LT was an ehhh album for me same with MTM, but MTM was better in terms of sound, i do think LT was forced, they tried to recreate the HT sound and it failed excluding the folk driven songs. THP is way better not even close, THP has the best instrumental sound the band has ever shown, amazing drums and guitar, each band member showed their skills when it comes to instruments (excluding until its gone)
There are so many generalizations and wide assumptions about the fanbase in this post that it's ridiculous. OML is 'not one of the most hated LP albums'. There were many people on these boards (myself included) who felt the album was very good, and still do. People whose opinions were positive before Chester's death. I feel like you're one of those fans who hate on anything post Meteora because it doesn't have enough screaming or heavy guitars. Statements like the ones you made above are the very reason albums like ATS, OML (and even MTM to be technical) existed, because the band was getting tired of being told they needed to sound a certain way or 'be heavy'. The band never ever strove to be just one sound, and it's the whole reason songs like Breaking The Habit (which was every bit as pop as OML) existed so early in their careers. There was a wide swath of fans who were excited to hear the new songs live. Who enjoyed OML and couldn't wait to hear them performed live. Who, by watching the live videos, gained a whole new enjoyment of the new songs because you could hear even more of the instruments live than on the album. I seriously hoped this 'band needs to be hard/have screaming' argument would've gone away after Chester's passing, and that fans would learn to appreciate all his works as a whole. Unfortunately, it seems that any new singer will still be subjected to the same BS that Chester was during the OML cycle. How regrettable.
Only the first half IMO! it's just try hard nu-metal throwbacks, but the second half is fucking amazing and has some of my all time favorite songs. This band is called LINKIN PARK that means they will only be always taken as the In the End/Numb/Heavy Guitarzz/Screaming band until the end, sadly.
Disagreeing with everyone in the thread saying LT was forced. LT felt like a natural evolution in the band on the heels of ATS. ATS was so artistically challenging and (for lack of a better term) deep, the band did not have the gumption to go back down that rabbit hole again post release. LT helped get the band grounded again. They still evolved their sound on that record. For those saying the didn't, the whole last half of the album was quite experimental for them in regards to ideas. The first half of the record felt like the band was showing that they didn't lose themselves from making ATS as there were many familiar enough sounding songs to what they've done (pun intended) in the past. Cementing this familiarity I felt was important because they wanted to show right off the bat that LT was not at all going to be an ATS part 2. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved ATS. I wanted more of that crazy experimental side of the band, but I also knew the toll it took on the psyche of the guys when they worked on it. I felt that if it was something that I had to sacrifice wanting for the band to keep going creatively, then so be it. I still at least have that record to listen to.
All of this is so true and I couldn't agree more and I feel like it was a dream come true to have been able to watch the OML tour in Prague. I enjoyed the new songs a lot live and sang along to them the same way as I did for older ones. I only regret the fact that the videos I made were not tht good, but certainly the memories will stay with me forever. The songs sounded much more rock played live and OML was simply breathtaking. Of course I know people who say that anything post-Meteora or post-MTM (it depends on their mood) is not LP, but honestly I have LT and OML in second and third best LP albums. The band has learned over the years to incorporate very well new elements to their signature sound, even if that meant to have deviated from that sound since MTM. When evaluating music, I prefer to hear almost every album by an artist before judging if the artist is good or not and when they do something unexpected I try to stay the course and always give them a shot. That is a process for music in general and not restricted to a specific genre. I still need to get more into pop music (being careful with the concept of pop because it means popular, so LP could also be considered pop even before OML, but by pop I mean Taylor Swift and stuff alike) and also hip-hop. Anyway, every LP album has so many great songs and their best songs that it's extremely hard for me to make a top 20 or even a top 30.
I absolutely love OML, have done since it was released and am very happy that I was able to see the majority of it live. I know a lot of other fans who feel the same. A lot of my favorite LP songs have no screaming or heavy guitars in them. Those elements are not a necessity for the band at this point by any stretch.
Not to mention that despite his well known screaming abilities, Chester had an absolutely stunning singing voice. His cleans were every bit as notable as his 'dirty' (scream) vocals, and OML showed that very well.
