Ok, so the album doesn't really come out until 5.15.07, but what the hey. I'm writing this review based on pure "psychic guesses". Meaning RIAA, if you are reading this... no, i did not download the album from websites who leaked it on the 4th of May..

ehem.

So... based on pure "hunches", I'd say the album, for the most part, is just average. I've been a fan of their music during recent years (especially during the hybrid theory days), but their latest release was really quite the shock. They’ve definitely moved past the post-adolescent anger/confusion stage and have gone to create songs that are a bit more socially and politically conscious. I actually find this nice, since their prior releases have done more of the opposite. What I didn’t like, however, was the fact that their overall sound, though diverse, was a bit too stripped down. I was expecting something more out of their usual creative and edgy side, but instead, I had to settle with the plain and mediocre. I mean, they were really good at what they did before, but now they sound more indie/alternative rock-ish, rather than nu-metal. Other things new to their fourth album include Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennginton cussing in songs ("Given up", "Bleed it Out"), acoustic guitars ("The Little Things You Give Away"), lead guitar solos (which is quite rare for LP), and less mixing from DJ Hahn (virtually nonexistent). Mike also raps less, and sounds more like his Fort Minor side project when he does ("Hands Held High", "In Between").

Overall, I’d recommend it, but only to hardcore linkin park fans. Otherwise, it’s really a toss-up if you’re into the alt. rock genre.

Chris’s top pick from the album: Shadow of the Day