From About.com

One of the musical gifts of Linkin Park has been demonstrating how to successfully channel raw anger into expressive art. Knowing that, it comes as no surprise here that some of the album's best moments come in dealing with the emotional impacts of the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. In similar fashion to his smash hit "Where'd You Go" by the side project Fort Minor, Mike Shinoda delivers a devastating rap about the Iraq War on "Hands Held High" that speaks eloquently for millions. No wonder the band pitches in "Amen" choruses as punctuation. Full review

From Live Daily

Despite raucous opener "Given Up," much of Linkin Park's third album, "Minutes to Midnight," finds the band grasping for a new style--one that emphasizes melody over muscle. They're more vulnerable, less invincible. Still, rather than six guys who know how to make rap-rock interesting and fun, "Minutes to Midnight" feels like a band looking for itself. Did Shinoda spend too much time behind the boards rubbing elbows with Rick Rubin instead of out front, guiding the band? Maybe. Four years since "Meteora" made Linkin Park international superstars, the group is eager to explore melody, mood and tempo. That may be a good thing, but "Minutes to Midnight" is simply a snapshot of that exploration--not the masterpiece most were expecting.Full review

From The Daily Aztec

Yes, its lyrics are chock full of whiny teen emo-angst brimming with grade-school nihilism meant to pass as deep and meaningful. But, even with that (quite large, I will admit) shortcoming, it's hard to deny the infectiousness of a well-crafted Linkin Park song, which "Minutes to Midnight" offers in spades.

Catchy hooks and the power of a grinding mix of pop, hip-hop and straight rock has proven to be an effective technique for the band. However, this time around, the band takes the time to include some moments of self-awareness in between the solipsism.

For instance, "Hands Held High" shows a different, even poetic side of the group. While it's indictment of the war in Iraq may feel rote, if not trite, the very fact that the band decided to turn its samplers toward the political is impressive. It also doesn't hurt musically because it's a beautiful piece. The execution of the song is enough to make up for the triteness, as Mike Shinoda's trademark rap vocals combine with a chorus repeating "Amen" in an almost angelic cacophony.

Nonetheless, the band still shows that it hasn't lost its edge that it brought screaming in with 2000's "Hybrid Theory" album -- songs such as "What I've Done," which has already enjoyed its fair share of radio play, with Chester Bennington's vocals referencing the band's efforts to reinvent themselves for their latest piece. Its aggressive guitars and heavy drumbeats contain an essence that nonetheless will seem familiar to long-time fans of the group.

According to the group's press, "Minutes to Midnight" is the result of over a hundred songs worth of experimentation. If so, then it could be said that the experiment was a mixed success -- the political aspects of the album fall flat and the added f-bombs feel arbitrary. With that said, the underlying music is still a recognizable blend of sounds that many of us fell in love with during high school, while tinged with a kiss of the new to feel like a worthy purchase.

From Billboard

Rap-metal's sell-by date expired many, many years ago, and no one noticed more than Linkin Park, whose "Minutes to Midnight" finds the band throwing all manner of styles at the wall to distance it from a genre that currently enjoys a lower approval rating than Cheney. Linkin Park's ambitions are nearly palpable, but songs likely conceived as homages end up sounding too close to their sources. One can detect bits of Metallica ("No More Sorrow"), the theme from "Halloween" (first single "What I've Done"), "With or Without You" ("Shadow of the Day") and a breakup ballad that could have been written by the Matrix ("Leave Out All the Rest"). Sometimes the band hits: The hand-clap-powered "Bleed It Out" works up a nice lather, and Shinoda's antiwar monologue "Hands Held High" proves there might yet be more in Linkin Park's backpack than self-doubt and identity crises.

From Ultimate Guitar

Linkin Park has gone in a very interesting direction -- a mellower one -- on its latest record Minutes To Midnight, and the album tends to feel a bit too radio-friendly at times because of it. This is not to say the band set out to make an album of pop-rock songs, but there is not a lot new that is brought to the table this time around. While frontman Chester Bennington has never sounded better vocally, the ballads that do the most justice to his voice also slow the momentum down a bit too much on the highly anticipated record.

