The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game3 Out of 5 Stars
Viewed as a comeback of sorts for Linkin Park, they return to basics after the highly experimental "Thousand Suns" and the OK but not great "Living Things." The guitars are suddenly heavier, Chester Bennington screams and rapper Mike Shinoda is more prominent on this album than on the previous two. And always a sign that a band wants to let you know they're still relevant, there are plenty of special guests. "The Hunter" also ditches producer Rick Rubin for a co-production between Brad Delson and Shinoda.
Does it all work? On a superficial level, yes. It grinds out the aggro-metal-rap that made the band's bones back with 2000's "Hybrid Theory." "The Hunter" opens with a very aggressive salvo, Chester screaming out his failures for "Keys To The Kingdom," but it ends with a little kid shouting. Yes, the guys in Linkin Park are now daddies. Rage now goes inward instead of outward. On "A Thousand Suns," that meant moody introspection, now it's marked by hollering "Rebellion." Rap legend Rakim drops by on the exhilarating "Guilty All The Same," but it's just so he can complain about how record companies treat their bands. I hate my job, too, but I'm not a rich rock band. Kind of kills the thrill. Another guest star wasted is Tom Morello. If I had him on my album, I'd be expecting some rip-roaring guitar solos, Instead, he's buried on a mellow instrumental called "Drawbar." WTF?
"The Hunter" has plenty going for it; it's not a total bow-wow. Delson's guitars are way more prominent than on the last two albums. He's given more room to blister chord his way through "The Hunter" (and aggravates me even more that Morello was not utilized for his real skills), a credit to the band trying to recapture it's old glories. Not a bad attempt, but you've heard them doing better.
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