Linkin Park release first single ‘Burn It Down’ from their upcoming album ‘Living Things’.
Linkin Park have made a massive reveal this week, the title, full track-listing, cover art and release date of their upcoming studio album ‘Living Things’ put out all in a single day as well as some tour dates! To wet our appetites the new albums’ first single has been released as well. Interviews over the last few weeks have suggested that this album will see Linkin Park consolidating the strengths of all previous records rather than trying to reinvent the band entirely yet again. Promises made by various band members include a noticeable move away from ballads and mid-tempo numbers to faster tracks (thank Christ for that!). Also it has been reiterated that the political lyrics are out the window and the distorted guitars are back in full force! The band has been quick to stress that although this new record will acknowledge their nu-metal roots it will NOT sound like Hybrid Theory.
Linkin Park new single review
With all this summing up in mind it came as a surprise to me when I heard the first single ‘Burn It Down’… a mid-tempo, electronically driven power ballad that sounds like it would have fitted perfectly on previous record ‘A Thousand Suns’. If descriptions given to us by the band are anything to go by, this single should not be indicative of the rest of the album but as it stands ‘Burn It Down’ upon first listen made very little impact on me. The song itself features soft vocals from Chester Bennington overlaying various ambient, electronic samples and a simple drumbeat. The chorus is quite catchy and worth a mention but the song doesn’t really go anywhere until Shinoda comes in with rapping vocals during the bridge. The two frontmen compliment each other well but it’s a shame Shinoda wasn’t brought in earlier.
The new single will disappoint fans of yester-year still seeking Hybrid Theory 3. Personally I loved some aspects of A Thousand Suns, particularly songs such as ‘Wretches and Kings’ and ‘When They Come For Me’. Those two tracks alone proved that Linkin Park still has some damn fine songs to offer the world when they try to put some force behind them. I have no problem with ballads in general, just ballads written by Linkin Park apparently. This wouldn’t be too much of an issue except it’s all they seem to produce these days.
Anyway the new single is available on Linkin Park’s main website for free streaming and is probably already on youtube. Check it out and by the way, album is due June 26th. North American tour dates are already going up, apparently it’s a co-headlining tour with Incubus.
I have to agree that the song is too soft to bait in an audience. As the first song to be heard from the new album they should have selected a more gripping, faster song. The song is not bad but still not amazing.
(I am waiting for HT3 though…)
Posted by Chris | April 16, 2012, 8:47 pmBurn It Down is not bad, sounds quite classic Linkin Park. as a title it suggests a more aggressive song, so its softness surprises. We’ll see the rest
Posted by phoenixfeathers | April 16, 2012, 9:18 pmLinkin Park’s music will always be good in my mind.
Posted by RockRicky | April 19, 2012, 9:23 pmI am a massive fan of Linkin Park, but I think the beat and instruments in this new song sounds like a child is playing his first electric keyboard or xylophone. The singing is much like the minutes to midnight album (ballady!). Its good to hear they are ditching the political words and going back to nu-metal. Lets just hope its not a ballad album!
Posted by Simon Rowling | April 17, 2012, 7:53 amJust making a quick follow-up to the article. I heard an interview yesterday only an hour after sending this blog off and the interviewer asked Mike Shinoda if this song is a good representation of the rest of the album. He gave a very diplomatic and completely useless answer along the lines of ‘in some ways yes, and in other ways no.’ As I already wrote in the blog, the band has stated heavy guitars and faster songs are coming back while embracing the strongest aspects of all previous albums (Kerrang had a pretty insightful interview not too long ago with Chester that is worth a read). If that is true then this song shouldn’t sound much like the rest of the album at all, but having followed these guys closely over the years I have come to notice they are REALLY bad at describing their own music in words.
Posted by Al Westlake | April 17, 2012, 12:34 pmBurn It Down is a good start to their new album, I like how they are keeping with their recent two albums as I personally enjoyed listening to them and like the path they’re going with this tune.
I really like the solo vocals by Chester throughout the new song and think it goes well with the lyrics, and a good contribution by Shinoda with the rapping, after listening to it several times I feel he comes in at just the right point.
I know it is not going down the root of the first albums, but I think it’s time to move on from that, the first two albums were amazing so I say don’t try and recreate something as this does not always work. Plus they are still keeping that similar style for example “What I’ve Done” and “Wretches and Kings” (by the way, great tunes!).
Posted by Aeron Charity | April 17, 2012, 10:38 pmBurn It Down is really good, a love the way it begins and the tune throughout the song is amazing. I agree with Aeron Charity about Chester’s solo and Shinoda rapping, very good, defiantly in time, perfect point.
I cannot wait for the album releases this sounds wicked and knowing Linkin park the rest of this album will be just as good.
Posted by Rowena Siddiqui | April 17, 2012, 11:10 pmI think the song itself is very pretty with great singing and lyrics. Does sound very ATS. But I agree they made too many soft pop songs on the last two records and hearing another one as opening single for a new album isnt very encouraging even if its good.
