Linkin Park Go Pop With New Album ‘One More Light’

Stephanie Hernandez

Confidently blending hip-hop, alt-rock, electronica and nu-metal, Linkin Park once transformed into an elemental force all their own, taking up uncharted (and much needed) territory on the radio. Becoming one of the most successful stadium rock groups of the 2000’s, the boys seemed fearless. Refreshing in their commitment to experimentation, Park’s capability of working their alchemist magic with any genre and making it stick has always been their saving grace. It’s an illusion shattered with the release of their over-the-top, saccharine sweet, pop-centric seventh album “One More Light.” Trading nu-metal grit for the mainstream appeal of pop, the record does not ring true: it feels inauthentic and contrived. Linkin Park has seen many a metamorphosis over the course of their 17-plus year career, from their rollicking debut “Hybrid Theory” to the electro/rap tapestry that was “Thousand Suns.” Change has always been the group’s friend, but like most things in life, it seems like they’ve hit a wall. While the content isn’t the issue, lyrics about regret, uncertainty and change do feel a bit odd when juxtaposed against syncopated handclaps and cheery electronic flourishes. The record’s ten tracks will leave you asking, “isn’t Linkin Park supposed to be a rock band?”

Opening with the sprightly “Nobody Can Save Me,” fans of the band will find themselves checking the record’s sleeve to ensure they purchased a Linkin Park and not a Twenty One Pilots album. From the opening straight through to the last note, Chester Bennington’s powerful vocal chords are unrecognizable here. They feel forced, pained to reach falsettos the songs do not call for. The disappointment continues with tracks like “Heavy” and “Talking To Myself” where the band takes a page out of the beginner’s handbook, bringing overwrought lyricism together with melodies so rudimentary they are utterly forgettable. The hooks aren’t much better, sounding more like mediocre riffs coming from a teenager’s basement than that of a group of grown men who have been together for so long. The mainstream appeal is there, but it isn’t anything to cheer about. The atmospheric feel to “Battle Symphony” and “Invisible” help balance out the record sonically, but listening to the words may cause an aneurysm. We are reminded of the group’s former glory when Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda decide to once again share vocal duties on “Good Goodbye,” a feat possibly only pulled off due to Pusha T’s contribution on the verses. However, the band does manage to add some dynamism to an otherwise vanilla record with “Sorry For Now,” mostly thanks to Shinoda’s commitment to the emotional message of the track. Ending with the painful pop/folk inspired “Sharp Edges,” Linkin Park seems blissfully unaware that with each light acoustic guitar strum they only serve to chip away at their once innovative sound and defiant image, leaving only a shell of their formerly electric presence.

It is difficult to hear a band, whom we fell in love with because of their willingness to try new things, commit to something without substance. The issue here is not that Linkin Park decided to give pop a try, not at all—there are plenty of iconic pop stars who can stand proud as ambassadors of the genre. The issue lies in the fact that they did it without a backbone. The tracks feel heavy-handed, disingenuous and all too eager to slip into the pockets of any radio station that will have them and that isn’t the Linkin Park with whom we have come to know. Better luck next time, boys.

“One More Light” is available on Apple Music May 19.