From Zero Track-by-Track Impressions | Linkin Park Listening Event in London

We attended the LPU From Zero listening event today in London with LPA admins Joe and Ree getting the chance to listen to the new Linkin Park album twice. Here are some first impressions and thoughts about each track and the album as a whole. I don’t really want to call this a review after hearing the album twice but hopefully it can give you an insight into each song and From Zero.

Shout out to Adam, Lorenzo and WB for putting this event together and being so cool at the listening party. It was also nice to meet other fans and see TobinKnowsBest!

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From Zero (Intro)

This short intro starts with harmonic group vocals that sound almost biblical before abruptly transitioning to a clip from the studio like we heard at the end of Over Each Other (There’s a few of these in the album). This studio soundbyte is Emily saying “From Zero? Like, from nothing?”, essentially pondering the album title in the form of a question before leading into The Emptiness Machine.

The Emptiness Machine

Cut the Bridge

Cut the Bridge starts with a glitchy and blippy intro that’s reminiscent of something like Lost In The Echo if I had to compare it to anything. Drums enter after a little while before guitars are pushed through in the form of a punky, bouncy-like riff, with Mike then entering to rap.

As the song builds you can hear subdued Emily vocals harmonzing in the background before a much more defined chorus with Emily singing and Mike backing her up. It’s a very catchy song with the chorus sounding almost minimalistic with repeating vocals “Cut the bridge we’re on”, “CUT IT DOWN, CUT IT DOWN, CUT IT DOWN DOWN DOWN”.

The song lyrics are about watching things burn a lot, with Mike singing very emphatically on the bridge in a very melodic, catchy, rhyming almost verse-like section that leads into an ending with both Mike and Emily singing before finishing the repeating “CUT IT DOWN” section.

Overall the song is catchy with some interesting dual vocals between Mike and Emily, but it’s not a standout track for me personally, but overall a very Linkin Park-esque song that fits in well with their other work and will be fun live.

Heavy Is the Crown

Over Each Other

Casualty

As expected this song is one of the harder songs on the album after the studio lead in from Over Each Other promised “screamy pants”. Immediately opening with a screaming Emily singing “LET ME OUT, SET ME FREE” before Emily ends with “I Won’t be your casualty”. The song abruptly leads into a bouncy metal riff with very interesting vocals coming in from Mike that we’ve never really heard him sound like before.

I honestly wasn’t 100% sure it was Mike singing/rapping at first due to how different it is. He’s essentially slowly yelling with a coarse vocal to what sounds like an early Metallica style riff that has distorted pauses carrying the track.

Emily and Mike do dual vocals as each sings a line which is very cool and happens a lot on From Zero. Towards the bridge and outro we hear some hard as fuck scratching from Joe Hahn (which happens a few times on the album) as dual vocals puncture the ending with Emily sounding dominant.

One of LP’s better harder tracks that you can compare to War and Victimized if anything. I’d say it’s better than War for sure but will need repeat listens to determine its staying power. Definitely a favourite among the crowd at the listening event though.

I’ve seen some people mention Mike “screams” in this track but I couldn’t pick up on this over two listens. His vocals are definitely unique though and maybe I missed it among the energy of the song.

This song will definitely be interesting to hear them sing live as it sounds like a challenging one after a couple listens.

Overflow

A long preemptive synth sound with a calming melodically electronic intro opens Overflow, with phasing echoing voices in the distance before glitchy imperfections set up another very unique and different vocal delivery from Mike. I noted awesome Deftones-like droning vocals from Mike after his first section, before Emily comes in with some of her highest notes we’ve heard in a song yet.

It’s a very unique Linkin Park song and my personal favourite on the album after two listens. Dare I say A Thousand Suns-esque? That’s my favourite LP album but even with that comparison it’s hard to really equate the two, as Overflow is very much its own thing and one of the more creatively interesting tracks. I can’t really put it on any other album but From Zero.

It has very good vocals and a crunching instrumental that is slow but hard. There’s a face melter guitar riff for the bridge which stands out and takes the song into even more creative territory.

