Linkin Park hit the proverbial reset button with their first album in seven years, the first without frontman Chester Bennington. ‘Heavy Is The Crown’, indeed. Is ‘From Zero’ the comeback many are hoping for?
Here’s our verdict.
The return of alt-rock / nu metal outfit Linkin Park has not been smooth sailing.
Since the death of frontman Chester Bennington in 2017, the band were on an indefinite hiatus. When they announced they were reforming, original drummer Rob Bourdon opted out, leaving the band with two absences to fill.
Enter drummer Colin Brittain and vocalist Emily Armstrong, the co-founder of Dead Sara.
Armstrong’s arrival in particular has been the source of much chatter and backlash.
It was always a given that whoever stepped into Bennington’s shoes was going to face intense scrutiny, with many proclaiming that the band should have stopped altogether or reformed under a new name, out of respect for its much-missed lead singer. However, controversy was around the corner, with Bennington’s son posting a statement saying that the band had “betrayed the trust” of fans, and Chester’s mum Susan Eubanks learning the band had moved forward with a new singer at the same time as everyone else. She claimed that the remaining members had promised to give her a heads-up, sharing she felt betrayed and that Linkin Park were trying to erase the past by having Armstrong sing her son’s songs.
To make matters worse, Armstrong hit the headlines this year for a whole other controversy, when Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler spoke out against her. Bixler-Zavala re-shared a post he had written last year on Dead Sara’s Instagram page, saying: “Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend.”
The post related to US actor Danny Masterson, the former star of That 70s Show and Scientologist, who was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in 2023, after being convicted of two of three forcible rape charges. Carnell-Bixler was one of several women who accused Masterson of sexual assault. Bixler-Zavala and Carnell-Bixler, both former Scientologists, alleged that Armstrong and other church members harassed them and other witnesses over their allegations against Masterson. Armstrong, who attended Masterson’s court appearance for support, subsequently said that she did not condone abuse against women and did not address her ties to Scientology.
There you are, all caught up with drama no band needs when it comes to relaunching their good name.
But – and without at any point dismissing the serious accusations mentioned above – what about the music itself?
Well, rather fittingly, Linkin Park have titled their eighth album ‘From Zero’ – a promise of a new chapter starting with a rebirth. It also holds a double meaning, since the band’s original name was Xero.
Before hearing a second of the new album, this feels like a ten-toes-down statement of intent: We’re back, we’re new, and we’re honouring the basics.
And that they do. Following their experimentations and branching out into poppier territory, the first impression after listen n°1 of ‘From Zero’ is that of a band seeking renewal by paying tribute to the past.
The results are mixed. While there’s a welcome nostalgia hit when hearing some of these new songs which hat-tip the band’s glory days, it’s not a complete rehash. And for that, co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda & Co. must be commended. As for Armstrong, she gives it socks and shares Bennington’s gift for oscillating between throat-punishing screams and melodic wailing. It works. Some of her inflections and belts even sound like his on certain tracks, without at any point falling into cheap imitation, proving that her induction into the rebooted band was a canny draft on an artistic level.
However, there’s an odd dynamic to the tracklisting on ‘From Zero’ that forms a semi-consistent pattern: for every anthemic belter, there’s a dud.
The barnstorming lead single ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and its roaring chorus gives way to the very underwhelming ‘Cut The Bridge’.
We’re back on track with ‘Heavy Is The Crown’, only to plummet back down with the forgettable power ballad ‘Over Each Other’.
The rousing but slightly forced ‘Casuality’ gives way to what sounds like a stale Imagine Dragons B-side with ‘Overflow’…
When each alternating track on an album barely more than 30 minutes long falls into the ‘listenable but ultimately a bit naff’ category, you can’t help but wish Linkin Park 2.0 had ensured their anticipated return was less hit-and-miss.
It can be argued that the band are up against it with this one. Hark back to the illustrious past too much, and you’re fecklessly coasting on past glories; deny the past by branching out too far, and you risk alienating fans. It’s a tough line to tread, and ‘From Zero’ just about nails the balancing act – chiefly thanks to a strong finish.
Indeed, they break the habit – again rather aptly – with the track titled ‘Two Faced’, a riff-tastic number that will work wonders live. From then on, fist-swinging tunes like highlight ‘Stained’, ‘IGYEIH’ (which stands for “I Gave You Everything I Had’, in case you were wondering) and ‘Good Things Go’ close off the album on a high.
In the end, the 2024 version of Linkin Park doesn’t reach the heights of ‘Hybrid Theory’, ‘Meteora’ (still their greatest album to date) or even ‘Minutes to Midnight’. However, a break must be given and credit where credit is due: the crowd-pleasing songs are invigorating and do flick the right switches when it comes to the band’s punchy nu-metal sound. ‘From Zero’ functions as a serviceable reset. Just not quite the straight-out-of-the-gate triumphant comeback many were hoping for.
Give them time – they’re just getting started. They’ll end up finding somewhere they belong.
‘From Zero’ is out now. Linkin Park will embark on world tour next year, with European stops in June and July in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, UK and France.