More than likely the restrained sound heard on Minutes To Midnight will probably draw a wide range of opinions from fans of previous albums. While growth is always encouraged as a musician, it's hard to say if Linkin Park has moved forward with this album. There is nothing wrong with ballads, but those tracks never seem that original. Bennington uses a softer, sweeter style of vocal and it actually sounds great. Hopefully the songwriting can catch up with the musicianship by the time the next release rolls around. Full review

From Plain Dealer

What have these imposters done with Linkin Park?

There's a slight problem with Linkin Park's third studio album: It's not a Linkin Park album. Oh, sure, it's credited to the multiplatinum rap-rock group. And, yes, the usual suspects are onboard -- namely, vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, turntablist Joe Hahn, bass player Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and drummer Rob Bourdon. They just don't sound like themselves on "Minutes to Midnight."

Run-of-the-mill songs such as "Leave Out All the Rest" and "No More Sorrow" could've been bashed out by any other contemporary headbanging act. Another tune, "Shadow of the Day," badly wants to be U2's "With or Without You" when it grows up. "Put to rest / What you thought of me," Bennington sings on the leadoff single, a decidedly un-Linkin Park-like power ballad titled "What I've Done." Not so fast, pal. Some of us prefer the old Linkin Park, far and away the most promising band to emerge from the rap-rock craze.

Unfortunately, these guys have all but removed rap from the equation. The strongest cuts on the new album, "Hands Held High" and the intense "Bleed It Out," are the only tunes on which Shinoda lets the mad rhymes flow. Goaded by producer-to-the-stars Rick Rubin, whose specialty is Major Artistic Statements, Linkin Park tries to break new ground on "Minutes to Midnight," only to end up running blindly down a dead-end alley. Next time, dudes, stick to what you do best. B-

From The News Record

The album closes with "The Little Things Give You Away," which clearly references the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. The vocals are stronger than the other ballads on the album, and lyrically the song is captivating. Although it is much softer than what LP fans are used to, the track holds a special meaning. It is the best ballad on the album, as it doesn't seem forced.

Overall, Minutes is a more lyrically mature album. The lyrics seem to come more from the heart and are deeper emotionally, with many of them seeming to stem from Bennington's divorce in 2005. There is an eerie, dark feeling to some of the songs, perhaps to tie in with the "doomsday" theme. However, it is disappointing that the compelling lyrics have been paired with diminutive, whiny vocals. Full review

From The Olympian

No sooner does nu-metal find its ragged soul and experimental pun c h in Linkin Park ("Meteora" was riveting; its "Collision Course" collaboration with Jay Z better still) than the L.A. band dispenses with its rap-rawk.

With just enough humpty-hump to hold hip-hop heads in thrall, Park's Mike Shinoda (emboldened by his atmospheric Fort Minor project) and the ubiquitous Rick Rubin turn L inkin into moody punks with a visceral kick, some oddly classic-rock hooks, and soft, contagious melodies dolled up with esoteric noisemakers. That Linkin's careening sound is stripped to the waist gives Shinoda's wordy rapping flow on "Bleed It Out" more oomph and his vocals ("In Between") room to ruminate. But never forget the unforeseen possibilities of singer Chester Bennington. While "Leave Out All the Rest" leans toward balladeering electronica and "The Little Things Give You Away" swoons through acoustic guitars, t he silken Bennington gets more chances to rock out with his schlock out ("Given Up") than ever. And when Pennington and Shinoda go at the war song of "Hands Held High" with a taut rap and a croon, Linkin Park sound brutal and beautiful.

From Metro

Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight: Four years after the monumental success of Linkin Park's sophomore album Meteora, the California-based rockers return with their third studio album. Minutes To Midnight takes a more melodic and progressive direction than its predecessors, with the band utilising new instruments, from vintage guitars and amps to mellotron, to an original 808 drum machine, and recording techniques, and is already described by critics as the band's best work to date. It's a departure from their earlier works which were the albums that many fans got hooked on and enjoyed. Those same fans may now be shocked and disappointed with the band, but give it a chance and you may find that Minutes To Midnight and its new un-Nu Metal sound may grow on you. Rating: 3/5

