Minutes To Midnight [Edited] [Digipak]

Performer: Linkin Park
Engineer: Andrew Scheps
Producer: Rick Rubin; Mike Shinoda
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Linkin Park: Mike Shinoda (vocals, spoken vocals); Chester Bennington (vocals); Brad Delson (guitar); Dave Farrell (bass guitar); Rob Bourdon (drums); Joe Hahn. After a multi-platinum debut, Grammy nominations, a successful sophomore album, sold-out tours, and a collaboration with Jay-Z, the pressure was on for Linkin Park to deliver the goods with their 2007 release, MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT. Interestingly, the alternative metal outfit, best known for mixing rap, rock, and electronic touches, deviates from their aggressive, angst-filled sound on their third outing--opting instead to dabble in moody, atmospheric rock. Opener "Wake" establishes the ethereal, synth-driven feel that characterizes much of the disc. Crunching electric guitars are few and far between, and most of the swirling, electronica-textured tracks weigh in at mid-to-downtempo. There are still moments of rock intensity, such as "Bleed It Out" (featuring one of rapper Mike Shinoda's few appearances), but the overall mood seems better suited to pensive bedsitting than a festival mosh pit. Co-producer Rick Rubin makes the dreamy soundscapes gleam, but longtime fans may miss the fist-pumping energy of early Linkin Park. Still, the new sonic palette of MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT shows a band willing to push past their own tried-and-true formulas.

Rolling Stone (p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "MINUTES is honed, metallic pop with a hip-hop stride and a wake-up kick." Rolling Stone (p.112) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "[T]heir metallic crunch is as brutal and efficient as ever..." Spin (p.97) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]hey give their sound a dramatic makeover with help from producer Rick Rubin....The arena-emo hooks are still there..."

Californian sextet Linkin Park simultaneously took inspiration from and expanded upon the hybrid of heavy rock, hip-hop, and electronics that made such bands as Korn and Limp Bizkit so successful at the tail end of the 1990s. The band's 2000 debut HYBRID THEORY racked up both album sales and Grammy nominations, and won a widespread audience for Linkin Park's combination of hard rock guitar, turntablism, and rap, while neatly avoiding disparaging comparisons to the aforementioned rap-rock outfits. In 2004 they took their status as rap-rock kingpins to its logical summit and collaborated with Jay-Z for the album COLLISION COURSE, which debuted at number one. They have been scoring awards and soaring up the charts with consistency ever since, while still allowing room for growth and experimentation as a band.

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