“I keep on filling it up, TO OVERFLOW” Emily sings loudly as the song crescendos with guitar and possible scratching.

Two Faced

Another small interlude in the same vein as the studio soundbites in what sounded like a cassette recorder being pressed to play, or a gun clip loading (I think the cassette tape is more likely), before low demonic-like voices phase in and out. A hard riff kicks in again, scratching also, sounds very punk-esque as Emily harmonizes over it.

Mike’s raps start and it reminds me of Hybrid Theory and Meteora, with the song very much reminding me of Figure 09 and Hit the Floor.

There’s more very cool dual vocals work on this track again with Mike and Emily, with lyrics like “Two faced, caught in the middle, too late, counting to zero” and “You should have recognised, it’s too late to be choosing sides”.

The bridge has Emily screaming with some major fuck-off scratching from Joe Hahn. This song is very old-school LP and it’s going to be a catchy live track. The ending has “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” turning to screams before the finale transitions to another studio quip of Emily asking “is that what it is?” before someone answers “we’re on the same page right now.” amidst the conversation.

Stained

Stained begins with a very tense and brooding intro that builds up before Mike comes in with stop/start vocals in the form of a rap. The instrumental sounds very industrial and the production has a Post Traumatic vibe if I had to liken it to anything. Emily vocals sweep the background of the song before moving into a very pop/dance style anthemic chorus you’d expect on a Summer banger and radio hit.

The second verse differentiates itself from the first with Emily repeating what Mike says backing him up. It sounds very cool and is another moment of the two working amazingly well together side by side.

“Because you’re stained, you tried to hide the mark but it won’t fade” Emily sings with an emphasis on a hanging “Stai-ai-ai-ned”

The song feels like it builds up nonstop with the dual vocals shining. Very, very big radio hit material and would reach a wide audience.

IGYEIH

I give you everything I have is what it stands for. We all guessed right. It literally opens with that line from Emily as she screams it for the intro of the song. It’s another punk-like song which I’ve mentioned a few times, but the album definitely has grungy guitars that bounce along on a few tracks.

The verses are Emily but Mike shortly follows in what is essentially a pre-chorus before Emily backs him up. Just more dual vocalist magic. The verses themselves definitely have a pop/rock vibe before leading into the chorus.

I noted that this is a very by-the-numbers rock track with good vocal performances from Emily, with Mike’s pre-chorus vocals being a standout before Emily comes back in. It’s hard to really compare this song with anything and it probably has the most unique outro on the album.

The song essentially sounds like it’s finishing before Emily starts screaming repeatedly “From now on I don’t need you” over and over again as guitars build up and crash into the final song of the album, cementing itself as one of the harder tracks on the album.

Good Things Go

One of the more melodic and powerful songs on the album that has a slower, emotional vibe that will surely be a favourite for some with standout vocals from both Mike and Emily.

“I feel like it’s rained in my head for a hundred days” Mike sings as Emily backs him up. Emily takes the pre-chorus as guitars play softly. I noted that Emily’s vocals are amazing on this song. It has a very anthemic and prolific chorus and pre-chorus “And I, say I hate you when I don’t, push you when you get too close”.

Mike comes in again on the second verse “I’ve asked for forgiveness a hundred times” in what is continuing one of the more introspective and personal sounding tracks on the record. The whole ambience of the song is chill but powerful vocals with the interplay being seamless between Emily and Mike.

Mike’s rapping on the bridge and it’s definitely one of the more personal-sounding raps on the album following the song’s theme. A very cool moment is near the end when Mike sings “I don’t know why I” before Emily comes in and finishes the line with “Say I hate you when I don’t”. Very cool.

The ending is also well done with Emily singing “good things go” as the song abruptly finishes and closes out From Zero. Emily showcases more high register vocals in this song and it’s probably one of our favourites after a couple listens.