From IGN

Minutes To Midnight showcases a band in transition, a group of musicians caught in a molting holding pattern as they valiantly claw at their previous musical skin, shedding little chunks here and there and making way for a new glisten to grow in. I'm still not 100% sold on Linkin Park but of their three official studio albums this one is the one that really shows off the band and their willingness to stretch their musical boundaries and a growing desire to shift with the times. Granted they still rely a little too heavily on obvious influences (Metallica, U2, Nine Inch Nails), but they have improved in many respects, capturing a much richer and fuller sound overall. Mike Shinoda displays much improved verbal chops on the microphone, Bennington further reveals that he's in possession of a voice capable of delivering heart-wrenching melancholy and introspective desire. And the rest of the band—Phoenix, Joe Hahn, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson—are equally up to the task at hand. Oh yeah, having Rick Rubin behind the boards certainly didn't hinder any forward movement, either. This is definitely a step in the right direction and a stepping stone for things to come. I hope. Full review

From Detroit News

What's a rap-rock outfit to do when its stock-in-trade is as stale as "Borat" one-liners? If you're Limp Bizkit, you mercifully fade off into the sunset. If you're Kid Rock, you turn your attention toward country and Southern rock. And if you're Linkin Park, you struggle outwardly with your existential crisis, as they do on their awkward third album, "Minutes to Midnight."

The Los Angeles sextet spends a good deal of time on "Midnight" ignoring the riffs-plus-raps union that made them one of the biggest bands of the decade. Which is understandable, considering they got spanked in the press for making the same album twice with 2000's "Hybrid Theory" and 2003's "Meteora." But the band still has a DJ and a rapper on its payroll, and this time around, they are left without many billable hours. Joe Hahn adds a few scratches here and there, and Mike Shinoda raps on a scant two tracks, "Bleed It Out" and "Hands Held High."

Ironically, it's on those two tracks where "Minutes to Midnight" shines brightest. The hand-clap-assisted "Bleed It Out" highlights the interplay between Shinoda's academic flow and lead singer Chester Bennington's vocal-shredding wail. "Hands Held High" is emo rap on par with Shinoda's Fort Minor hit, "Where'd You Go," complete with lobs at President Bush, a common target on "Minutes."

Elsewhere, the band fumbles with its new direction. They soften their blows throughout, creating a friendlier, more feminine version of its former angst-ridden self. But the balance is disrupted by the nu-metal guitars and anguished screams (courtesy of first-rate screamer Bennington), which persist on "Given Up" and "No More Sorrow," a step backward in the band's attempt at forward progress.

And middling, mid-tempo tracks such as "Valentine's Day" and "In Between" are strictly filler, furthering the notion that the band is unsure where it is heading. Think of "Minutes to Midnight" as a reference to "Cinderella": When the clock strikes 12, the ball is over, and Linkin Park turns back into a pumpkin. Tick, tock

From Los Angeles Times

Some songs do get the balance right. "Leave Out All the Rest," a meditation on mortality destined for innumerable MySpace memorial pages, features the group's layering technique at its most gorgeous — a Moog-ish synthesizer lick is topped by a bubbling percussion loop; live drums and bass add warmth, and Bennington's angry-choirboy vocals build until everything intertwines in a gently compressed chorus.

Such careful constructions shine a light on how Linkin Park might continue to mature, by remembering the therapeutic wisdom of comedian Al Franken's creation Stuart Smalley: They're good enough, they're smart enough and darn it, people really like them. Full review

From Chart Attack

Linkin Park have finally realized that rap-rock is dead. To celebrate their discovery, they've released Minutes To Midnight, their third proper album which virtually annihilates the rap and ratchets up the rock. Produced by Rick Rubin (Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and group member Mike Shinoda, Minutes To Midnight comes four years after the triple-platinum Meteora and features a sound that's been polished to a shine. First single "What I've Done" showcases what the band are great at: driving guitars, singer Chester Bennington's soaring vocals, addictive beats and moody keyboard.

The group have even co-opted handclaps (familiar to most as the current indie rock/pop requisite) on not one but two tracks — "Given Up" and "Bleed It Out." There aren't many Shinoda breakdowns on this album, which is a huge relief since they always overshadowed Bennington's vocal range. The singer's gravelly screams are still intact, along with his gentle rock ballad delivery, which is accentuated by strings on "Shadow Of The Day" and "Leave Out All The Rest." You can go ahead and hold a grudge against Linkin Park for being purveyors of the deader-than-dead rapcore genre, but you can't blame them for crafting catchy songs that you may hate to admit are pretty good.

