Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 687
 Not a good LP CD, not a good CD in general. May 15, 2007
Hidden Valley Ranch (Atlanta, GA)
14 out of 20 found this review helpful
Be weary of people who rate this album 5 stars. 5 means perfection, music that will stand the test of time. This, citizens of rock; is not even close. I will be honest, I like me some Linkin Park. I have seen them twice in concert and in general, I enjoy their music. I don't worship them or write 8 page diatribes in their defense if someone decides to flame them. This album has to be heard to be believed. I was moved by it, moved to come on here and warn people that this not what you expect. Whatever idea you have of this album it wont be that. There are no punch to the songs. They removed every musical aspect which made them, them. I mean, honestly the songs simply put, the songs aren't any good.
In a interview they said they made hundreds of songs and these made pick. Linkin Park, did you even listen to this album before you presented it to us, your fans? This is awful you should be ashamed of yourself, go to your room.
Horrible May 15, 2007
J. Keating (Denver, CO)
14 out of 23 found this review helpful
I can't believe it says they wrote over 150 songs for this album. I wonder how bad the other 135 were. When I first heard the album I thought they put the wrong cd in the case because it sounded like a high-school band.
There is nothing "grown" up about this album.
Third Time NOT a Charm!!!!! May 29, 2007
T. JASSO (PEMBROKE PINES, FL)
All I can say is WTF??? How could these guys actually think about releasing this stuff. It is awful! Every song is dull, slow and boring, with the exception of the tracks, "What I've Done," and "Given Up." If they would've stuck to the formula of those 2 songs and of there last two albums, which are full of hard driving rockers and crunching guitar, then they would have a winner on there hands. But no, this album is a BIG FAT LOSER!!!! If you want to listen to some music that will put you to sleep, this is the album for you! But if you want to hear some good rocking tunes, look to there previous albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora. You won't find it here. This is probably the worst rock album of 2007.
Minutes Till I Slip Into A Coma... May 20, 2007
R. J. Marques (Scottsdale, AZ United States)
13 out of 17 found this review helpful
For starters, I'm not Gen-X or Gen-Y, I'm a few years from fifty and a huge Linkin Park fan. I do not have enough praise for Hybrid Theory and Meteora [and Reanimation]. But I have to [reluctantly] say that my reaction on first listen was torn between:
1) Stunned: I listed to the first 4-5 cuts and just couldn't stand it anymore and started cueing each song for 10-30 seconds before cueing the next cut
2) Profound Disappointment: What happened? This is not growing, this is forgetting who you are and from where you came, not to mention how you got there.
I read the booklet while I listened to the few cuts I did and the short samples I could tolerate afterwards. I enjoy reading their notes on their songs and moods and thoughts while recording, writing and mixing. A pattern was developing - many notes contained: "Rick felt we should do this..." or "Rick said we should try that..." or "Rick told us that...". Three words guys - BLAH BLAH BLAH. I finally thought to myself, if Rick Ruben told each of you [or collectively] to jump off a bridge, would you do it?
Being a musician/composer and producer myself, I realize Rick Ruben is a well known, well respected, talented and award-winning producer. With that said, perhaps Mr. Ruben should stick with the Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and the Beasties and stay away from Linkin Park. Not everything he touches turns to gold and this is both a reminder and visceral proof.
If this new direction is his idea, he has done the band a real disservice. You will not have to read many reviews here to find out that they decided to take a detour in their usual sound and style. Now whether this is due to the perception that rap/nu-metal has seen its heyday, or Mr. Ruben's suggestions, or Warner Brothers legendary A&R paranoia or other demographics I couldn't say. What I do know is that Linkin Park had a unique sound between their hypnotic mix of power metal, Shinoda's rapping & turntable scratching, Bennington's seemingly limitless vocal power and truly amazing and flawless production. They were ALREADY unique and beloved and really had no need to change their sound or follow a different direction, at least not for a while. It IS possible to stay within a niche while still growing and expanding.
One of the few songs that Shinoda does rap on is backed with pipe organ and marching snare drums [PIPE ORGAN AND MARCHING DRUMS? GROAN!] I heard maybe 2 songs plus the intro that were tolerable and reminiscent of the LP sound but the rest were horrible, intolerable or at the very best, not what I was hoping for from their new release.
Again, let me reiterate that I'm not slamming Mr. Ruben - I certainly recognize his long string of successes. Perhaps, Mr. Ruben can dig up Johnny Cash and get into the posthumous album release craze. I'm not slamming the guys either - perhaps you all can give Don Gilmore a call, apologize like you never have before, beg his forgiveness and hire him back as co-producer.
Guys: More scratching, more rap, more of Chester's euphoric wailing, more chunky beats, more slamming bass and more crunchy metal.
DO WHAT YOU DO BEST - IT HAS BROUGHT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE!
It's always nice to aspire to be more, to reach out, to grow. But it's also a crime to lose track of who you are and from where you came, which strikes me as the case with this album.
I sincerely doubt this CD will ever take another spin on any player of mine. I did relent and took it in the car with me a few days after my first disappointing listen, but I could not tolerate much there either and switched it off about 4-5 songs into it.
But I'll give you one more shot guys - I'll buy your next album, without hearing a thing, probably on pre-order once again. But if it's like this one, Ciao-Baby - we officially part paths at that time and I'll just treasure Hybrid Theory, Meteora and Reanimation for the works of art that they are and wish you all the best.
Nuff said-
Respectfully submitted-
Don't bother May 26, 2007
Shadowrun (Nowhere)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
I get the fact that bands like to change their sound as they progress, age and adapt to the music industry. Some bands are even successful at this overhaul such as Pink Floyd, Mudvayne, Midnight Oil and the Chili Peppers. Some bands just don't adapt well to change such as Metallica, Korn, Jewel and now Linkin Park. The album is over-produced and far too reliant upon whining vocals and electronics. This is a collection of mostly somber yet mild ballads that lack musical substance as well as meaningful lyrics. The songs all follow a pattern that are trying to say something, but I am having a hard time understanding exactly what. It sounds more like Savage Garden meets Jars of Clay with a rock track thrown in here and there. Sure, they toss in the F-word a couple of times to remind us they're still trying to be edgy, but it comes off as pretentious. This really is an embarrassing attempt from a band that successfully bridged the gap between nu-metal and hip-hop with their previous two albums. All in all, it's really hard to like any of these songs despite my desire to. Thumbs down.
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