Linkin Park - One More Light review

Linkin Park have made a pop album, and it ain't pretty. I'll start this off by disclaiming that I'm not a huge fan of Linkin Park, but I have enjoyed some of their previous singles and I own a (Still-unplayed) copy of 'Hybrid Theory' on CD, but honestly this new album is so poor I feel like being a fan of the band would only make me hate it more.


I don't like using the word sell-out, but man, it REALLY applies here. Getting Pusha T and Stormzy onto the major misstep 'Good Goodbye' just screams 'please give us hip-hop credibility!', especially when Linkin Park still have their own resident rapper Mike Shinoda. Shinoda takes lead vocals on several tracks here, vocals which are so personality-lite they remind me most of the guy from the Chainsmokers when he tries to sing. Closing track 'Sharp Edges' sounds like a car advert song, and is ironically the safest, least edgy song Linkin Park has ever made to my knowledge. The worst trends in modern pop are also present, with the TRAP INFLUENCE on songs like 'Invisible' and 'Nobody Can Save Me' and my current least favourite trend, high-pitched-cut-up-vocal-sample-drops present on 'Sorry For Now'.

The lead singles are actually some of the worst songs on the whole project, especially 'Battle symphony' which is likely the worst song I've heard all year so far. The song sees Linkin Park attempting to rip off the lyrical content of Rachel Platten 'Fight Song' (A song which is already one of my all-time most hated songs) - the song title 'Battle symphony' being a literal reworking of the original's title - and the production of this song is horrific too. I'm not going to complain about the lack of guitars on the album, because some really great albums have been released by rock artists without focusing on guitars in the past ('Kid A' by Radiohead for example.), but I will complain about every song on this album being a bad pop song.

Other vocalist Chester Bennington has a more recognisable voice, but is also totally mismatched by the limp synth chord sequences in all of these songs, making his voice just sound a bit silly on songs like 'Halfway Right' (Which is filled with millennial whoops for added genericness.) and ironic jam of the year 'Why is everything so hevee?' which bafflingly features one-hit wonder Kiiara on passable guest vocals. Bennington's voice fits screamy, angsty songs like 'Numb' so well, why reduce him to singing songs so calm and quiet it's as if he's trying not to wake his parents sleeping in the next room with his vocal performances?

This is the worst album I've heard from an established rock band in a long time, and the only album I can even compare it to is 'Raditude' by Weezer. It's a band selling out at a time when most pop music is limp and boring, with every song on 'One More Light' being either mind-numbingly boring or obnoxiously terrible, but if you're not a fan of Linkin Park I do recommend this album as a lesson on what not to do.

1/10