Review Summary: "A Thousand Suns" is a wreck from the beginning to the end. Like the album's song "Waiting for the End", we are truly waiting for Linkin Park's end at this point.
A Thousand Suns let us without any doubts: Linkin Park has changed their style. Theres no more teen-rage songs about how bad your parents threat you, or how theres something crawling in your skin. But yet, this was the real band back in the days: aggressive "in your face" songs. That was the past, now pop/electro rock and weird techno is what's cool! But let's not waste our time shall we?
This album just says to you that the real Linkin Park arent coming back anymore, and that the old fans can whine all they want about it, because the band can do whatever they want. From the beginning to the end, this album has electro and pop written all over it. "Pop"? How can you say that, you fool? Well, for once, its my review, so its my opinion about it. A fan since 2000, i'm being totally honest in this review, this was what i felt when I first heard the ENTIRE album.
The album starts with 2 "filler" songs, "The Requiem" and "The Radiance". In the first one, we hear a women singing parts of "The Catalyst", a women that is really Mike Shinoda. From here, we can expect some "changes" in the music they were making, and how will the album sound like, but more is to come. "The Radiance" begins with a speech, that in someway reminds me of Metallica's "One" video, alright, and the real song starts building from here.
After 3 minutes of fillers, "Burning in the Skies" finally comes next, a beat that resembles some kind of an Eurovision song, with Chester not helping at all with the lyrics "I'm swimming in the smoke, Of bridges I have burned, So don't apologize" while this pathetic 80's electric drum sound plays in the background. The "apologize" part unfortunately reminds me of OneRepublic song, and that... isn't good at all.
The song turns out the be a pure pop/electro rock with guitars (YES, THERE ARE GUITARS IN THIS ALBUM!) at the end, trying to solo(?) but ending doing a generic riff that we have heard before, but what more could we expect from Brad Delson?
I could really tell that the album was not going to be that great, but there was more songs to come, so I had some expectations for it, since I previously listened to "Wretches and Kings", a decent song, before the album coming out.
Them comes "Empty Spaces", another filler song, but it was shorter them the others. I thought Ok, so let´s pump this album now! Bring it on Linkin Park!
"When They Come for Me" comes next, a weird "Arabian" rap beat, but hey, at least was rap, right? Well, Mike Shinoda comes in and says the lines "I'm not a robot, i'm not a monkey, i will not dance even if the beat's funky". Ok... WHAT?? And them comes even more with the chorus "Trying to catch up MOTHER***AA". Oh boy, how have they matured with this album really! Forgetting how bad Shinoda's part is, Chester appears only at the end to complete the song, while the "Arabian effects" go nuts at that point, like if somebody is dying in pain and agony. I believe in this song they were trying to appeal to old fans... but fail miserably.
From here I start losing my hopes for at least a decent album, and "Robot Boy" starts playing. This song is what you would expect from Backstreet Boys or some boy's band like it, its really awful, and probably the worst in A Thousand Suns (Even the filler "Empty Spaces" is better them this!).
I wanted to skip this track, but my goal was to hear the entire album no matter what, so i let it play, and start laughing at it. In the end, some more weird effects, making it even funnier, but i'm glad that was over.
Another filler comes in, and them begins "Waiting for the End", where Shinoda goes Jamaican for some reason, "This is not the end..." well i wish it was!
What I'm confused about this song is that the start is really nice, resembling a bit from Meteora maybe, but thats the only good thing in this music. Chester them breaks the flow with "waiting for the end to come, wishing i had strength to stand" in such a mellow way, i could imagine this song was going to be horrible. I was right. Chester keeps whining in the entire song, and theres nothing aggressive and powerful about this. Does Brad actually plays guitar on this one? Sorry, i cant hear, theres too many freaking effects on it i cant tell if theres really guitars in there.
After listing to half of the album, theres was no doubt that Linkin Park were trying something new, but theres nothing new about this. Most (most) of the songs sound like generic songs I heard on the radio, and i'm being honest. Where were the guitars? Were was the bass? Were was Rob? No drums. It seemed like Mr.Hahn had taken over the album and used all the effects presets he had on his MPC on it, because he "wasn't" on Minutes to Midnight.
"Blackout", in the entire album is the ONLY ONE where Chester actually screams. But can it be good? Well, its not a bad song, BUT theres no real drums on this, theres too many effects that it sounds like a Sonic the Hedgehog song, but since i like Sonic, that doesn't make any difference at all. In the end theres another ballad featuring Shinoda, that sounds like its another track, but its still "Blackout".
"Wretches and Kings" comes right after, and in my opinion is the only decent track in the album. Sure there arent any real drums on this, Chester doest scream much (if you consider his part "screaming"), Shinoda's rap is average, but at least the beat is good. This song could had more audible guitars and a bit of more work, maybe the "hey hey" part removed, but sounds somewhat like their previous works with something new in the mix.
The song ends, and another filler comes in, a speech by Martin Luther King, seriously, was this really necessary? There are about 6 fillers in a 15 track album, a thing that is truly bad. And not only that, most of them keep repeating song parts of the album, either "The Catalyst" or another song. Its disappointing that they wasted the CD space for this.
"Iridescent", another pop/electro ballad, where the entire band sings, kinda reminds me of "Hands Held Hight", and that isn't good at all. A boring track, a face of the "new" Linkin Park. This song sounds like most of the previous ballads type songs, making me wonder if the CD player was in repeat mode.
And after it, comes yet ANOTHER filler, "Fallout" that builds for "The Catalyst". And surprise, surprise, this filler repeats parts of "Burning in the Skies", how wonderful!
"The Catalyst" comes after the build up, the deadly single, the Linkin Park that changed.
Was it necessary to do this awful song? I can say if this had audible guitars (because there are guitars on this one), real drums and MORE lyrics, since repeating the same "God bless/saves us everyone" lyrics all over the time is bad, it had potential to be a good song, but no, the band stand strong with this one, and wow, was it a risky move, but a bad one.
After all this, comes the last song in the album "The Messenger", thats basically an acoustic guitar song with Chester singing, but in a way that it kills my eardrums, specially in the "ohhhooohh" part. Seriously? That needed alot more of work, but it seems he cant sing anymore, still, i give him some credit.
A Thousand Suns is what old Linkin Park fans didn't want and what new Linkin Park fans didn't mind. Either you like it or hate it. In my opinion, its a laughable album, because being a fan since their beginnings, how can I not laugh at this? This is not maturing, not even MTM was, this is just changing their sound to stay away fron Nu Metal because "it isnt cool anymore" according to them.
Save money and avoid this album at all if you hate fillers, repetitions and ballads that all sound the same.
If theres another album coming, my question is: Can it be worst them A Thousand Suns?
