Linkin Park – The Hunting Party
Review by Jennifer Boylen
I was looking forward to this record to begin with, but after their guest appearance at the Ventura Warped Tour date everyone has been buzzing about Linkin Park. So, there seems to be no better time to review their new release, The Hunting Party.
The Hunting party is Linkin Parks’ first record since 2003 that wasn’t produced by Rick Rubin. It was self-proclaimed by the band as a prequel to Hybrid Theory, their debut release almost a decade and a half ago.
Immediately, this records starts off very heavy. Through out, The Hunting Party continues to be the heaviest thing Linkin Park has ever put out into the universe. “Until It’s Gone” and “Final Masquerade” are really the only songs that sound like anything recent Linkin Park fans are used to and both are in the second half of this 12 track album.
Linkin Park has always had a very unique sound with two very different vocalists. This record extends that one of a kind mixture by featuring several other artists, including members of Helmet (Page Hamilton on “All For Nothing”), System of A Down (Daron Malakian on “Rebellion”), Rage Against The Machine (Tom Morello on “Drawbar”), and even rapper Rakim (“Guilty All The Same”).
That being said, The Hunting Party is anything but typical Linkin Park. For a band that is usually remembered for their mix of Chester Bennington’s clean vocals and Mike Shinoda’s spoken word, Linkin Park has almost completely shifted the focus of this record. While Shinoda is only heard a handful of times, The Hunting Party gives guitarist Brad Delson and drummer Rob Bourdon the limelight through ripping guitar solos and driving percussion though out.
The lyrics also speak for the change in this record as its subject matter is all about rebelling against authority, the industry, and anything else they have any sort of distaste for. On top of that, instead of keeping with their rap-rock/synth vibe and electronic experimentation, the band threw all of their Linkin Park trends out the window and created an angsty, almost punk, self-produced record fit for the 90’s as they intended.
Although Linkin Parks’ musicianship and talent is impeccable, and I didn’t dislike any of it, something about The Hunting Party feels almost forced. From the screaming of “Keys To The Kingdom” and “War” to the transition pieces like “The Summoning” and “Drawbar”, The Hunting Party is a great record, it just doesn’t feel like a Linkin Park record. Nevertheless, it’s worth listening to and there are quite a few gems on it.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Tracks: “All For Nothing” and “Final Masquerade” “A Line In The Sand”
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