Review Summary: Tryin' to catch fire but feelin' so cold
Well, here we are.
Linkin Park are one of the few genuine rock and roll phenomena of the 21st century. It's just about impossible to overstate their influence or enumerate the bands and copycats they've directly inspired. It's quite remarkable what they achieved, considering the music itself was nothing too revolutionary; they've long been a dart board for many a critic of cynical ear. And yet their fan base is vast and widespread, and they should be first-ballot inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next year. This begs the question -
how did they do it?
Okay, fuck this attempt at clean-looking exposition, let's just
go there. Chester Bennington had a unique and singular gift as a vocalist. He didn't just have the guts to elucidate his depressed and dark musings on paper, he brought them to life on record in such a palpable and emotionally impactful way, that scores of listeners the world over found themselves in his songs, and forged a connection with him that far transcends a typical artist-listener dynamic. This is why it hit
so fucking hard when he took his life in 2017. Even many who wouldn't call themselves meaningful fans of Linkin Park were taken aback by the news. It sent shockwaves through the rock world (and music in general), and sent one of this era's most respected and consequential groups into a long, gloomy and uncertain hiatus that no one knew, or hardly even believed, they would or could emerge from. Chester's passing embellished the Linkin Park name with a permanent asterisk, impossible to ignore or not speak about when considering the band's broader legacy.
All of this said, a band of this stature no doubt
deserves to decide for themselves if such a tragedy should be the end of their story. I think Linkin Park resurfacing in any capacity has the makings of a feel-good rock and roll triumph. I think finally regrouping and pressing forward once more seven years later helps to prevent Chester's death from becoming even more of a defining moment of their career. Sadly, though, not all share in the jubilation. Linkin Park tapped Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong to be their new lead vocalist, and to say she brought an
avalanche of controversy with her would be a gross understatement. The decision to recruit Armstrong, with her apparent previous ties to the Church of Scientology and support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, has been perceived by many as a colossal slap in the face to the memory of Bennington, himself a victim of childhood sexual abuse. Chester's widow Talinda seemingly supports Armstrong's induction to the band, while his son Jaime accused them of 'quietly erasing' his father's legacy. This is pretty indicative of the broader divide among fans and listeners; some are willing to look past it all, others jumped ship never to return.
Holy fuck, this timeline is whacked. Let's get to the music.
In terms of talent and vocal prowess, I believe Emily is very similar to Chester in her ability to elevate what might otherwise be mundane-reading passages with tons of tenacity and personality. The problem is, I think the band is deliberately trying to test this hypothesis by making the most intentionally boring and derivative music they can.
From Zero, appropriately titled given the circumstances, is like a box of Linkin Park chocolates. You don't know
quite what you'll get, but each offering draws on, or calls back to, something the band has already done. The most frequent flavor is a sort-of marriage of
Hybrid Theory and
Meteora, bar none the band's most successful and significant output, and the sterilized electropop of
One More Light. But everything winks and nods in some way to the old days without explicitly talking about it. The closest we get to seeing Mike Shinoda address his fallen friend is the closing cut "Good Things Go," which sees Emily implying she shouldn't be Chester's replacement, while Shinoda oscillates between tacitly alluding to the trauma inflicted by the loss, brazenly rebuking some sort of nameless muse, and thanking them for being there through it all. Emily's voice, though capable, is more listless and plain here than anywhere else on the album.
"Two-Faced," which does boast of the album's catchiest chorus and an impressive performance by the band firing on all cylinders, is a structural rehash of "One Step Closer." "Heavy Is the Crown", notable for Emily's unbridled screams on the bridge, would have been right at home on
Meteora, with lyrics that ostensibly reference
Minutes to Midnight's "Bleed It Out". "Casualty", raucous as it is, gives serious
Hunting Party vibes. Lead single "The Emptiness Machine" seems to be the most experimental despite its not unfamiliar sound. It gives Emily the best chance to introduce and establish herself while showchasing how her vocals can sear through a composition in the same way Chester did. Emily's not the only new addition. Colin Brittain makes his recorded debut behind the kit in place of Rob Bourdon, who understandably wished to step away after Chester's death. Further compounding the turnover in the LP camp, guitarist Brad Delson will no longer accompany the band in a live setting, relegating exclusively to in-studio. Shame, because his lead parts on this album, "Two-Faced" chief among them, are quite enjoyable.
From Zero is a fucking mess. It had to be, sure, given the context, but it's still tough to pine through. It doesn't overstay its welcome, barely clocking in past a half hour, but the time it does take up sees the band reemerging from tragedy in a way that doesn't seem sure how to honor its past. Every song is some sort of callback, but in a way that screams focus-tested, perhaps their way of dipping their toes back in the water with this new lineup. But simply dipping in is futile when you know the enterprise is seaworthy. I'd venture as far as to say an artist of this caliber has no business phoning it in. It's all proficiently performed and produced, but some of it borders on forgettable and even annoying ("Stained" is the one serious skip here). I still struggle deciding how I feel about this whole reboot. I'll still wager that a band this culturally ubiquitous should continue if they have the means, but they'll forever be weighed against what came before, often unfavorably. Only time will tell if anything here finds it way into the essential LP canon, and if they made the right call not simply leaving their name in the past.