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From Zero Thoughts

Overall From Zero is a very fast-paced, diverse, and exciting album that is going to be a very easy listen. It’s 31:54 minute album length honestly flies by in the blink of an eye, with the longest song being Cut the Bridge at 3:48. Mike described the album as a compact fireball and it definitely feels like that.

What LP album is it like most? What is it similar to? As you can tell from the three released tracks there’s definitely some variety in styles, and I’m happy to say that the variety continues with a very diverse group of songs that range from HT/Meteoera-style old-school tracks to things that are very different and new for a LP album. Even the songs that sound safe have interesting production and things about them that make them stand out and different.

Fans wanting a more creative side to the band won’t be disappointed I feel. Overflow is a notable song and stands out as being unique, but songs like Casualty and others feel very fresh thanks to the challenges Mike takes on in switching up his vocal styles. Also, we’re happy to report that Mr Hahn is fucking BACK after he shreds up the turntables on a few tracks in what feels like the first time in forever and is definitely a highlight.

I can’t stress enough that the interplay and dual vocals from Mike and Emily throughout is what stands out on From Zero. Almost every song has a cool variation of the two working together, backing each other up, repeating lines the other sings, taking turns to sing one line while the other sings the next… it honestly never gets old and feels very unique and is a defining factor in what Linkin Park is now.

A Thousand Suns is my favourite album in LP’s catalogue, does From Zero reach the heights and creativity of that? I can’t say it does, but honestly I never really expected it to. It’s clear LP wanted to come back with a new singer and drummer and show they can still make banger songs and anthems and they have definitely succeeded with a plethora of songs on From Zero that could be hits and live staples. I will say that the album actually surpassed my expectations in terms of how creative it is. Despite the short song lengths there’s a lot to like and find in these songs that feels new, unique, interesting and an optimistic glimpse into what comes next for the band.

Emily really stands out on From Zero too. Her range is fantastic and as I mentioned, combined with Mike, it’s some of the best dual vocalist work on an LP album. Of course, there’s no replacing Chester and it’s definitely a different vibe and a new chapter, and I can be honest and say even though I was sceptical way back at the launch show, hearing From Zero makes me so happy we still have this band making music.

The new album has something for everyone, and it feels like a showcase of what they’re capable of, with a variety of styles and genres that all have spots of intrigue throughout. Even if you don’t mesh with some of the songs it’s impossible not to find moments that pique your interest, as it’s evident the band are embracing this new chapter and it’s hard not to do the same after hearing how infectious From Zero is. We can't wait to hear it again when it releases November 15.

Let us know your thoughts and discuss the album on our forums!

 

Overflow and Good Things Go were my favourites after two listens!

Mr Hahn's presence on the album was also a highlight for me. Made me smile everytime I heard the scratching.

It's overwhelming listening to so many new tracks at once while trying to make notes of impressions, lol. I definitely enjoyed the album and I think a lot of the songs will grow on me once the album is out. Nostalgic vibes mixed in with fresh new era energy.

It was a great experience and Adam was so awesome and talked to us for ages.

Awesome write up, Joe!

 

Was awesome to meet you and it really was a cool night. Very well put together and it was nice to see you, Adam and everybody else. Thanks for these extra notes too! Can definitely be hard to pick up on everything on two listens. I thought I heard that Xero-era song playing but didn't want to mention it in case I misheard as it all went by so fast hahaha.

Definitely looking forward to hearing it again when it's out.

Hard to say really as I'd heard the singles a bunch going in. I'd say Over Each Other is the most "ballad" like track on the album for sure, though a couple songs have slower vibes (Overflow, and the powerful Good Things Go).

The singles all feel different and are a good example of what to expect on the album. Dual vocal work where Emily will sing one verse and Mike another (Emptiness Machine), the old-school vibes of Heavy is the Crown. They're glimpses into the album.

Put all the singles together and it's essentially a vertical slice of what to expect on the album, but I do really like TEM and HITC and it's hard to say what's better at the moment as I've only heard the new songs a couple times. The album just flows really well and because it's so short, it goes by so fast. I do feel like they could have chose a number of songs as singles and they'd have been received really well. All very catchy.