And the screaming was not even close the main part of their music, it used only in small doses (bridges, and some pre-choruses), it's not like that LP was a death metal band and suddenly gone pop.
It's true, Chester's versatility was what made him the singer he was (to me the best singer of this century and probably no one will come close). The band has always said they were as comfortable on stage with metal bands as they were with Paul McCartney for example. I think they excelled in every genre they decided to explore and I still haven't found other bands capable of doing so. That's most of what makes Linkin Park unique.
I wouldn't say Chester was the best of the century personally, but I do believe he deserves a spot with the greats like Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson etc. His voice was extremely versatile.
I refuse to argue with you Derek, i really do. You see it one way. I went to a memorial for Chester in NY, and the majority of fans did not like OML. You cant compare ppl on these boards vs the whole world who liked the album or not, because i know ALOT of Lp fans who did not care for OML. Lyric wise its great, sound wise its cheap cheesy pop sounds imo. I'm a critic i have the right to hate one something because that what makes me a fan, i dont have to appreciative everything the band does, but i do respect them and theres a difference between appreciating and respect. Whether you like it or not LP will always be known and remembered for HT its just the way it is, and will always be. Because it's what got them where they are today. Chester has to be the best singer/Screamer of the 21st century
I didn't like most OML at debut and don't enjoy much of it now, so I want you to know that before you feel like it's nothing but hardcore LP dickriders merely dismissing you for not liking the album. Classics or not, the band have made a very conscious decision to, if not move away entirely from, avoid being pigeonholed as "that band". Even if they wanted to actively try and pander to that crowd, a huge reason of why that worked cannot be replicated. Chester Bennington wasn't just some metal singer that can be swapped out that easily, and we've all seen LP wannabes try and fail miserably at trying to give the people "what(they think) they want". There's a reason you never saw any group successfully try and swoop in and fill that "classic Linkin Park" sound post 2007. This will now be a factor going forward; lets say for whatever reason Mike does do what you say and actively try to go back to a nu-metal sound. He now has to avoid doing what I had been complaining about earlier in the thread. He has to try and find someone who doesn't sound like the current crop of hard-rock singers out there. Should he go that route, he's got an entire legion of guys who were inspired by Chester Bennington who will all, -consciously or otherwise- be trying to do Chester Bennington imitations. That will not please anybody. That may actually breed more resentment if done poorly.
I don't understand why Linkin Park received so much criticism everytime they change their sound but bands like Coldplay, Maroon 5, etc are being praised by critics.
I hold HT and Meteora dear to my heart, because those 2 albums are the albums of my life. I can relate to those albums for than anything else. Im not ashamed to say i suffer from major depressive disorder and very bad anxiety and those 2 albums speak to me. Those 2 albums really got me into alt metal. So when LP changed i felt abandoned by my fav band. I didnt wanna accept their change, and till this day i didnt accept it but i respected the band no matter what yes THP satisfied me it hit the spot. But than they made OML and felt they took everything away back. I'm to old, angry, miserable, lonely and in pain that i dont like change. They can never replicate the early work, it just can't be done, its their signature sound, its theirs. I know they will never make that sound again, but if they heavy music again, i really dont know if they can pull it off as a 5 piece band. I mean i'm sure and confident Mike can sing and rap, with the guitars and drums blasting in the background but idk if it will sound good.
It sounds like you haven't liked any of their output for well over a decade now. Why not just move on? You have those two albums, they likely weren't going back to that sound anyway, and now can't. Not in the way you want them to. Why even stick around? You're already sort of admitting it; the best they're going to be able to do is a half decent effort. Why even worry yourself? It's not happening.
If they want throwback then why not asking Don Gilmore to produce those tracks? The producer who nailed Hybrid Theory and Meteora, best-selling albums of the 21st century. I don't understand why they failed replicating the HT sound (e.g. LOST IN THE ECHO, LIES GREED MISERY and BURN IT DOWN) knowing the fact that they perfected that sound. So by saying they failed replicating the HT sound doesn't make any sense.