[dropcap]L[/dropcap]inkin Park has always been known for switching things up, with no album sounding like another. The same can be said for their new album “The Hunting Party,” which is the band’s sixth studio release to date. Prior to its release, the band had stated that it would be a “raw and visceral” album, and that it would be “the album we would have made had we not made Hybrid Theory.”
The overall sound on Linkin Park’s two previous albums is almost non-existent on ‘The Hunting Party’, due its aggressive, guitar and drum driven nature. Members of the band channeled their earlier influences to inspire them, but with a modern approach on that style.
‘Keys to the Kingdom’ kicks off the album, with vocalist Chester Bennington screaming the lyrics with a robotic sounding effect. Fans may be caught off guard by this because they haven’t heard something so powerful from Bennington in quite some time. This song features everything a long time Linkin Park fan wants; hard hitting drums, beefy guitars, Chester’s screams, and Mike Shinoda’s rapping. It’s safe to say that this song sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The next track is ‘All For Nothing’, which features Page Hamilton of the band Helmet. Shinoda really shines on this track, with some of his best rapping to date such as “And no I’m not your soldier, I’m not taking any orders. I’m a five star general infantry controller, need a lesson, let me show you.” Bennington is sparsely featured on this track; only shouting a few words and leaving the rest to Shinoda and Hamilton
‘Guilty All The Same’, featuring old school rapper Rakim, is the current single and third track on the album. Everything about this song is notable. Guitars which are reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold, militaristic drums, gritty vocals, and a remarkable verse from Rakim all bring the track together. Lyrical content in this song is about how bands and artists aren’t in it for the music anymore. The line “Tell us all again, how to do what you say, how to fall in line, how there’s no other way” really shows how the band feels about the current state of music.
Up next is an instrumental track titled “The Summoning.” It sort of feels out of place because it sounds like it could be an intro to a song, but “War,” the song that follows does not tie in with “The Summoning.”
The aforementioned ‘War’ sounds like it could have been off a Black Flag album. The track has a very 80’s punk sound, which is something that Linkin Park has never done before. The song clocks in at a short but sweet 2 minutes and 12 seconds, something which is conducive of the punk sound. Guitarist Brad Delson shows off his skills during his solo on this track. Fast, melodic, and for the musicians who know what the ‘wah’ effect is, it is performed thoroughly.
“Wastelands” is the sixth song on the record and marks the halfway point. This song has a vibe that sounds like it may have been influenced by traditional African music. Drummer Rob Bourdon is the driving force on this track, with the verses revolving around the drums with a little bit of guitar thrown in. The end of this song features a percussive part that rolls seamlessly into the seventh track on the album, “Until It’s Gone.”
“Until It’s Gone” starts off with a synth part, which kicks in to the music that will eventually back the chorus of the song. Looking back to previous albums, two tracks come to mind after hearing this track. ‘What I’ve Done’ and ‘New Divide’ seem to have provide some inspiration for ‘Until It’s Gone’. Both of the verses feature a flowing synth in the background, which has a very ambient and spacey sound to it.
Quite possibly the heaviest track on the album, ‘Rebellion’, features Daron Malakian of System of a Down. Malakian does not contribute vocals to the song, but his guitar work is showcased. Because of this, ‘Rebellion’ boasts the sound of a track that you would expect from System of a Down. Both of the verses on this track are sung primarily by Shinoda, but the harmonies are taken over by Bennington. The bridge in this song highlights Bennington’s well known screams by saying “Rebellion, rebellion! We lost before the start!”
The ninth song on the album, ‘Mark the Graves’ features a very loud minute and a half intro into the verse, where a quiet guitar riff lays the ground work for Bennington and Shinoda to harmonize. The format of this song is somewhat unconventional because the second verse comes before any chorus, then a chorus, bridge, and another chorus follow.
The song ‘Drawbar’ features world renowned guitarist Tom Morello. This track is an instrumental which has Morello doing a very atmospheric guitar part, along with a marching snare part, and a piano which keeps the melody. Towards the end of the song is a piano solo which draws its melody directly from the track that follows it, ‘Final Masquerade’.
‘Final Masquerade’ is arguably the standout song on this album; with a chorus that is perhaps the most impressive one featured on the album. This song is very anthemic and will likely grow to be a big crowd pleaser in the band’s live show. Rob Bourdon kicks off the song with a very groove oriented drum beat which is followed by what sounds like an organ in the background that follows throughout the first verse. A softer sound is not a common theme on this album, but this song definitely shows the softer side of ‘The Hunting Party’.
The album closer is the song ‘A Line in the Sand’, which clocks in at over six and a half minutes. It starts off with Shinoda vocals echoing vocals over a very quiet, almost white noise instrumental. After this point it kicks into one of the heaviest and fastest moments on the album, only to go back into that quiet instrumental, but this time with a militaristic drum part which has been featured at various times throughout the album. This song is without a doubt an epic album closer.
‘The Hunting Party’ is an outstanding effort by Linkin Park, and marks one of their most ambitious releases to date. There is something that will satisfy every fan of this band. From the heaviest, to the softest, to the most melodic, it’s all showcased on this release; making it one of their best to date.
Check out: Final Masquerade
