Minutes to Midnight: Linkin Park

Minutes to Midnight is Linkin Park's third studio album (not counting Reanimation, but we will review that as well). It was released in May of 2007, and received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. While some reviewers such as Rolling Stones Magazine praised it as a step in the right direction and a really great sounding album, others labeled it as a failed attempt at forging a new identity... including fans. This is the album where many fans broke off from Linkin Park, and many new fans joined. This was their breaking point. Here is my review of the album, song by song.

Some background on Linkin Park first to get everyone in the mood.
They released 2 studio albums called Hybrid Theory and Meteora (arguably their best music to many) in the years of 2000 and 2004. They also released a remix album called Reanimation in between, in which Mike Shinoda (band's rapper/singer/guitarist/keyboard/producer... he pretty much does everything) collaborated with many other artists, remixing the bands first album and some of their unreleased songs such as High Voltage and My December. Linkin Park was known and labelled under the genre "Nu-metal" which was very popular at the time... think of the 90's grunge rock era. Minutes to Midnight was their transition from the dying Nu-Metal genre into the more popular and mainstream Alternative genre. They were wildly successful in sales to say the least, though fans and critics had mixed feelings. The album is hard to feel from front to back unlike Meteora which feels like a river, flowing from one song to the next seamlessly and perfectly. Minutes to Midnight also holds some of their most popular songs to date, including "Shadow of the Day," "Bleed it Out," and "No More Sorrow."

Introduction:
Meteora left a big void for Minutes to Midnight to fill. The band felt that change was necessary to survive and in many regards it was. Much of the album still had that surreal Linkin Park feel to it, but it was very lacking in the heaviness of the songs and in the rap styles of Mike Shinoda...two of the strongest points to the band not including lyrics (which were still fantastic for the most part in this album). This album also saw the change of producers from Gilmore to Rick Rubin... and Mike Shinoda co-producing together. This album was a transition album, to put simply. That does not mean that it is a let-down in any regard though, and is still a great album. Lets break it down... song by song.

1. Wake
An instrumental/electronic intro. No singing, just a really cool feel to it. There is not much to say about it other than it was there to introduce the album. Was it necessary? I think it was because they had to ease fans into the new style... which brings us to our next song.
Wake gets a 7 out of 10.

2. Given Up
The heaviest song on the album besides Bleed it Out. Still feels different from their old stuff, but at this point fans of old should not be too worried. The guitar work is solid, but the clapping in the song pisses me off to an extent. Chester really gives an aggressive feel to the song, and what really makes me enjoy this song is the fantastic bass work from Phoenix. The "solo" I guess? Is pretty bad. And the screaming is a bit too high pitched for my liking... I know Chester can go lower and I think he should have for this song. Lyrics are simple, but work well with the songs direction. Mike Shinoda does not make an appearance... an instant negative. In a live show he does grab a guitar and play but in the album no presence at all so far.
Given up gets a 7 out of 10.

3. Leave out all the Rest
This is where the LP fans of old start to hate. I personally love this song. It's very slow, sad, and deep. The lyrics are incredible all the way through and prove to be some of their best work yet lyrically. Chester kills this song, does an incredible job. A very electronic feel however, which is a first for Linkin Park. The guitar, drums, bass and keyboard/mixing during the chorus is all very in tune and working together to create a surreal atmosphere. "When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reason to be missed. And don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest." Absolutely beautiful. No Mike Shinoda again except live... another negative.
Leave out all the Rest gets an 8.5 out of 10.

4. Bleed it Out
One of Linkin Park's best songs ever. Probably one of their most popular as well. Mike Shinoda finally makes his appearance and... he shows up strong. The guitar work is great and Mike's rapping is at its best in this song. The lyrics are intense and flow effortlessly and Chester's screaming during the chorus is solid as a rock. All throughout the song, it is fantastic. There isn't anything really bad to say about this song, everything works and works very well. Just missing that certain something that keeps it from being perfect.
Bleed it Out gets a 9.5 out of 10.

5. Shadow of the Day
Another one of Linkin Park's most popular songs, and it deserves to be. The lyrics are some of their best and they really perform well in their new alternative field. A solid electronic beat, and lyrically it is simple... but is deep. You have all probably heard this song on the radio, it is easily their most heard song. Chester's singing is incredible to say the least, but again just as quickly as Mike Shinoda shows up on the scene he disappears once more (except live). That is its only real negative, I would like to hear more guitar and drum work, the Bass job is great though.Truly a classic, and it deserves it. Fantastic job LP. "And the shadow of the day will embrace the world in gray, and the sun will set for you."
Shadow of the Day gets a 9 out of 10.

6. What I've Done
Another one of their most heard and most popular songs. What I've Done is a great addition to their setlist, as the guitar work, keyboard work (finally Mike Shinoda and Mr. Han doing something again), drum work, bass work, and vocals all mesh perfectly together to create a truly great song. The lyrics are fantastic as always, but to me this song is very repetitive and gets stuck in your head... in a bad way. Too radio friendly for my liking, and their single New Divide that came out after the album for the Transformers movie sounded eerily similar to this song, which takes away some score from it. An overall good song though. Also, we hear Mike Shinoda singing at the end for the first time... ever!
What I've Done gets an 8 out of 10.

7. Hands Held High
The song that everyone loves to hate. I don't know why. Sure, it is different and downright courageous for LP to even put this on the album due to its controversy... the song is about War and Politcs... their first time tackling this topic. Mike Shinoda raps the entire way through, and this is one of his most underrated performances... if not the most underrated performance of his career. He. Kills. It. The lyrics are... interesting to say the least. A sample is "like they understand you in the back of the jet when you can't put gas in your tank, and these fuckers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing their cheques, asking you to have some compassion, have some respect." It is hard to score this song, because it is so different. Mike Shinoda sings a bit at the end again... a sign of things to come for him. In the end, this song is really not so bad and fun to listen to every now and then.
Hands Held High gets a 6.5 out of 10.

