A Thousand Suns

Before I review "A Thousand Suns", let me ask all of the Linkin Park fans one question. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? Evolution is a natural part of life. Everything changes. I just want to give you a little of my back story with Linkin Park. "Hybrid Theory" - The first time I heard "One Step Closer" in all honesty I wrote LP off as "just another overrated rap/rock group that was nothing special", and "very gimmicky". That all changed when I strolled into a record store that had "In The End" playing over the loud speakers. Mind you this was before "Crawling" was released as a single. I was hooked. Needless to say I left the store with "Hybrid Theory" in addition to my other purchases. After listening to HT in it's entirety, I took back everything I said about LP. "Reanimation" - I don't have too much to say about this since it's pretty much a remix album. The re-arrangements are nice. Aaron Lewis' vocals layered over Chester Bennington's on "KRWLNG" made a great song sound even better. "Meteora" - I snagged this on it's release date. I even caught their show when they came to town with P.O.D. and Hoobastank. IMHO, the album was too short. It was more or less "Hybrid Theory II", which wasn't a bad thing as it's a great album. "Numb", "Somewhere I Belong", and "Breaking The Habit" were pretty much anthems for me back then. They still get play in my iPod. I knew that the guys were capable of pushing the envelope, or evolving. "My December" was early proof that LP could evoke other emotions besides angst, fear and anger. "Minutes To Midnight" - This was the envelope pushing that I was alluding to earlier. It was a necessary shift for LP. If "MTM" sounded like "Hybrid Theory III" they would've been written off as a one-trick pony. There are only so many times you can go to the well...just ask Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Staind. Your sound will grow stale on listener's ears. "Bleed It Out" was the closest thing that sounded like the LP of old. They were slowly but surely shedding their skin. "Leave Out All the Rest", "What I've Done", "Hands Held High", these were all great songs. "The Little Things Give You Away" however, was their magnum opus. A very heartfelt song about a terrible disaster. If someone told me back then that LP would be do a song of that caliber I would've said they were crazy. This leads us too... "A Thousand Suns" - Epic. That was the first word that came to mind after I finished listening to "ATS" in it's entirety. It's a concept album but also a statement album. That statement is "No Fear". They weren't afraid to be creative or go outside of the boundaries of what fans expect of them, or what they expected of themselves. I chose to listen to "The Full Experience" to avoid rewinding or fast forwarding to another track. "When They Come For Me" blew me away. Mike's raps, the chants and the middle eastern style track blends nicely. "The Catalyst", "Waiting For The End", "Burning In The Skies" just to name a few, are all incredible songs. The tracks segue to create one awesome listening experience. I appreciate the fact that LP had the courage to be radically different on this album. I hope this review helps someone who's still on the fence about getting it. To the fans who've decided to drop LP like a bad habit because of this album, I quote Jay-Z's "On To The Next One" /"LP on that new sh--/ People like how come? / People want my old sh-- / Buy my old album /

First, I would just like to clarify my opinion on this album. While I believe that A Thousand Suns is not Linkin Park's best album, I do believe that it is something more. I believe that this album is art in its purest form. For years, I have been listening to Linkin Park, I have all their CDs, and I listen to them quite religiously, but I have never heard a sound from them that is quite like this, and frankly, I applaud them. Over the years, this band has strived for more than just chart-topping singles or record sales. They strive for art. This band did what other bands do not have the stomach to do: They went out on a limb, risked it all, and produced something that is new, groundbreaking, and most of all artful. They do not repeat themselves to appease what others perceive as their sound, write vainly, or walk the easy path by playing it safely. Every one of their albums tells a different story, inherently their own, and conveys that story with an enriching, fresh, and thoughtful sound, and one can always tell that that story, those emotions came from the band's own blood, sweat, and tears; being a musician myself, I appreciate that with the utmost respect and passion. So I recommend that you prepare to shatter your perceived mold of Linkin Park, and with an open mind, experience the art that is this wonderful album. Once again, Linkin Park's newest volume of art has changed my perspective of them, of music, and of the expression of emotions. I highly recommend that any fan of Linkin Park or music, or art, purchase this album, and really, really listen to it.

I found this album awe-inspiring; a lyrical masterpiece that got me caught up in the narrative that Linkin Park was trying get across to their listener. I found the choices of the speeches that were selected for various songs just further added substance to what I deemed to be an incredible album. It is an absolute pleasure to listen to each time, hearing the words of Martin Luther King Jr., J. Robert Oppenheimer and Mario Savio. This album speaks volumes considering the nature of the world and the political climates we presently occupy. It is quite a departure in some respects from their debut album Hybrid Theory and I know some of the hardcore fans may not like it. Personally I feel it's worth taking a deeper look at and truly listening to the lyrics more intently. I had heard several of the songs on their own previously and loved them, but when listened to in the context of the full album and the meaning it was trying to get across speaks even more deeply. I would highly recommend taking the time and re-examining this album as it evokes a feeling of storytelling like listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" or Green Day's "American Idiot". I hope we may in time hear more from the group, but only time will tell where they go from here without the co-captain of their magnificent ship.

A Thousand Suns is a great a album from LP. Some people might have said that the band has deviated from their original path but for me they have deviated to an awesome path and they did a great job to bring up a concept album. One should hear the songs from first track to the last coz each song is connected to the next or previous song. I can't pick a favorite song from this album as each song is beautiful. Amazon delivery is great as usual. Once you hear the songs from Audio CD, you will understand that clarity of the downloaded songs are nowhere near to this.

Perfect, niets op aan te merken!

