It's a rap (not) for Linkin Park on its new CD (may 15 2007 )

Quelle: http://www.amny

With 'Minutes to Midnight,' the band finds it's time to take a new direction

The sole props of the Linkin Park headlining set at The Bamboozle festival are some simple 2-foot-high steps placed across the stage.

When singer Chester Bennington has a particularly important point to make, he steps on top of one, rages for a bit, and then steps down. Rapper-keyboardist Mike Shinoda uses them to punctuate certain musical moments as well. Same goes for guitarist Brad Delson and bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell. (For the record, DJ Joseph Hahn and drummer Rob Bourdon are always on their separate, elevated platforms; such are the perks of keeping the beat in this band.)

They all take turns, stepping up, enjoying their time in the spotlight, and then stepping down. It's a lot like the way Linkin Park operates as a band.

Starting from scratch

By all measures, Linkin Park is a massive success. The Grammy-winning sextet has sold 40 million albums since debuting in 2000, with its "Hybrid Theory" (Warner Bros.) already certified at diamond status for selling 10 million copies in the United States. "Meteora," its follow-up in 2003, placed six singles onto the modern-rock charts, including five No. 1s, notably "Somewhere I Belong," "Numb" and "Faint."

Hopes are just as high for the band's latest album, "Minutes to Midnight" (Machine Shop/ Warner Bros.) as it hits stores today, especially after all the interest in the single "What I've Done," which moved to No. 1 on the modern-rock charts in its first day of release last month and hasn't left the top spot since.

But those looking to "Minutes to Midnight" as another collection of rap-metal dominated by the one-two punch of Bennington's screams and Shinoda's rhymes will be in for a surprise. "We didn't want to complete the trilogy," said Delson, cracking a smile. "We felt like we had established a really specific sound in 'Hybrid Theory' and developed it with 'Meteora' and we wanted to, with this record, reinvent the sound of the band. What we really did was start from scratch and that was a big risk."

Linkin Park enlisted producer Rick Rubin to help with the transformation, which included more than 18 months in the studio and sorting through more than 150 songs. "After about a year into the process, we knew we had found our way," Delson said. "But there were definitely moments in the process that were scary and unclear."

"Minutes to Midnight" is meant to be listened to as a whole, taking inspiration from Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" and U2's "The Joshua Tree," Delson said. "We know that people will cut it up and have their own favorites that they'll listen to separately. But we're hoping that they'll listen to it as a whole at least once."

The progression of the 12 songs is like a lyrical journey from introspection to being part of one's surroundings, going from the personal pain and musical rage of "Given Up" to the worldview of the epic "The Little Things Give You Away," which uses the imagery of Hurricane Katrina as a broader indictment of government leaders' views of the poor. ("Don't want to reach for me, do you? I mean nothing to you," Bennington sings plaintively. "The little things give you away.")

There is also a musical transformation, as the band moves away from its trademark sound into more uncharted waters, where Bennington's vocals are delivered more earnestly and Delson's guitarwork is often more straightforward and open, either chiming, as in "Bleed It Out," or punchy, as in the military-themed "No More Sorrow." "Hands Held High" shows that hip-hop is still an influence on the band, but the layers of organs and a chorus of "Amens" removes the more aggressive elements for which the band is known.

The first time Linkin Park met with Rubin, they knew that some of their trademarks were going to change. "The first thing he said to us was: 'Oftentimes, a band that is considered successful doing a particular thing feel like they have to continue to do that because that's what's expected of them, and I'm here to tell you that's a mistake. There is no box around you creatively,'" Delson said. "He said, 'Just as your tastes in music have changed, so have the tastes of your fans.'"

The fans remember

Linkin Park is hoping that "Minutes to Midnight" will let them step away from the rap-metal sound it brought to the mainstream without leaving behind the millions of fans who made the band a multi-platinum success.

But, minutes before going on stage at The Bamboozle, for the American debut of their new material, they don't seem too worried. In their dressing room beneath Giants Stadium, the band members casually chatted with friends and family, shaking off questions about how big a night it will be for them.

The roar from The Bamboozle crowd as soon as they hit the stage showed that the band had not been forgotten while they were in the studio.

"We've been gone for a minute," Shinoda told the crowd. "This is our 10th year. Ten years is a really long time. It still feels special."

Though many of the fans gathered were eager to get a sneak preview of the new material, Linkin Park stacked the set with its familiar hits. The new songs they played - "Given Up," "No More Sorrow" and the single "What I've Done" - turned out to be the "Minutes to Midnight" tracks that fit in best with their previous material. One of the new, tender songs - "Leave Out All the Rest" or "Shadow of the Day" - would have seemed a bit shocking next to "One Step Closer" or the cathartic "Crawling."

Clearly, they will be saving the surprises for their Projekt Revolution tour, a bill that also includes My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday, which stops at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Aug. 15.

As Shinoda left the stage, he told the crowd, "We hope you like the new album."

But to Linkin Park, "Minutes to Midnight" is a success.

"For us, the quality of the music is what matters," Delson said. "And we've already achieved what we intended to do."

Throughout the recording process and the battles with their record label, Linkin Park eagerly stepped up to the challenges. With their work complete, they're eager to step down again to see how their new work will be received. Then, no doubt, they will be ready to step up again.