Posted by Bubblegum | April 18, 2012, 12:37 amEvery record these guys make is classic. This song is GOOD. I mean, there’s no other way to describe it. Too many times, reviewers project their emotions into it, which isnt right, coz your feelings are a different subject to the art. Linkin Park arent kids anymore. The teen-angst driven albums of Hybrid Theory and Meteora SHOULD NEVER BE REPEATED because we have all moved on. They are now married men raising families. Same thing with hip hop and how rappers after a few albums get criticized for being ‘soft’ or not being ‘hood’ enough. Which is true coz after a few albums they are multimillionaires who are busy playing golf and managing their financial empires, not beggin for food on street corners. Well, I digress, but LP have proven time and time again their creative brilliance and every album they create is excellent. People looking for HybridTheory3, should just listen to HYBRID THEORY 1. Art matures and expands. You should too.
Posted by olymctavish | April 18, 2012, 1:44 pmI agree with most of what you said mate, I actually don’t want a HT3 anymore than you do. ATS had some really good tracks on it (wretches, blackout, catalyst etc) and if this album expands on that sound then it could be awesome. But I do admit I have an issue with their ballad to up-tempo ratio on the last couple of albums, they are still a rock band of some description and it seems like 2 of every 3 songs they write is on the softer side and I think they lend themselves better to music with a bit more punch. I don’t want the old sound back, just some of the energy that came with it basically.
Posted by Al Westlake | April 18, 2012, 6:39 pmAn Awesome number. I guess it is Just the appetizer …. Let’s w8 patiently 4 the FEAST …. LP of crs knws hw 2 make magic with Muzic …. so leave it on’em & let us just enjoy …. this Piece-of-art inscribes in one’s heart & brain with every listening one gives …. Happened to Me …. Suddenly the replay button is my closest frnd & cant but listen this song
….
Posted by Rezy Keith Ryu | April 18, 2012, 2:35 pmThank you for this well-informed article; you’re clearly a big fan of Linkin Park. I have to admit that I struggled listening to this track. There are a number of solid elements: Chester’s strong vocal delivery; the contrast between the heavy choruses and light verses; a lovely filtered drum fill towards the end of the track; nevertheless, these elements lack cohesion and organisation. The tempo is too slow, Shinoda’s vocals are brought in abruptly (a pertinent criticism of the band’s work since Minutes to Midnight), the guitar work in the chorus sounds as though it has been constructed from sawtooth waveforms rather than being recorded live. I like the electronic vibe of this track and hope that the new record is produced to the calibre demonstrated here. Most of all I hope the band have written some better material than this. I’d give it 3/5
Posted by Matthias Linehan | April 18, 2012, 3:08 pmHi all, loving the comments you are all making. Glad to see that there are so many strong opinions. It seems that you all share the same views in general. Lets see what the album brings
Posted by musiceyz | April 18, 2012, 10:13 pmHad a listen to this and thought it was rubbish. I aint a big LP fan tho so may have expected it. Just think this is middle of the road noise
Posted by Heavey Eddy | April 18, 2012, 10:17 pmI listened to the song and found it was a little too synth heavy for my liking, having read numerous articles on it going ‘back to their nu metal roots’ I can’t say I wasn’t expecting something drastically different from what we got on a thousand suns, when in the end, like you said, it ended up sounding like a bonus track they left from their previous record.
Posted by Zach | April 18, 2012, 11:21 pmNot sure if im a fan, slow start, never made me want to leave my seat and mosh, lyrics mellow, rapping just seems to add nothing to the song, surprised they havent introduced any new music tools like most artists playing on the dubstep scene, but im also kind of glad their keeping to their own genre, I hope and believe there will be much better tracks on the full album…
Posted by Ben Symonds | April 19, 2012, 8:52 pmI totally agree!!
Posted by Jonny Jones | April 19, 2012, 9:20 pmThe first song of a new album sets the scene of the rest to follow. I have been a fan of LP for a long time, since the beginning in fact, and I must admit I had expected to hear something a little different. Like the author says, the album is meant to consolidate all of their strengths taken from the past but this introduction has done little to persuade me that they have achieved this. It just sounds very “samey” and like the first pages of a book, if it doesn’t start with anything special it is hard to get excited, but I suppose time will tell when the album is released. I hope there is more to it that this indicates!
Posted by Olivia Mellor | April 23, 2012, 9:11 pmi personally will follow linkin park down any path they choose because i am a true fan and you must deal with their dips and highs
Posted by Lord of Shadows | May 22, 2012, 1:49 pmi’m a great fan.i luv all past albums but i think hybrid theory is something else.but i like waiting for the end and shadow of the day that are LOW.burn it down is very good but still have a little lacking in the guitar and rap but not bad. i think they will rock again
points:4 of 5
Posted by sadr | June 2, 2012, 12:14 pm