The Black Hole Comes On 4 Out of 5 Stars
Linkin Park seem to be stuck in a hard spot. "A Thousand Suns" sounds wildly ambitious, but they also can't seem to escape their ways of old. For every stunning "Burning In The Skies," you get sledgehammered by the juvenile "When They Come For Me." You get arty segues with sampled speeches, which denotes the band's old angst without using slashing guitars. "A Thousand Suns" is an arty album from a band that hasn't quite let go of its youthful arrogance.
Granted, that arrogance is well deserved. Their debut sold over ten million copies and many of their rap-rock peers (think Korn or Limp Bizkit) are struggling to remain relevant. Pity Mike Shinoda; as an aging rap-rocker, he sounds stuck in a band that is outgrowing him (although he sounds fine on "Blackout"). Chester Bennington fills the void with brooding, screaming and actual singing, albeit often processed beyond recognition. He also has continued the "Minutes to Midnight" themes of Man V Society here, which may alienate some of their old audience. I happen to like it.
"A Thousand Suns" is LP's second Rick Rubin produced album, and I wondered just how much he shepherded the band into experimenting. He makes Linkin Park sound big but moody, with chilling synths and lots of processed effects. Between the group's willingness to push themselves and Rubin's mastery of the studio, "A Thousand Suns" could easily be Linkin Park's best yet and the album that once again saves them from rock and roll's trendy dustbin.
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