... "Hybrid Theory" war besser. Punkt. Aber das war mir schon klar, bevor "A Thousand Suns" erschien. Und das lässt sich auch über jedes andere Album sagen, dass ich kenne. HT ist und bleibt mein ewiges #1-Album. Deshalb sage ich aber noch lange nicht, dass ATS schlecht ist. Es ist schlichtweg anders. Und das ist auch gut so! Linkin Park hätte sich nicht gut dabei getan, ihren alten, ursprünglichen Stil noch einmal aufzuwärmen. Herausgekommen wäre wahrscheinlich etwas, dass vielen Fans der ersten Stunde (zu denen ich mich dazu zähle!) vielleicht auf Anhieb besser gefallen hätte, aber im Nachhinein wäre es mit Sicherheit untergegangen im Vergleich zu den alten Alben. Ihren neuen Weg leiteten LP ja schon mit "Minutes To Midnight" ein, von dem ich nach wie vor behaupte, dass es das mit Abstand schlechteste ist, was LP je produziert hat. Die Lieder sind durchweg langweilig und einfallslos, zu Mainstream verkommen und sollen doch noch an den alten Sound erinnern. Dabei fehlt aber der Einfallsreichtum und die Einzigartigkeit, mit der sich LP sonst auszeichnete. Einzig und allein "Hands Held High" war ein Lichtblick auf dieser Scheibe. Da dies hier aber keine Rezension der alten Scheiben werden soll, komme ich nun zu meinen Eindrücken von ATS. Diese Vorworte zu den älteren Werken sollen nur klar machen, wie ich zu meiner folgenden Meinung kam... Ich habe ATS nun schon x-mal komplett durchgehört, seit ich es besitze. Anfangs hatte ich wirklich noch Angst, dass LP ihren Weg von MTM fortsetzen - das taten sie Gott sei Dank nicht! ATS ist zwar anders als der ursprüngliche Sound (als kleine Anmerkung: das ist das erste Werk von LP, dass in meiner iTunes-Musikbibliothek nicht unter "Nu Metal" aufgeführt ist, eher unter "Electronic Rock"), aber alles andere als Mainstream. Die Songs (und auch die vielen Zwischensequenzen) sind so arrangiert, dass es einen deutlich spürbaren "roten Faden" gibt, des sich durch das ganze Album zieht. Die Stimmung in den einzelnen Liedern wechselt dabei von ruhig zu frohlich, ernsthaft, aggressiv oder rebellisch hin und her, jedes hat seinen ganz eigenen Charme. Und wenn sie auch noch so unterschiedlich sind, so trägt doch jedes ganz klar die Handschrift von Linkin Park. Sei es zum Teil im sehr ausgefeilten Text, zum Teil aber auch in den kleinen, kaum hörbaren Beats oder Screatches. Als langjähriger LP-Fan finde ich es auch ganz witzig, wenn ab und an Text-Teile aus alten Liedern übernommen wurden (z.B. bei "When They Come For Me": '... forfeit the game...' wie bei "Points of Authority" ). Überaus positiv finde ich auch, dass Mike Shinoda wieder öfters Rap-Parts übernimmt und man generell mehr von Joe Hahn hört, ganz zu schweigen von Chester's Screams (leider nur in einem Lied), auch wenn es bei weitem nicht so viel ist wie früher... Ich sehe es zwar genauso, wie es die Band etliche Male betont hat, dass man das Album als ganzes nehmen muss, will aber an dieser Stelle doch noch ein paar Songs extra Erwähnen, meine Anspiel-Tipps, sozusagen: - When They Come For Me: erstes härteres Stück auf dem Album, eher raplastig (was mir persönlich sehr gut gefällt), hat auch irgendwie orientalische Einflüsse, gefällt mir mit jedem Hören besser -> 10/10 - Blackout: hier darf Chester endlich wieder schreien! Wechselt innerhalb des Liedes die Stimmung einige Male, sehr interessantes Lied -> 10/10 - Wretches And Kings: das Lied, das sich am meisten am alten Sound orientiert, harter Sound, ein rappender Mike, und ein Traum von einem Refrain, gebrüllt von Chester, dazu ein klasse Text. Dieser Song kann es ganz klar mit jedem HT-Track aufnehmen. Meiner Meinung nach das klare Highlight auf der CD (auch perfekt durch die vorherigen Tracks hingeführt) -> 15/10 ;-) - The Catalyst: die erste Single-Auskopplung, ziemlich ungewohnter Sound, gefällt mir aber erst richig gut, seitdem ich das ganze Album kenne. Passt unglaublich gut ins Gesammtbild und schließt einen inhaltlichen Rahmen zum Anfang des Albums -> 10/10 Als Fazit möchte ich sagen, dass das Album nicht viel mit vergangenen Zeiten zu tun hat, aber für sich alleine mit Sicherheit ein großes Werk ist. Ich kann die vielen Fans verstehen, die es noch vor Veröffentlichung in der Luft zerfetzt haben, aus Frustration darüber, dass der alte Sound wohl für immer weg ist. Aber ich finde, man sollte diese Entscheidung respektieren und dem Album eine Chance geben - bei mir hat es funktioniert!

come titolo non penso serva dire molto. seguo i Linkin park sin dagli esordi, amo la loro musica in ogni sua declinazione. il prodotto è fedele a quanto descritto nella scheda, tempi di consegna in linea con quanto comunicatomi (non era disponibile al momento dell'ordine). Purtroppo l'acquisto è capitato in concomitanza con la morte di Chester, pertanto i prezzi sono decollati pressochè all'istante su tutti i loro album in vendita. questa tra tutte è la cosa che non mi è paciuta. per il resto l'album merita, assoltamente

Not their best album, but even an okay Linkin Park album is a must for any heavy rock fan.