What do you want to hear in Linkin Park's 5th album?

Yeah. Once a month or sometimes less. If there was any producer who spent more time with them and helped, it was Don Gilmore. ATS seem more like a Mike Shinoda heavy produced album. I feel like they hired Rick because(Mike was too chicken to take sole credit of producing the album) he wasn't in their face and only came in now and them and offered them the necessary outside point of view every artist needs.

 

That's what I don't want in the next album. I want them to lock themselves away and make music, like Trent Reznor did for some of the stuff on The Fragile. I want to hear something that is 100% their own.

 

Imo, they should have rick as the producer. Because he comes about once every couple weeks and tells them what he thinks of the songs in an outer point of view. He's an encouragement to the band. But Mike Shinoda should do the majority of the producing; or even Linkin Park themselves.

On Linkin Park's next album, I'd like more feelings on it. I want every song to make me emotionally driven. Lots of energy on the heavy/more energetic songs. Lots of melodic and sad elements in the ballads.
And something unique, like a thousand suns and hybrid theory.

... hey.... wouldn't that be sick? A combination of a thousand suns and hybrid theory?

 

Joe shud produce d next album...wid his wierd creativity...

 

Some really cool directions I think they should take not only with this next album, but with their band's sound in general:

1) As stated previously, I want the sound to be much darker, and eerie. Excellent examples of this are Across The Line and Blackbirds. The parts that Chester sings during the verses in both songs are extremely moody, without being loud and driven by screams. I think those are the best sounds they pull off.

2) No more screams. Chester is a father, a grown man, and his voice will not last him forever if he continues to scream his lungs out in various songs. It's apparent in live performances that he's restraining now, most likely for the sake of preserving his voice. I'd like to just see it cut altogether now, especially with the direction their music is going in. It just doesn't fit. Besides, his "melodic" and "aggressive" voices are much better. Linkin Park could do without screaming from this point on in my opinion.

3) More orchestrated pieces would be awesome. I like how Muse did the whole Exogenesis thing in their last album. I don't necessarily think Linkin Park should take it that far, but definitely incorporate it into any sort of new sound they sculpt. Especially strings. I love strings. Look how absolutely beautiful they are in Breaking The Habit. They can give a song a completely epic feel. Linkin Park's music is always epic (in the sense that it just has a really big sound to it), but I think this would be an awesome way to give it a new sense of vastness.

4) The coolest part of A Thousand Suns was the increased complexity in the vocal interplay between Mike and Chester. Iridescent, The Catalyst, and Waiting For The End all took the two vocalists passed the "Mike raps verse / Chester sings chorus" formula, and it sounded fucking beautiful. Especially when they would sing at the same time and one would do a harmony. Mike's singing voice has gotten so much better, even live, so I think seeing more of him singing (and of course, balancing it with the rapping as well) would be great.

Wishful thinking on most of this, possibly. But nonetheless, seeing any of these things in the next album would be incredible in my personal opinion.

 

I remember people blaming Rick for all the things they didn't like about Minutes to Midnight. It's like people forget that Linkin Park is made up of men who have a mind of their own and who are capable of deciding what they wanted on their record. Just because Rick gives them notes doesn't mean they listen to every thing he has to say. I doubt they would do something if they didn't think it was the right path for the song.

As for Mr. Reznor, just because that worked for him doesn't mean it would work for others. Some people need a Rick or can do without.

I personally think outside perspectives are sometimes needed to a degree because sometimes, it takes someone who isn't there with you in the studio and in the process to point out something you couldn't hear because you were too caught up in the song. It might be something you just couldn't put your fingers on. I think as a principle, the band themselves serve as those outside perspective for each other. But they might want Rick for a more objective view. As for future LP, I think Mike could be the sole producer for their next album, in fact, i think that is the direction they're heading towards.

What i don't understand is where Warner comes into play. It's not like the label sends anyone to help them write the album. And if they took help from Warner or let Warner help write their album, Hybrid Theory wouldn't have turned out the way it did. Joe Hahn would be in a cowboy outfit and Mike would not be rapping. If its because of the deadline, since when do bands not have a deadline? Label or not? I think unlimited time makes some musicians over scrutinize their music to the ground.

 

This. But especially the highlighted ones. My favourite part of ATS that excited me the most was most definitely Mike & Chester's vocal interplay. I had been waiting ever since Meteora and watching Live in Texas for Mike to finally graduate to singing too on their future album. It was bound to happen as it was the natural course if they were ever to evolve so when it finally happened, i was ecstatic. Iridescent, Burning the Skies, Blackout and The Catalyst were one of my favourite simply because it delivered on what i'd always wanted from the band. I never knew how great it would be until i popped in the CD and blasted it. I want more and for them to take it even further.

And yes to the screaming part. Most of my favourite LP songs have featured Chester's more melodic and aggressive singing instead of screams. He screams well. I just prefer his singing voice to his screaming voice. Linkin Park aren't a metal band by any stretch of the imagination. They can include metal elements but there are other elements of metal besides screaming.

 

I agree with totally dropping the screaming. If they don't, that's okay as long as it's used sparsely throughout the album. (Ala, Blackout) I use to be all about the screams when I was younger, but these days "Burning in the Skies" is more my speed. Chester has an amazing voice. He doesn't have to scream his vocal cords to hell to prove that.

 

surprise me!

 

I'm okay with the more melodic singing and the full-on screaming. My least favourite part of his vocals is the more aggressive, raspy singing becuase for me that usually leaves something to be desired when he tries to do it live.

 

Personally, I don't think they should abolish screaming completely. At least not yet. There still young men, so they still have a few angsty albums left in them. Even if its used sparingly (like on ATS). Thats one reason that makes blackout so special. Just an occasional song that really needs to pack a punch.

That said, i would gladly trade screaming in for more of Chester's crazy oriental/Mideastern vocals (e.g. Carousel, step up, when they come for me) That's something I want to see more of in the future!

 

What?

 

Miking singing an entire song by himself that's not a just a reprise of a previous song.
Think In Between and No Roads Left (two of my favorite Linkin Park songs!)

More hip-hop (which doesn't mean that I want more rap necessarily), zero metal. I'd really like for them to be more transcendent and hallucinogenic as in make a song that starts off either heavy or soft and then out of nowhere and with no buildup what so ever, does a 360 and then does the invert of that, in musical direction but you hear it it will sound amazing.

No vocal choruses on at least 1/2 of the album. There are so many songs that I love that have no discernible chorus at all.

The Shins - Oh Inverted word (among others)
All Along the Watchtower - Jimmy Hendrix
Radio Head - Pyramid song

I mean, come on. I don't need a "hook" to pull me in. Just good music.

Also, take a more electronic-dubstep approach

---
My ideal song for LP would be similar to black out but instead
the structure would be

start with drums loud, then abrupt change to entirely acoustic track
scream over soft beat mid scream vocals change to soft melodic singing
transition seamlessly into spoken words with sung harmonies
electronic instrumental out of just piano keys previously
Violin solo in middle of song
end with sound effect such as rain or make it a reserve of start of track


Also, no electric guitar. Find replacements for them and other ways to make songs heavy.

 

If Mike ever describes their next album as being like this I will honestly shit my pants everyday from anticipation lol.

 

True True.

I want screaming in the next Linkin Park album. But only on one or two songs. I don't want it to be overused.

And also, am I the only one worrying about them going back to hybrid theory? Because what if their labels force them to do so? I know that isn't what LP wants to do... but what if the label does?