8. No More Sorrow
Starts off very strong, and continues with that momentum until the very end. The sliding electric intro, then introduces a chugging guitar intro, introducing the drums and the bass, and goes into the main riffs. Really well done technically from all of LP so far. Chester does a good job with this song in the album, but he does this better live. One of his best songs live. The lyrics are pretty good, and we hear Mike doing a bit of singing during the chorus again, slowly introducing the fans to Mike having more roles. I think that this song is one of their most underrated, and definitely one of their best songs live.
No More Sorrow gets an 8 out of 10.

9. Valentines Day
... and then this song. Very very very very soft singing and mood. Very very very very very VERY sad to listen to as well. At this point, Chester is establishing himself as a legitimate singer and this song was a transition for him, as well as the band. The lyrics are fantastic as always, and very soft but solid work from Rob, Brad, and Phoenix on drums, guitar, and bass respectively. No Mike again... but just wait for it. This song is a good one, but a sad one. "And now you're gone, and I was wrong. I never knew what it was like to be alone... on a Valentines Day." It is a solid song, but not special.
Valentines Day gets a 7 out of 10.

10. In Between
Hey everyone, Mike gets his own song again. Wait... he is singing? The entire thing? Man Mike sounds great singing independently and leading for the first time. The song is very electronic, and has a very mellow mood... utilizing Mike's deeper tone. Lyrics are simple, but work well with the overall tone and atmosphere that the song creates. "Between my pride and my promise. Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way. The things I want to say to you get lost before they come, the only thing that's worse than one is none." This song is a transition song for Mike, establishing and expanding his role. Many old fans hate this, I personally think that the combination of Mike's rap and vocals, and Chester's vocals and screams give LP one of the most diverse vocal sets in Rock. A good song, but forgettable.
In Between gets a 7 out of 10.

11. In Pieces
Chester takes over this song, and continues a very similar electronic sound and carries the mood and atmosphere from the next song quite well... just listening to it while reviewing I almost forgot that the song changed... which is nice. Good continuity. Lyrics are solid as always "You promised me the sky, then tossed me like a stone. You wrap me in your arms, and chill me to the bone." A good song again, but forgettable. Good singing from Chester, and we can here some good keyboard and drums in the song too.
In Pieces gets a 7.5 out of 10.

12. The Little Things Give You Away
Carries and slows down the beat from the previous song, and brings in a very melancholy acoustic guitar... slow strumming that immediately makes you very sad. Chester sings very softly, but very well. "All you've ever wanted was for someone to truly look up to you. And six feet underwater, I do." Very very very sad. But an excellent song, one of their most underrated in my opinion. Wish they would do this one more live. The lyrics are incredible all the way through, and the guitar and singing slowly carries the song until after the second chorus... when the song slows right down but then Rob's drums carries the song into a sort of solo/pre-outro combination... some guitar joins and plays a sort of solo...and after some humming from Chester...we hear Mike Shinoda absolutely killing it by singing "The little things give you away" over and over. It puts me in a trance when LP can insert Mike so effectively into a song like that. We hear the song culminate the entire album with Mike singing that over and over, Chester singing "all you've ever wanted is for someone to truly look up to you" and a third loop of Chester humming... It ends the album on near perfection and on a high note. When I first heard it, it made me crave more. I wanted to hear where LP would go next after this fantastic last track.
The Little Things Give You Away gets a 9.5 out of 10.

In conclusion this album was great. It was clearly a transition album with its ups and downs, but overall the album showed a lot of promise and gave fans plenty of great songs to listen to... not to mention some songs that they absolutely kill live in Bleed it Out (often their final song), No More Sorrow, Leave out all the Rest, Shadow of the Day, and What I've Done. The album lacked transitioning until In Between happened... everything else that happened after that felt like one song. The album lacked consistency and as a whole, was awkward... but still solid overall.

Final Rating for Minutes to Midnight:
7.5 out of 10
- Transition album, trying to establish themselves
- Some incredible songs
-... and some not so incredible songs
- Needs more Mike Shinoda doing what he does best... rap.
- Would appreciate a bit more heaviness in the final 5 tracks... felt very light.

As a fan of Linkin Park: I really enjoy this album. As a whole, it is simply ok. Some individual songs such as Leave out all the Rest really stand out for me though as some of their best work. Definitely pick up and approach with an open mind.

As a critic: Somewhat disappointing compared to the shadow that Meteora left. Still a solid album, but it has some serious flaws that keep it from excelling. Listen to it first, and if you like some of the songs buy them individually or pick up the album.

How it ranks compared to their other albums:
1st place. Meteora
- still overall best album in every area
2nd place. A Thousand Suns (9.5 out of 10)
- completely different, but beautifully crafted and a complete album like Meteora.
3rd place. Hybrid Theory
- the bands origins. Some really great songs that were groundbreaking back in the day.
4th place.  Living Things (8 out of 10)
- using elements of all other albums, this album is a great entry.
5th place. Minutes to Midnight (7.5 out of 10)
- a good entry, but this was completely new territory for LP. Some good songs, but still uncertain feel.

Linkin Park stepped into new territory with Minutes to Midnight. This was clearly a transition album and needed to happen in order for the band to iron out their weaknesses... they did that and we can see that in A Thousand Suns which was near perfection. It is their "worst" album to date but don't let that discourage you... it is still a great entry for Linkin Park. It seems they can do no wrong, even when they are in transition and are supposed to.

Buy it!