From Zero is the 8th studio album released by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on November 15, 2024. This album is a particularly interesting and controversial one because it is the first album the band has released since the suicide of their previous lead singer, Chester Binnington, in 2017. Many people thought that the band was sullying their own name by continuing to make music under the Linkin Park band name, and fans were in uproar over the replacement of Chester. Personally, I think it has been long enough since his death, and I don’t think Linkin Park has done anything disrespectful. But we’re not here to talk about controversy, we’re here to talk about music. The band’s current lineup looks like this: vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bassist Dave Farrell, co-lead vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain. The new additions since Chester’s death and Rob Bourdon’s departure are Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain. Colin Brittain delivers a very serviceable performance throughout the album and Armstrong adds a very strong voice to Linkin Park. For the genres, From Zero has a mix. In only 10 tracks, the album explores nu metal, alternative rock, alternative metal, pop rock, rap rock, and electronic rock. This genre mix is very similar to the band’s previous 7 studio albums, and the band sounds very similar to how it did 7 years ago. I would say this is great, as they are trying to keep the unique and strong sound of Linkin Park intact.
The themes in From Zero largely reflect the band’s situation today. The album explores themes of renewal, identity, and recovery. This is the obvious direction that the band would go after 7 years out of the spotlight, and I think it is done decently well. Linkin Park is trying to reestablish their identity with this album, so I think focusing on these themes was necessary. The album’s name itself, From Zero, suggests that the band is moving on “from zero.” They are getting a fresh start with this album. I like this direction and these themes.
Standout Tracks
My standout tracks for From Zero are “Casualty,” “Heavy Is the Crown,” and “The Emptiness Machine.”
“Casualty” is a very metal song that I actually didn’t expect to like until I gave it an honest listen. The guitar and drum work on this track compliment both Shinoda and Armstrong’s vocal performances quite well. “Casualty” is simply a very well-constructed metal song, and it’s obvious that Linkin Park has a lot of experience here. The track isn’t going to convert anyone over to metal if they are predisposed to disliking it, but it’s very solid. As a listener, you need to be willing to give metal a chance to like this song, but if you are a metalhead, you will probably like this song. I’d also like to stress that “Casualty” is a HIGH 7, almost a 7.5.
“Heavy Is the Crown” instantly reminded me of the old Linkin Park when Chester was still around. The rap-rock is very reminiscent of their old style. Some specific examples are “In the End” and “Faint.” I think that Linkin Park stepped right back into this style incredibly well, and “Heavy Is the Crown” is generally a great listen. It’s a song that is easy to like, which is a stark contrast to “Casualty.” The one bit that might send people away is a screaming bit at the end, but the song as a whole is crafted well, and we get a great vocal performance from Armstrong here.
“The Emptiness Machine” is the obvious choice for best song on this album. It’s already the most popular, and this is a good example of a song being popular for a reason. This track was on the very verge of a 9, and I honestly could have rated it either way. The instrument work in “The Emptiness Machine” is high quality, and the vocal performances from both vocalists, especially Armstrong, are impressive. This track is the epitome of what a song in this genre should sound like. If I was to imagine an alt rock/metal song that is of high quality, something like this track would probably come up. “The Emptiness Machine” probably won’t break any records, but it is an impressive song nonetheless.
Stinker
The stinker for From Zero is “Stained.” The main reason that this track was rated so low is that I could swear to you that I have heard this song before like 1,000 times. It’s just an extremely generic pop rock song. The lyrics aren’t the best, and while there is nothing necessarily wrong with the production, “Stained” still ends up being underwhelming. The song is about how someone is “stained” from something they did in the past, and they won’t be forgiven because of that stain, even though a lot of time has passed (unintentional bars by the way. Get me into poetry). That angle is unoriginal in it of itself, but the track just sounds so boring and copy-and-pasted. It is cliché in every sense of the word, and the only reason it got rated a 5 was because it didn’t have enough wrong with it to be an actually bad listening experience. I will not be going out of my way to listen to this song again, but I will probably run into a song that sounds exactly the same anyway.
Song Ratings and 1-Word Descriptions
- “From Zero (Intro)” – (-/10): Intro (No rating)
- “The Emptiness Machine” – (8.5/10): Strong
- “Cut the Bridge” – (7/10): Catchy
- “Heavy Is the Crown” – (7.5/10): Classic
- “Over Each Other” – (6.5/10): Solid
- “Casualty” – (7/10): Metal
- “Overflow” – (6/10): Uninteresting
- “Two Faced” – (7/10): Satisfactory
- “Stained” – (5/10): Cliché
- “IGYEIH” – (6.5/10): Intense
- “Good Things Go” – (6.5/10): Sendoff
Conclusion
From Zero is a perfectly serviceable album for a band coming back with two new members after 7 years. I was actually pretty impressed and surprised with this album’s quality right off the bat. I expected it to be a mess, and I also expected to be disappointed with Emily Armstrong. Luckily, I was proven wrong on both accounts. Armstrong delivers a very consistent and strong vocal performance throughout From Zero, and I think that Linkin Park fans should be very happy that they have her moving forward. She’s not Chester, yes, but she is very good, and her voice meshes very well with the band and its style. I also enjoyed many of the tracks on this album, and I thought it was a great step towards reintroducing the world to Linkin Park. The instrument work across the board is above average, and so are the vocals. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for From Zero, however, and I have some problems with it. My first problem is that there wasn’t really any support for “The Emptiness Machine” in terms of great songs on this album. I feel like “The Emptiness Machine” flies far above every other track on From Zero, and that makes all the other tracks seem subpar. “Heavy Is the Crown” is great, but it doesn’t scratch that itch for me. My main problem with From Zero is that many of the tracks end up sounding very generic, like it was something that either the band has already done or that someone else has done. This feeling that “I’ve heard something like this before” followed me through many of these tracks. I think that this might be a product of Linkin Park wanting to be safe with the songs they release because From Zero is their reintroduction to the world, so they reused some ideas or stuck to generic songwriting to make sure no song was necessarily “bad.” I don’t love this approach, because while I didn’t really dislike any of these songs in particular, I just wish they did a little more. My conclusion: From Zero serves as a great reintroduction of Linkin Park to the music scene. After 7 years of hiatus, the band came back with a very solid performance. Emily Armstrong shines alongside her bandmates in her tough role of filling in for Chester, and I thought the album as a whole was high quality. The tracks did tend to sound generic or overdone at times, which certainly brought From Zero down a little. 7/10.
