(Posted yesterday on my real blog, polatrite.com)

That is one long title. Today was the release day of Linkin Park’s brand new album, Minutes to Midnight. I uh, “purchased” the album using my Napster subscription (I’ve downloaded 20+ albums a month for the 3 months I’ve had my $15 subscription, I’m wondering where the record labels actually make a profit here?). Many of you know I’ve been a long-standing Linkin Park fan from their first record release as Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory. I was immediately enthralled with them, specifically the single In the End, which I played on repeat basically from when I heard it to when I bought the full album, and then it was just the album on repeat.

Meteora was then released a few years later, refining the bands sound and presenting it in what I feel was a more produced, professional, and unified album. I like both albums considerably, and even like the subsets of the albums, Live in Texas, Reanimation, various EPs and Underground discs, etc.

Now we’ve come to Minutes to Midnight, after what, 5 years of waiting? When I first heard the single “What I’ve Done” a few months ago, I immediately wished that the entire album would NOT sound like that. And actually, it doesn’t. To me, the single didn’t exemplify the hardcore nature I have come to expect from Linkin Park. Now, all the “true hardcore” fans who insist Linkin Park is baby material and sissycore, you need to get out now. Some of their sounds are definitely hard rock songs. And that’s the tone I’ve come to expect from the band.

But here’s where it gets messy. With MTM, the band wanted to reinvent their sound. I’m not sure why - maybe they have ADD. Either way, they can do whatever they want to do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

And really, I don’t.

The tracks on the album seem wildly different (from each other), and none of them adequately capture the driving, structured hard rock of hits like Lying From You, Don’t Stay, and One Step Closer. It’s true, the band is considerably more raw - is this for the better? From the eyes of a seasoned Linkin Park fan - I really don’t think so. From the eyes of a person who hasn’t really gotten into Linkin Park - I can’t say for sure. The tracks are very diverse, that’s for sure. However, the hard rock bits seem sloppy, and the soft bits are just a completely different style. I had very high hopes for the album, but I really can’t dig it.

I’m going to continue to listen to the album, and maybe it will grow on me (I really don’t think so), and perhaps I’ll give a more in-depth analysis of the actual CD. We’ll see, but for now, I’m disappointed.