Linkin Park's The Hunting Party--Opinions?

[Thunderscream872]

I'm pretty sure there are at least a few Linkin Park fans here. I was just curious about what the opinions are on their latest album, The Hunting Party.

For me this album is definitely better than their last two, but nowhere near as good as Hybrid Theory or Meteora. Still, not sure if I like it better than Minutes to Midnight yet. Though their last two albums weren't bad, imo, it's nice to see them return to a heavier sound.

I'll list the songs and give my rating for each one:

01. Keys to the Kingdom - 8.5/10
02. All for Nothing - 8/10
03. Guilty All the Same - 3/10
04. The Summoning - N/A (instrumental/prelude--didn't feel the need to rate this)
05. War - 6.5/10
06. Wastelands - 9/10
07. Until It's Gone - 9/10
08. Rebellion - 8/10
09. Mark the Graves - 8.5/10
10. Drawbar - N/A (same as 4)
11. Final Masquerade - 10/10
12. A Line in the Sand - 7/10

I really enjoyed this album overall. There were a few rough parts, but as a whole it was good. LP used to be my favorite band, but over the years they've kinda went downhill. Not that I disliked everything off A Thousand Suns and Living Things, but they were both very mediocre albums. The Hunting Party is definitely a step in the right direction.

So what do you guys think of this album overall? Or, if you've only heard a few songs, do you like what you've heard so far?

[mechana2015]

I like the harder sound, but it just doesn't sound like Linkin Park still... I'm a huge fan of meteora and hybrid theory, and really miss the dj.

[Rewin]

I like the harder sound, but it just doesn't sound like Linkin Park still... I'm a huge fan of meteora and hybrid theory, and really miss the dj.

Mr Hahn is no longer with LP? Wow, shows what I know. Of course I didn't even know they have had 2 albums since Minutes to Midnight, which is when I stopped listening to them. Which of their new songs is the most like their old stuff, maybe I'll give it a listen if I get a chance later.

[mechana2015]

Hahn may still be with them, but he's all but invisible on the last few albums if he is.

[Thunderscream872]

Yes, Joe Hahn is still in the band. He directs most of their music videos, but outside of that I'm not really sure what he does anymore as far as music composition goes.

[Tigerchu]

I was just looking at their album (amazon), but I don't know if I'll buy it. However, I have already bought their "Recharged" Album, and I gotta say, "A light that never comes" was awesome. I was waiting for years for a song to come out with (remembering) electronic, and drums I think, and it couldn't have come from a better band (they are relatively clean for a "rapcore" band). They added rap to my idea, but it was still good. (By the way, I'm just saying it was my idea; they didn't talk to me or anything). Anyway, I was thoroughly pleased with this song.

[Thunderscream872]

The whole album is on YouTube, I would listen to the songs there before deciding on whether or not to buy it. Personally, I think its worth buying.

"A Light That Never Comes" is good. I haven't listened to anything else on "Recharged". I'm not really into remixes.

[Tigerchu]

Yeah, I think I"ve heard at least one of their songs (part of 1 anyway), and I wasn't too fond, oh yeah, they cursed. I'm not too into buying songs with curses in them.

Also, I liked "a light that never comes" so much that I bought the entire album for it.

[Tereya]

I've listened through the whole album once so far. I liked it well enough, but I think I'm going to need to go through it a few more times to determine how it really sits with me.

I definitely am liking the return to a heavier sound, in spite of my eternal love for A Thousand Suns. (Minutes to Midnight I didn't care for at all, but I can listen to A Thousand Suns for days and not get tired of it. The concept, composition and flow of the album as a whole just suits me.) My one major qualm with The Hunting Party may be that it just seems like a bunch of songs all stuck together with no overarching flow to pull it all together. However, I was multitasking when I listened to it the first time, so my attention may have been elsewhere and I just missed it. And I can already tell that it's going to be one of those albums I'm going to have to be in just the right mood for in order to enjoy it.

On the whole, though, enjoyed it, want to listen to it at least a couple more times, may possibly be worth buying.

[Thunderscream872]

I've listened through the whole album once so far. I liked it well enough, but I think I'm going to need to go through it a few more times to determine how it really sits with me.

I definitely am liking the return to a heavier sound, in spite of my eternal love for A Thousand Suns. (Minutes to Midnight I didn't care for at all, but I can listen to A Thousand Suns for days and not get tired of it. The concept, composition and flow of the album as a whole just suits me.) My one major qualm with The Hunting Party may be that it just seems like a bunch of songs all stuck together with no overarching flow to pull it all together. However, I was multitasking when I listened to it the first time, so my attention may have been elsewhere and I just missed it. And I can already tell that it's going to be one of those albums I'm going to have to be in just the right mood for in order to enjoy it.

On the whole, though, enjoyed it, want to listen to it at least a couple more times, may possibly be worth buying.

A Thousand Suns is great listen as a whole, as are most of LP's albums. That's one negative about The Hunting Party--the songs don't feel like they were arranged as well as they've been in the past.

Speaking of A Thousand Suns, I gotta say, "Waiting For The End" is one of my favorite Linkin Park songs of all time. I love that song.

[Tereya]

A Thousand Suns is great listen as a whole, as are most of LP's albums. That's one negative about The Hunting Party--the songs don't feel like they were arranged as well as they've been in the past.

Speaking of A Thousand Suns, I gotta say, "Waiting For The End" is one of my favorite Linkin Park songs of all time. I love that song.

Exactly! It seemed like there wasn't any sense of continuity as the album went on. Which... is fine, I guess, but it made the whole thing seem more fractured and jarring and less like a consummate experience.

"Waiting For The End" is fantastic, particularly when taken in context of the album as a whole. I remember not being too big on it as a radio single, but hearing it framed as it should be enhances the awesome. There's honestly not a single song from A Thousand Suns I don't love, but "When They Come For Me," "Blackout" and "Wretches & Kings" tend to be particular favorites of mine.