Even until two months back, the world was not anticipating a new Linkin Park album. While the band had not officially broken up since the tragic death of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017, new music was nowhere on the cards. Therefore, to say that the announcement of a new LP album, a new line-up and a new tour stirred the music landscape in a frenzy would be a massive understatement. While the inclusion of the new lead singer Emily Armstrong (from Dead Sara) and drummer Colin Brittain generated a fair amount of discussion and controversy, the reception of the first batch of singles was warm (to the extent that “The Emptiness Machine” cracked the Billboard Top 10). This showed that the world was hungry for some new Linkin Park.

To eagle-eyed observers, that is not a big surprise. Some of the biggest rock acts of the past decade have incorporated Linkin Park’s trademark style of rock and rap mixed with electronic elements into their own music—think Bring Me The Horizon, Twenty One Pilots or Of Mice And Men, and even Sleep Token. Aside from that, no two LP albums sounded the same, and they always dealt with big grand emotions, and made no effort to hide their pop leanings. We are talking about a band who is mentioned by artists like Halsey, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and Machine Gun Kelly as a big influence. As it stands, “From Zero” was the most hotly-anticipated rock album in a while, and a mission statement for a legendary band that faced tragedy, took their time, and decided to get back up, start everything “from zero” and make music again. So, how is the album?

I am very happy to say that “From Zero” is not only a solid batch of well-written and produced songs that manage to flow cohesively, but also a heady reminder of what made Linkin Park so universally adored in the first place. In just a brisk 32 minutes of its runtime, the songs manage to touch on a gamut of emotions related to suffering, struggles and alienation (which are standard Linkin Park-isms) but this time with renewed vigor. “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is The Crown” are solid introductory singles to the album. HITC features Mike Shinoda and Emily in vocal synergy, topped with a blood-curdling 15-second scream (“This is what you asked for!”) by Emily that made me fist pump in the air. When the band goes heavy, they go hard. “Casualty” is like a hardcore punk freakout (“You drew the first blood/ Like playin’ God/ Closin’ the doors up/ While I’m fed to the dogs”). “IGYEIH” won’t seem out of place in the band’s “The Hunting Party,” complete with a final breakdown with Emily screaming “from now on I don’t need you” on repeat. “Two Faced” may just be one of the most infectious LP singles ever, and probably my favorite song on this record. Mike sounds as if he has not aged one day since “Hybrid Theory” (“Your truth’s not rigid, your rules aren’t fair/ The dark’s too vivid, the light’s not there/ I start to give in, but I can’t bear/ To put it all behind, I run into it blind”), while Emily brings the house down with her repeated shrieks (“I can’t hear myself think/ Stop yelling at me”). 

The band also shines in the softer moments on the record. “Over Each Other” is the album’s “pop” moment, and it allows Emily to shine—and uses the lyric to a clever double entendre (“All we are is talkin’/ Over each other/ Are we over each other?”). There are instances on this album that would snugly fit into a Halsey or a Paramore record, like “Stained.” On the whole, the poppier moments on this album are more engaging and well-executed than their last album “One More Light.” The band veers into a more industrial metal territory on the eerie and captivating “Overflow,” which is a highlight for me. It is a moody and meditative piece of music that shows a side of the band that they have rarely explored (and I want them to dive into this territory more).

The album closes in style with “Good Things Go.” Emily stretches her vocals to higher heights while Mike compliments her with aplomb (“And I get so tired of puttin’ out fires and makin’ up lies/ Checkin’ my eyes for some kinda light, but nothing’s inside”). The result is uplifting and stunning, and taken as a subtle nod to Chester’s death, mildly tear-inducing (“Only you could save me from my lack of self-control/ And I won’t make excuses for the pain I caused us both/ So thank you for always standing by me even though/ Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go”). 

If I had to be critical of this album, I would point out the song “Cut The Bridge” for sounding a bit too dry on the production side, and a bit too bland on the lyrical side. However, by no means is it a bad song per se. That is my minor nitpick in an album which has an abundance of good. The guitars, the drums, the synths and the turntables sound amazing throughout the album. The performances are solid throughout. In Emily Armstrong, the band has found a versatile vocalist who carries this album with panache. I wish with successive albums, this iteration of the band tiptoes into more adventurous music, as they did with “A Thousand Suns.” All things said, the world of music is better with Linkin Park in it, thriving and surviving. Welcome back!