellent comeback for one of the 21st century's simultaneously most revered and ridiculed rock bands. The opening intro and "The Emptiness Machine" make a grand statement about what the album is all about; it's back to basics somewhat, but there's a very surprising amount of industrial influence permeating throughout the entire album. Tracks like "Heavy Is The Crown", "Casualty" and "IGYEIH" showcase Emily's formidable screaming skills that help establish that she's definitely not a cardboard cutout or replacement of Bennington, and it helps her feel like she's been a part of the group for years; "Heavy" in particular features a 15-second scream that is definitely sure to blow you away when you hear it. Other songs, such as "Overflow" and final lead-up single "Over Each Other", show the softer side of the group, and play out like a far more dirtier take on One More Light sound-wise. From a non-vocal standpoint, the aforementioned "Casualty" sees the group dip their toes into straight up hardcore punk, "Stained" and "Two Faced" are call-backs to the Hybrid Theory and Meteora days; "Two Faced" sees turntablist Joe Hahn at his most visible in a long time and sees some of Shinoda's most powerful raps since Living Things, while "Stained" sees a fusion of said nu metal-era callbacks with the more pop-oriented output they had been on the collision course to since Minutes to Midnight. Brad Delson and Dave Farrell craft their most inspired riffs in the band's entire discography, especially apparent on "The Emptiness Machine" and "IGYEIH"; the band in general is giving it their all here to prove to the world that From Zero is more than a cash grab, but Linkin Park's grand way of reintroducing themselves. The one weak point here instrumentally is the group's new drummer Colin Brittain, who seems to be quite unsure of himself currently and delivers nothing more than just a competent performance; he shows flashes of greatness, but he never brings out his full potential, and the instrumental side of the album suffers a bit for it.

Lyrically, From Zero is a mixed bag. Some of the lines here are their best, such as in closer "Good Things Go", where Emily croons "Only you can save me from my lack of self-control / Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go"; the chorus of "The Emptiness Machine": "Let you cut me open just to watch me bleed / Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be / Don't know why I'm hopin' for what I won't receive / Fallin' for the promise of the emptiness machine"; others are just downright baffling; in the aforementioned "Go", Shinoda actually raps "No, I’m just taking a shot (Ah) / Maybe I’m just too eager (Oh) / Maybe I lost the plot (Ha)" in one of the most "how do you do, fellow kids?" moments in all of music, while "Cut The Bridge" features the embarrassing "Everything was perfect / Always made me nervous / Knowing you would burn it / Just to watch it burn". Fortunately, the musicianship is strong enough to soften the blow of even the weakest of the album's lyrics. Production-wise, the band see the industrial vibe through to the end, and Shinoda, Delson and Brittain form a solid production duo that keeps everything bombastic and interesting. Outside of the occasional vibe and industrial background, From Zero does not break any new ground, but it isn't supposed to; it's supposed to be a rebirth of a band finally ready to move on and create art again in honor of their best friend, and they've succeeded in creating that grand re-introduction, a "welcome back" to one of the most bipolar rock bands currently running today. For that, I commend them.

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