Linkin Park Talk New Album "The Hunting Party" in Rolling Stone

Joeverflow · Apr 10, 2014

Rolling Stone have done a feature on Linkin Park and their new album The Hunting Party that is set for release June 17th. The feature has an interview with Mike Shinoda where he discusses some of the tracks and what the band have set out to do with the The Hunting Party. Check out some excerpts below or read the full article.

"It needed to be visceral," he says with a laugh. "We need to weed out a lot of the soft, emo kind of approach to our music, and we need to weed out anything that feels aggressive for aggressive's sake. We're not 18-year-old kids making a loud record – we're 37-year-old adults making a loud record. And what makes a 37-year-old angry is different than what made us angry back in the day."
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On "Keys to the Kingdom" and "All for Nothing":

That mindset permeates the five songs off Linkin Park's sixth record, The Hunting Party, that Shinoda played Rolling Stone at a recent listening session in New York City. Tracks like avant-metal jigsaw riffs of "Keys to the Kingdom" and the punkish "All for Nothing" indeed sound like Linkin Park at their angriest and most adrenalized. It's undeniable Linkin Park at their most pure, since they produced the album, other than one track, themselves.

Similarly, the band members took the ethos of the bands that inspired them and, rather than go on a nostalgia trip, tried to "modernize that aggression sonically," to use Shinoda's words. "Keys to the Kingdom" opens with an affected, robotic-sounding voice yelling and then manages to make some disjointed-sounding riffs work. "I wanted you to listen to the song and be disrupted at regular intervals," Shinoda says. "I wanted that to be jarring or distracting, just kind of fuck you up."
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On "Until It's Gone", "Wastelands" and "Rebellion":

"Until It's Gone" kicks off with the sort of warbling synth effect that was the group's calling card on their 2000 breakthrough debut, Hybrid Theory, but builds into a brooding, textured gloom rocker that reminds listeners, via singer Chester Bennington, that "[you] don't know what you've got until it's gone." "Wastelands of Today," produced by Rob Cavallo, boasts a similar message – that there is "nothing left to lose" – over a herky-jerky big rock riff. And the final track he played, "Rebellion," uses a speedy riff and a jackhammer-fast drum line that splits the difference between hardcore and disco that, together, charges toward a chorus with the message "Rebellion – we lost before we start." The album, which will contain 12 tracks, isn't finished yet, but Shinoda is working on mixing it this week in advance of its June 17th release and the band's summer tour.
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On the direction of the new album, "The Hunting Party":

Around the time Shinoda began working on the new direction for the group, beginning with "All for Nothing," he realized that it might not be the most commercial direction for the group to be taking at this point in its career. "I as thinking, 'Oh, shit. Rock radio's not gonna play this, are they?" he says. So he consulted with his manager and a radio rep at his management company and they confirmed his fears. "They said the bottom line is, this music is gonna have a real hard time living on rock radio," he says. "It's kind of a bad move. We can't rely on a home run at radio. But I'm always up for a challenge. Besides, I believe in the music."

The inspiration behind the about-face Linkin Park are making on The Hunting Party – following the generally lighter approach they've taken on recent records – was a general malaise Shinoda was feeling toward indie music. "I was trying to find something to listen to one day, and it wasn't there," he says. "And it kind of pissed me off. I like indie music. I like indie pop. But at a certain point, I feel like that box had been checked and checked again."
Shinoda underscored that he likes groups like Chvrches, Vampire Weekend and Arctic Monkeys and his comment is not a dig at them. But as far as the music he wanted to listen to at that moment, he found himself turning to the sounds that inspired him before Linkin Park — groups like Refused, Helmet and At the Drive-In — and a few that predated his interest hard music, like Inside Out and Gorilla Biscuits. "I was thinking, what albums predated nü-metal," he says. "Without these albums there wouldn't have been Linkin Park."
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On collaborations:

As a nod to their inspirations, Linkin Park invited some of these artists to play on The Hunting Party. Helmet vocalist-guitarist Page Hamilton sings on "All for Nothing," System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian appears on "Rebellion" and rap icon Rakim appears on "Guilty All the Same," a song that is available for streaming now. "I got on the phone with Rakim and explained our M.O. and told him how rock music has gone in this direction that we, at this moment, don't feel comfortable following," Shinoda says. "He responded by telling me how his experience in hip-hop has been similar. Because rap music is so poppy, he can't see himself making those kinds of records. It was at that moment, we realized we had a lot in common and I knew the song was gonna work."
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Rob's drumming for "The Hunting Party":

This approach was especially difficult for drummer Rob Bourdon who ran himself ragged trying to keep up with the music. "It's probably the hardest stuff he's ever played on one of our albums," Shinoda says. "He had to physically work his way up to it. He had to go running, lift weights, work with a trainer." Then with a laugh, Shinoda says, "He eventually went to a chiropractor because he threw his back out playing drums. I don't want to put the guy in the hospital, but it was fun for both of us to make something that was challenging to him. And he definitely feels that at the end of the day, he's a better drummer for it."
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On "The Hunting Party" being heavy:

What they came up with, Shinoda reports, is their heaviest record to date. And as he says that, he also realizes the implications of such a claim. "We didn't make the heaviest record of all time," he says. "I'm very aware that there are super, super heavy bands out there that make music that is really, really gnarly." He laughs. "We didn't make a Botch record. We didn't make a Meshuggah record. We made a really loud and aggressive Linkin Park record, maybe the loudest we've made."
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Inside Linkin Park's Heavy New Album: 'We Need to Weed Out the Emo'

Source: Rolling Stone

Filip · Apr 10, 2014

#visceral

Squish Mitten · Apr 10, 2014

I guess the "Wastelands" title changed?

minusxerø · Apr 10, 2014

And the stupid descriptions begin. "Avant-metal jigsaw riffs" is quite possibly one of the stupidest things I've ever read, and I've read the lyrics to all the songs from Meteora.

