Linkin Park
Minutes To Midnight

Perhaps since its release, some people might have expected a little more... but the fact is that "Minutes To Midnight," the new album by Linkin Park available in Europe from May 11, 2007 (May 15 in America), has achieved a fair amount of success which, as of a few weeks later, continues to grow.

We could say then that Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin were right in their decision to produce this new album. "An album," as the rapper himself declared in an interview with Chester Bennington and Joseph Hahn, "that will change the Linkin Park universe forever." These statements may have caught some by surprise and raised doubts and disappointments in others. However, the fact is that on Friday morning, when many surely headed to the nearest music store and purchased "Minutes to Midnight," as they inserted it into the CD player, they heard something of incomparable beauty that had nothing to do with the more famous Rock, Nu-Metal, and Rapcore group in the world.

These are the twelve tracks (11 if not considering the brief intro "Wake") that make up "Minutes to Midnight." The CD opens with "Wake," a brief but intense intro that leads into a song that at first listen might make the naïve listener believe that nothing has changed: "Given Up." This song, along with "No More Sorrow," could be described as the remnants of a group that loved hard, aggressive rock, expressed through the (albeit wonderful) shouts and screams of Chester Bennington. The first of the two mentioned, already released as a preview long ago (a 30-second snippet was circulating on YouTube for weeks), presents a rhythmic background that, accompanied by Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Brad Delson, once again showcases how far Chester's infinite voice can reach. A full 17 seconds of uninterrupted vocalizing delight this song towards its end, only to start again with the bright chorus. One can't help but wonder: Where does that voice come from?

Of the following songs, there are some that, if not for the sake of reporting, I wouldn't even mention. "The Little Things Give You Away," a lauded song, described by Chester as even the best they've ever made, is a long and syrupy 6-minute lullaby that I'd readily recommend to anyone suffering from insomnia. In this song, despite a profound acoustic and melodic study, there's a long guitar solo that, despite its beauty, I tend to find a bit soporific. Besides this, "Hands Held High," Mike Shinoda's attempt to perhaps for the first time create a song entirely his own, is in reality a piece that I could describe as a church song (in the chorus it seems the choir sings "Amen"), only partially enlivened by the melodic entry of the rapper in the final chorus.

For all the other songs, I could say that the change is evident, but I can't dispute their infinite beauty. "Leave Out All the Rest," like "Shadow Of The Day" and "Valentine's Day," are demonstrations that Chester Bennington can create wonderful music even without unleashing his vocal cords to the highest levels. Sets of melodic and harmonious sounds that, in my opinion, appear marvelous to the ears, even in their slowness and apparent delicacy. Even "Valentine's Day", in its final explosion, steps out of the usual boundaries, achieving an effect that I would consider exceptional.

Among the remaining, the now-famous "What I've Done," which, perhaps due to its early release, seems external to the album's context. However, the song's beauty is indisputable, not only for its rhythm and sounds but also for its meanings: just and profound (as already revealed by Linkin. Other politically relevant thoughts are present in the CD's songs). "In Between" and "In Pieces" are finally the two songs that close the album, not considering the final 6-minute lament. All things considered, these two songs are very beautiful and fully express the vocal intensity of the two singers Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, no longer confined to Rock and Rap but rather to a music I might even dare to call Pop.

Concluding my review, I would like to include a personal comment which, let me be clear, remains separate from my evaluation. A change, this one undertaken by Linkin Park, that I would dare to call successful, even though it left a bitter taste in the mouths of many die-hard listeners of the American band (myself included). I don't know, perhaps we liked them more before, or maybe we're just a bit slow to absorb changes; the fact is, the change happened, and I'm not sure whether to define it for the better... but it's clear that the value of this band remains and will remain unchanged forever. Many have never liked Linkin Park; who knows, maybe now they might enjoy them, and they might not recognize them as the wild rockers of "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora"... which, however, we liked so much...