A couple years back I was sitting in a studio getting an early listen of Linkin Park’s Living Things and it remains one of the coolest experiences of my life. Fast forward to today and I’m not quite sitting Vh1 Storyteller style with their latest, The Hunting Party. Instead I’m home alone on a Tuesday night waiting for my crush to message me back on Facebook. It’s all good though because after the record played on a number of times – I found some solid hits, but missed having clear cut Mike Shinoda driven gems.
Things kick off going back to their roots with Chester screaming it up in “Keys To The Kingdom” and while the rap elements are present there, “Wastelands” and thanks to Rakim in “Guilty All The Same” – I wanted more of it. Alas The Hunting Party feels more rock based than anything else. This is especially true once you crack open “Rebellion” featuring Daron Malakian, and the old school punk sounds of “War.” Other than those, all I can touch on is the fact that “Until It’s Gone” takes some time to grow on you and “Drawbar” is a music nerds’ wet dream due to the fact that it has Tom Morello on board.
All in all this record was just okay. I’m sure those who have stuck diligently by Linkin Park’s side over the years will disagree with me, but this is just my opinion. The Hunting Party didn’t overwhelm me to the point that I had any certain track on repeat, nor did it cause me to grimace with each play. You can get your hands on The Hunting Party, out June 17th. You can also catch them on tour with 30 Seconds to Mars and AFI this summer.
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