Andreina · Apr 10, 2014

Oh my God here we go. Please everyone take this with a HUGE pinch of salt.

Tracks like avant-metal jigsaw riffs of "Keys to the Kingdom"

"Until It's Gone" kicks off with the sort of warbling synth effect that was the group's calling card on their 2000 breakthrough debut, Hybrid Theory, but builds into a brooding, textured gloom rocker

And the final track he played, "Rebellion," uses a speedy riff and a jackhammer-fast drum line that splits the difference between hardcore and disco that, together, charges toward a chorus with the message "Rebellion – we lost before we start."
Click to expand...

.. But good thing is that they mention "12 tracks", hope this is true. Bit scary about the "radio friendly" bit, I hope Mike stays true to that and takes the chances instead of shifting the direction to fit media.

I hope there is a special edition for this album.

hawk · Apr 10, 2014

Minus said: ↑

And the stupid descriptions begin. "Avant-metal jigsaw riffs" is quite possibly one of the stupidest things I've ever read, and I've read the lyrics to all the songs from Meteora.
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lmao dead

101nemesis · Apr 10, 2014

Yaay. More articles and interviews. So awesome!
But so far, none of the songs have been mentioned to feature Mike rapping on em. Unless I'm missing something.

"Avant-metal jigsaw riffs"
What does this even mean?

LIFTMEUPLETMEGO · Apr 10, 2014

Whenever I turn on my local rock station I'm disgusted by what they play anyway so I don't care if it's radio friendly or not. I'm glad that it didn't prevent them from making the music they wanted. However, I do think mike is getting a little out of hand bashing these other groups/genres.

minuteforce · Apr 10, 2014

LIFTMEUPLETMEGO said: ↑

However, I do think mike is getting a little out of hand bashing these other groups/genres.
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Just a tad.

lime treacle · Apr 10, 2014

I hope those three collaborations are it. Also, it appears Daron won't be singing, which is a bummer.

tfae · Apr 10, 2014

The part about Rob has made my day.

LIFTMEUPLETMEGO · Apr 10, 2014

minuteforce said: ↑

Just a tad.
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XD

Sønic · Apr 10, 2014

Hope we get another single within the next 30 days.

UNiPersona · Apr 10, 2014

Song descriptions are cool. And the rest are basically stuff we've heard before.

tripleh3lix · Apr 10, 2014

Andreina said: ↑

Oh my God here we go. Please everyone take this with a HUGE pinch of salt.

.. But good thing is that they mention "12 tracks", hope this is true. Bit scary about the "radio friendly" bit, I hope Mike stays true to that and takes the chances instead of shifting the direction to fit media.

I hope there is a special edition for this album.
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Meh... Given Up was really heavy and it was on the Radio. Castle of Glass was a strange song that didn't really sound like much of anything, became a single. I am however confused as to why it wouldn't go well on Rock Radio, at all. They say it's heavy, I've heard radio stations play Metallica a lot.. why wouldn't it fly for rock radio?

Alexrednex · Apr 10, 2014

I guess the sound won't be so diverse and that is probably why the description of the songs are kinda wack.
It doesn't really bother me, one of my favorite albums of 2013 is Volition and almost every song on that record sounds kinda similar on the first few listens.

But seriously the lyrics for Until it's gone...:
"[you] don't know what you've got until it's gone"
Well, that was exactly as I expected

tripleh3lix · Apr 10, 2014

Alexrednex said: ↑

I guess the sound won't be so diverse and that is probably why the description of the songs are kinda wack.
It doesn't really bother me, one of my favorite albums of 2013 is Volition and almost every song on that record sounds kinda similar on the first few listens.

But seriously the lyrics for Until it's gone...:
"[you] don't know what you've got until it's gone"
Well, that was exactly as I expected
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Lmao! I really didn't notice that.. Creative

Jovertop · Apr 10, 2014

Robert said: ↑

I hope those three collaborations are it. Also, it appears Daron won't be singing, which is a bummer.
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Where is that said?

I'm totally hyped

IGibbedYEIH · Apr 10, 2014

This pretty much confirmed that Daron Malakian is doing guitars, which make me incredibly happy!

"Tracks like avant-metal jigsaw riffs of "Keys to the Kingdom"
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This made me lol so fucking hard. An Avant-Garde Linkin Park track? Please, and Arcade Fire's new song is in the style of Swedish Death Metal....

With that quote, I'm assuming there were going for "Djent."

Nish · Apr 10, 2014

So who's keeping count at home with their copy of Linkin Park Pre Album Release Bingo?

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Linkin Park Talk New Album "The Hunting Party" in Rolling Stone

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Linkin Park Talk New Album "The Hunting Party" in Rolling Stone

Joeverflow It's all the same to me LPA Administrator

Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

Squish Mitten I'm a five-star general; infantry controller.

minusxerø Overflow Supremacy LPA Addicted VIP

Andreina Proud Venezuelan LP fan. LPA Contributor

hawk because the internet LPA Super VIP

101nemesis It's like I'm paranoid...or am I?

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minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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tfae The Graves Marker

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Sønic Searching for the last Chaos Emerald... LPA Super Member

UNiPersona previously known as STARKINATOR

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