Review Summary: Chester would have been proud.
To say losing a frontman or woman is never easy would be an understatement, and doubly so when said departed member's presence and performance is so deeply ingrained in their band's identity as to be an integral part of it, and
trebly so if the reason for their absence involves some form of tragedy. It is the rare band that tries to come back from such an unfavourable alignment of circumstances, and of those, it is the even rarer one that succeeds in actually launching a new chapter in their career, with the vast majority being (somewhat rightfully) derided for choosing to go on as a lesser version of themselves, often for merely monetary reasons. From Queen to The Doors or Alice in Chains, the list of names in the latter category is as vast as it is easy to rattle off – which makes Linkin Park's decision to return to full-time duties, more than seven years after the untimely and tragic demise of half of their iconic duo of voices, all the more brave, if potentially misguided.
In fact, in the mere two months between the moment they surprised their two generations of fans with the introduction of a new singer in place of Chester Bennington and the release of their eighth studio album – the first without their departed friend - the band has found themselves at the epicentre of any number of varyingly toxic discourses, from fans calling for a somewhat justified rebranding, so as to preserve Bennington's legacy, to others pointing at new leading lady Emily Armstrong's chequered past, or deeming her unworthy of carrying said legacy. To the band's credit, their sole response to this vortex of opinions was to hunker down and continue putting in work towards what would ultimately become
From Zero. Now with a brand-new album to scrutinize and criticize, fans eagerly jumped at the chance to prove Linkin Park could not exist without Chester...only to find that, yes, it very much can.
Not that the band made it difficult for themselves, mind; on the contrary, the meaningfully titled sixth album is about as safe as a comeback record for a blockbuster band can possibly be. Knowing they would, indeed, be starting
From Zero, the band simply pilfered elements from all the different stages of their career – with heavy emphasis on the
Meteora/Minutes to Midnight era of the mid-2000s – and mixed them together into a dozen short, simple and somewhat unassuming songs, as if to prove that their aim with this comeback was not to regain the status they once had, but merely to process the death of a comrade, while also proving there was still enough passion and artistic merit left in his bandmates to ensure they remained a valid unit in the contemporary alternative rock and metal scene.
While
From Zero is very much a cathartic album, however, the latter part of the aforementioned mission statement is debatable; in a post-pandemic, mid-2020s music scene where the word
rock has come to be applied to bands with barely an electric guitar in their sound, would there still be a place, outside the nostalgia circles, for a bunch of grizzled alt-metal veterans like Linkin Park? Perhaps it is yet too early to tell – but, with their dozen new songs, Mike Shinoda's posse certainly attempt to make a case for it. The start of the album, in particular, is very strong, with the first four songs sounding comfortingly familiar – any of the four could have been an outtake from
Meteora – while also giving Armstrong room to find her place within the band's sound. Understandably, the singer chooses to play it safe at first, sounding at times eerily like a gender-swapped Chester Bennington (most notably on
Heavy Is The Crown), but eventually does get around to showcasing what she can bring and add to the band's sound, with the more atmospheric late-album tracks, in particular, benefitting from her airier register. As for the rest of the band (which includes another newbie, Colin Brittain, who replaces longtime drummer Rob Bourdon) they are perfectly content just to do what they do best, for better or worse; Shinoda, in particular, appears to not have developed his style at all during the interval, with many of his flows sounding almost interchangeable with those featured on the biggest hits from the band's heyday. Whether this is a flaw or simply a way of contributing to the aforementioned sensation of comforting familiarity, it is up to the fanbase to decide.
In fact, the band appear so comfortable in their own skin – as they should be after such a storied career, even despite the inclusion of the two new members – that their few attempts at expanding their range beyond its natural limits end up falling flat. Two-minute-twenty-second screamfest
Casualty, for instance, comes across as a misguided attempt at diversifying the 'Linkin Park sound', which brings the opening string of 'bangers' to a screeching halt, while follow-up 'Overflow' (clearly intended as a mellow, atmospheric comedown from the preceding dose of aggression) is ultimately too mellow for its own good, with closer
Good Things Go making for a much better balanced example of the same type of song. Some of the lyrics also represent a significant step down from Bennington's relatably told tales of struggle and self-doubt, particularly in Armstrong's sections, with Shinoda's rhymes still by and large covering the same territory as they always have. All in all, the fact that it took up to ten writers (including the six band members) to write some of these often painfully basic tracks is, at times, nothing short of staggering.
Still, even these otherwise significant flaws are forgiven in the presence of such big, dumb nu-metal choruses as
The Emptiness Machine,
Heavy Is The Crown and especially
Two-Faced, which – from the title to the screaming, angsty bridge – sounds like a time capsule of all that was popular within the turn of the millennium alt-metal scene. Elsewhere,
Over Each Other suceeds in creating something equally as memorable without ever needing to dial up the volume, standing alongside
Good Things Go as proof that Linkin have also not forgotten their late-period fans, while songs like
Cut The Bridge and
Stained provide adequately above-average backup, even despite the occasional clunky metaphor or line, rounding up what is ultimately a well-rounded, consistent and fairly memorable listening experience.
In short, then,
From Zero is a worthwhile restart for a sorely missed act, which sees them overcome their challenges and adversities with reasonable aplomb and prove themselves as valid players within the musical atmosphere. Though far from perfect – fairly evidently flawed, in fact – Linkin Park's eighth album nevertheless succeeds in giving the band's old fanbase a shot of nostalgia, while potentially setting it up to create the same type of memories for the younger generation that
Hybrid Theory and
Meteora did for their parents, twenty years ago. Chester would have been proud.
Recommended Tracks
The Emptiness Machine
Heavy Is The Crown
Over Each Other
Two-Faced
