Does trying new things mean "evolution"? To me, they've stopped evolving after ATS... they may have done a few things that we haven't heard from them before, but overall it's all the same all the time... They try something new, but they always (Mark The Graves and Until It Breaks being exception) pack it in the same boring structure.
Gotta agree with ZlajaZlo. I think the reason ATS was so well received by some fans and critics alike is because it saw the band deliberately trying to stray away from their conventional song structure. It eschewed the standard intro>chorus instrumental>verse>chorus>verse>bridge>outro format you see in most Linkin Park songs in favor of songs with 'movements' or little to no defined structure in certain cases. Future albums that followed, while still dabbling in some creative elements (folk influenced songs etc) stuck to traditional song structures and in some cases suffered from it. Am I saying traditional song structures are bad? No. But when it comes to Linkin Park they're always way better and at their best when they don't fall back on the basic and the expected.
Pretty much everyone outside of the LPA. I personally enjoy the first half of LT a lot. The second half is good too, just not 100% as great. When LP said they were going for an energetic live album, I'm certain that didn't apply to the second half of the album (other than VICTIMIZED).
"The Hunting Party" is closer to "A Thousand Suns" than "Living Things" in terms of ethos because because it was the band aggressively trying to be different and sticking to a strong overall idea, which is what made "A Thousand Suns" similarly focused. The band really had things to say in making those two albums. "Midnight" is the same in this regard as well, though there was more of an inward focus for that one. They were trying to make a statement to themselves first
Let the man scream his head off while he can. There will be plenty of time for songs without screaming when the band feels they're too old for it down the road.
I disagree. While he could scream some time, i doubt it will be too good for his voice later. You can recognize it now too...
The problem isn't that he screams too much, but that he's screaming incorrectly. There's a correct method to screaming that puts very little strain on your voice or vocal cords, but Chester doesn't use it. Quite a few singers are guilty of this as well. Serj from SOAD is a notable example. Jared Leto is another, although it seems lately his way of getting around it is not screaming at all rather than correct technique.