Linkin Park – From Zero

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After the tragic passing of longtime front-man Chester Bennington in 2017, Linkin Park were faced with an impossible decision. Should they retire the band, or find a way to carry the LP flag with a different vocalist? From Zero has a dual-meaning: Xero was the first name of the band and From Zero also refers to the re-birth of Linkin Park with two new band members in Dead Sara vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Collin Brittain. The new album was produced by vocalist/guitarist/band leader Mike Shinoda, and it has a familiar sound and feel, even with a lot of new elements injected into the band. Armstrong and Brittain each make their presence felt throughout the record that is filled with stadium-ready anthems that borrow key sections of past Linkin Park albums all with a renewed focus towards the future.

The album kicks off with a brief introductory track that finds the band pondering what From Zero means, while quickly transitioning into lead single “The Emptiness Machine.” The song is vintage Linkin Park in its construction, with a steady build-up in the verses to a growling chorus of, “Let you cut me open / Just to watch me bleed / Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be / Don’t know why I’m hoping / For what I won’t receive / Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine.” Emily Armstong commands her first vocal performance in the band in a way that would make Chester proud, and it feels like the band found the right fit with this talented vocalist.

”Cut The Bridge” follows with a steady beat laid down by Brittain, while guitarist Brad Delson adds in some unique riffing blended with Joe Hahn’s turntable work to set the right atmospheric canvas for Shinoda/Armstrong to paint over. The bridge section of the song features some great wordplay by Shinoda as he croons, “Something in my head feels broken / I’m the gas from a burner left open / I’m a tightrope held up by a clothespin / Holding out, but the pressure keeps growing / Wanna go to the light and not the shadow / But the branch isn’t shiny as the arrow / You don’t ever find a way around a battle / You will always choose / Just to watch it burn.” The way Shinoda puts emphasis on the last word of each line adds more power behind each pointed lyric.

”Heavy Is The Crown” was the second single to be released from the set, and features an impressive sustained scream from Armstrong when she growls, “This is what you asked for!” It does feel a bit like Bennington cosplay at times, but overall it fits well into the lore of Linkin Park. “Over Each Other” offers a softer side to Armstrong’s vocal approach as she softly sings in the opening of the track, while eventually adding more growl and grit to her vocals as the song accelerates. Mike Shinoda offers the advice at the end of the song by suggesting for Armstrong to “get your screamy pants on.” Armstrong happily obliges, as the front half of the LP ends with “Casualty,” a song about not being the victim in a one-sided relationship. The chorus explains by stating, “Let me out, set me free / I know all the secrets you keep / I, I won’t be / I won’t be your casualty.”

The back half offers some great material too, as it opens with a synth-laden beat on “Overflow” that steadily picks up steam as it gets going. Shinoda shines on the early verses, while Armstrong adds in some angelic vocals in the chorus of, “Turning from a white sky / To a black hole / Turning from the sunlight / To a shadow / I know I can’t make it stop / I know I’m out of control / I keep on filling it up / To overflow.” The band shows that they have plenty left in the creativity tank by creating a familiar sound while still covering some new ground. Current single, “Two Faced” kicks into a new gear with a great metal riff by Delson, while Phoenix adds in some outstanding bass lines throughout the heavy track. Armstrong continues to make her presence felt all over this song and others, while doing a commendable job of filling the weighty shoes of Bennington.

My personal favorite on From Zero is “Stained,” a song that bellows off of the speakers with a tribal beat, before Armstrong commands the chorus with, “Because you’re stained / You try to hide the mark but it won’t fade / You lie and lie like I was nothing / Pretend you’re spotless / But I don’t wash away / And now you’re stained.” The band chemistry is undeniable on songs like this, and it’s easy to see why Shinoda felt confident in handing over the mic to Armstrong. “IGYEIH” or “I Gave You Everything I Have” finds Armstrong screaming along in time to the band on the chorus, with a feel similar to The Hunting Party’s opener, “Keys To The Kingdom”.

The closer of “Good Things Go” is a vulnerable reminder of the fragility of life and the feelings that swoon over us when we lose the people closest to us. The chorus of, “Say I hate you when I don’t / Push you when you get too close / It’s hard to laugh when I’m the joke / But I can’t do this on my— / Only you can 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,” is a great tribute to Chester and showcases the power of Linkin Park in ways that are hard to put into words. The beauty of Chester Bennington was his ability to show that he was just as fucked up as the rest of us, while still offering a glimmer of hope that he would keep fighting for better days ahead. While Bennington’s death left a gaping hole in the music world, Emily Armstrong continues the legacy of Linkin Park in a way that I didn’t think was possible. From Zero keeps all of these weighty emotions in mind as they leave the audience in a good frame of mind as they ponder the band’s next steps.

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