So I know I already posted a thread regarding their first single The Catalyst but lets talk about the actual album.

I know Autrailia got it long before the US did but that's still good. I do have a pretty strong opinion about their label.

We've been waiting 3 years for an album Linkin Park wants us to buy and then they go and leak half the thing on Myspace AND the full DVD they are charging extra for Seems like a pretty bad move. They should've put out a better song than The Catalyst so they wouldn't feel required to make up for the bad reputation with it. I'm not saying The Catalyst was bad but there were a LOT of good songs on here that could make good singles. However, The Catalyst really sets the entire mood for the rest of the album. Not to mention the first track on here has the same words as it.

So with that said, I have no lost respect for the band but rather their label. I have listened to the album 3 times already since I got it. There's absolutely nothing to be expected but to be revealed. I had a slight feeling it would be a little Techno and really synthetic and it is. They really did an amazing job mixing all of the material on here though and the packaging is perfect.

So thoughts? I got the delux edition which includes a DVD on the making of the album. If anybody gets the Best Buy exclusive can you let me know how it is? That includes bonus tracks and a limited edition T-Shirt.

After a quick run through the songs, I really don't like it at all.
Most of it seems to be recycled material from Hybrid Theory and Fort Minor. Very little about the album sounds fresh or imaginative.

I didn't think it sounded much like Hybrid Theory at all. When they come for me sounds kind of like an old un-released demo from 1999 but that's about it. I suppose the rapping was a little similar to Fort Minor but it was nothing like Hybrid Theory. To me this is a little more loose than that. Hybrid Theory's sounds were really tightly cluttered together while these are more relaxed. That's just my opinion. Have you actually heard the songs in full or the previews?

I liked everything except "Waiting for the End", "Blackout", "Wisdom, Justice, And Love", "Iridescent" (though I think it's just because I'm not in the mood for a soft song), "Fallout", and "The Merchant".

So the CD was pretty much hit and miss for me. I liked about half of it.

Man. The whole CD is AWESOME. I love it. More indepth thoughts later.

Its a decent album. But serious weaker than Hybrid theory or Meteroa. I at first hated it. But i think its ok. But still its not what i expect from linkin park. It feels like a half finished experiment with some good tracks but yes its very hit or miss. Sounds a bit like 30 seconds to mar's first album (the less known one before A Beautiful Lie) mixed with minutes to midnight.

Flapjack, I think you are referring to The Messanger. Not The Merchant. They aren't street vendors :p But I wasn't a huge fan of it. I don't like how the song felt like it was a bad live recording. But oh well. I really didn't like Fallout much either and I usually don't hate anything from them. Some I prefer not to listen to but Fallout was completely unnecessary. The overall feel of the entire thing was really well structured with the live recordings of speeches. What they did for a lot of them and it is explained on the DVD is they were mostly just trying to do an experimental thing. You might disagree but tracks like Empty Spaces and Jornada Del Muerto were just there to add to the chaotic nature of the album. The Requiem was awesome I thought. It was definitely the best way to begin this album. Better than the others they have done. I do feel that The Messenger was an awful way to close it. They've done better in that field.

I really enjoyed all the ones with actually vocals in them, I am happy with every song they put out. I am a LP fan, I never really liked heavy metal or like LOUD stuff until LP, but they are the ONLY ones I can listen to, I always been a like calm music person so for me this album was like... perfect, good rap, good lyrics, had SOME aspects of old LP, yet new that I am happy to fall in love with. The disappointing part of this album is the only like less than 2 minutes songs... Like... I don't wanna listen to that really... I want something I can bang my head too... Worth buying, and you can enjoy it if you open your mind to it.

I am happy with the album. Not my favorite of theirs, but I like most of the songs on it. Kind of a "meh" type of thing.

For anybody who is on edge about getting this I really do encourage you to rent it or something and open your mind to what it is. The whole meaning is a little hidden but it gets the thoughts brewing. And those 2 minute tracks are really just toners to set the mood for the next or previous track. The track Wisdom Justice and Love has Martin Luther King Jr.'s voice dubbed in with a really nice piano. Even if you aren't a fan of them, I feel it wouldn't hurt to just relax and open your mind.