{"id":20822,"date":"2025-02-05T13:37:28","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/?p=20822"},"modified":"2025-02-05T13:37:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:37:28","slug":"linkin-parks-from-zero-blazes-new-trail-for-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/blog\/opinions\/linkin-parks-from-zero-blazes-new-trail-for-band\/","title":{"rendered":"Linkin Park\u2019s \u201cFrom Zero\u201d blazes new trail for band"},"content":{"rendered":"

Linkin Park\u2019s new album, \u201cFrom Zero,\u201d is their first release since the tragic suicide of their former lead vocalist, Chester Bennington, during 2017. Rumors circulated prior to the album\u2019s release about the band choosing to replace Bennington with a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong. After revealing these rumors to be true prior to the release of their newest album, Linkin Park\u2019s \u201cFrom Zero\u201d provides the first major look at the new sound developed during the band\u2019s absence. Armstrong joins with the rest of the band to create a work that serves as a powerful demonstration of the group\u2019s new voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom Zero\u201d begins with the song \u201cThe Emptiness Machine,\u201d describing a person lamenting their choice to give into another\u2019s expectations despite knowing how badly it will hurt them. As the first song recorded by the band following the death of Chester Bennington, it takes on a double meaning: just as the singer is aware that trying to change who they are to appease someone else will only hurt them, Linkin Park uses the song and its position as the first on the album to address criticism they may face as a result of their new direction. Armstrong doesn\u2019t take center stage until about halfway through the track, following an intro sung by longtime member Mike Shinoda. Rather than attempting to answer potential criticisms by playing up the presence of their new singer, Linkin Park instead chose to naturally implement her. This pattern continued through the rest of the album. \u201cFrom Zero\u201d may deal with the struggles that come with answering to the demands of others, but the composition of the album clearly <\/span>sees no need to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Momentum continues through the next song, \u201cCut The Bridge,\u201d before climaxing at \u201cHeavy is the Crown,\u201d an early turning point in the album. First premiered at the 2024 World Championship for the video game \u201cLeague of Legends,\u201d \u201cHeavy is the Crown\u201d has been compared to Linkin Park\u2019s 2003 song, \u201cFaint.\u201d Both songs deal with a satisfying, albeit self-destructive, release of anger directed towards an unnamed figure. Unlike \u201cFaint,\u201d however, \u201cHeavy is the Crown\u201d is more self-aware in its rage. While it may mirror \u201cFaint\u2019s\u201d use of an intro featuring string instruments, aggressive guitar backings and outright screaming, \u201cHeavy is the Crown\u201d is clearly written from a more seasoned perspective. The song\u2019s choice to frame the singer\u2019s anger as an act of retribution, rather than merely being an emotional demand for attention, reframes its anger in a crucial way.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom Zero\u201d becomes more contemplative following \u201cHeavy is the Crown,\u201d alternating between laid-back songs such as \u201cOver Each Other\u201d and intense pieces such as \u201cIGYEIH.\u201d The album\u2019s final track, \u201cGood Things Go,\u201d is the band\u2019s own way of acknowledging the late Chester Bennington. Focusing on the importance of cherishing good things when you have them, the song sounds very similar to pieces from Linkin Park\u2019s previous album, 2017\u2019s \u201cOne Light.\u201d Given \u201cOne Light\u201d was the last album Chester Bennington would lend his vocal talents to, it\u2019s likely the band intended for \u201cGood Things Go\u201d to be a way to give him a final thank you before fully setting off for new musical horizons.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom Zero\u201d acts as an effective foundation for Linkin Park\u2019s future works. Armstrong\u2019s vocals are a perfect fit for the established sound of the band, and their ability to draw on past work to create something fresh and new serves as a rewarding experience for longtime fans. While we are certainly at the dawn of a new era for Linkin Park, \u201cFrom Zero\u201d makes it clear that doesn\u2019t mean the band intends to stray from their roots.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linkin Park\u2019s new album, \u201cFrom Zero,\u201d is their first release since the tragic suicide of their former lead vocalist, Chester<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":20824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[3867],"tags":[],"coauthors":[6100],"class_list":["post-20822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20822"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmn.truman.edu\/devtmn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=20822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}