From Rolling Stone

Rap metal is dead. Linkin Park are not, because they were always more than the meager sum of that combination -- more pop and classic rock in their riffs, hooks and drive, even on Collision Course, their 2004 mash-up with Jay-Z. On Minutes to Midnight, co-produced by Rick Rubin, Linkin Park are more of something else -- topical -- and furiously good at it. In the last song, "The Little Things Give You Away," the band coolly torpedoes George W. Bush's petty, disastrous arrogance on Iraq and New Orleans (for starters), building from acoustic strum and soft-shoe electronics to magisterial Seventies-arena guitar and lacerating disgust. "All you've ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you," Chester Bennington sings. "And six feet underwater/I do."

That's not all. Bennington is not going over old-girlfriend ground when he promises, "Your time is borrowed," in the hammering thrash of "No More Sorrow." And Mike Shinoda's state-of-disbelief rap "Hands Held High" comes with military-funeral drums and an "amen" chorus. This would be as much fun as a filibuster if Linkin Park did not pay equal attention to the punch and detail in the gritty stomp "Bleed It Out" and the balled-fist guilt of "What I've Done." "Shadow of the Day" is a too-literal echo of Joshua Tree-era U2, but most of Minutes is honed, metallic pop with a hip-hop stride and a wake-up kick. "What the f**k is wrong with me?" Bennington barks over the jingle bells and distortion in "Given Up." The answer all over this record: nothing that getting off your ass can't fix.

Ratings: 4 stars out of 5

From In The News

In a nutshell…
Peter Pan does nu-metal

What's it all about?
The much-delayed Minutes to Midnight is Linkin Park's third album, coming four years after sophomore effort Meteora and seven since Grammy-award wining debut Hybrid Theory.

Containing the Californian band's latest single What I've Done, the 12-track album has been given a hip-hop lick not heard in their previous work, with more than a dash of punk thrown in too. Lead singer Chester Bennington, who occasionally has the look of an emaciated Bono, says that Minutes to Midnight represents a year of "dedication, experimentation and soul-searching" for the six-strong group.

In the months ahead of its May 14th international release (a day later in Linkin Park's native US), the album was leaked on the internet, leading to the band's in-house rapper Mike Shinoda to plead with fans to, "at the very least", listen to the disc's songs in the right order. Minutes to Midnight is also the first Linkin Park record to feature Shinoda singing lead vocals.

Who's it by?
Formed by high-school leavers Shinoda, Brad Delson (lead guitar) and Rob Bourdon (drums) more than a decade ago, Linkin Park's ranks and music swelled up with the addition of Bennington, Dave Farrell (bass) and Joe Hahn (turntables), leading to the release of debut album Hybrid Theory, which won the Grammy award for best rock album and has sold more than 15 million copies to date.

2003's Meteora did not approach the commercial or critical success of their nu-metal maiden CD, but did win plaudits for presenting a more mature and refined sound. Minutes to Midnight sees the band move further away from their alt-rock origins with some of their most emo-led mainstream material yet.

As an example…
"Telling me to go/But hands beg me to stay/Your lips say that you love/Your eyes say that you hate.

"There's truth in your lies/Doubt in your faith/What you build you lay to waste/There's truth in your lies/Doubt in your faith/All I've got is what you didn't take." - In Pieces.

"I close both locks below the window/I close both blinds and turn away/Sometimes solutions aren't so simple/Sometimes goodbye's the only way.

"And the sun will set for you/The sun will set for you/And the shadow of the day/Will embrace the world in grey/And the sun will set for you." - The Shadow of the Day.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys?
The Grammy awards have been familiar territory for Linkin Park since the trailblazing success of Hybrid Theory, but a lack of progression in Minutes to Midnight means the band will probably miss out on the Grammys' half-century celebrations in 2008.

What the others say
"Maybe Rick Rubin, who helped produce, got the musicians to loosen up, but loose is relative with a band this fastidious. Instead of writing songs during jam sessions, the members typically share ideas by swapping hard drives… Even on this album, just about everything is tweaked to perfection, and there's always an infectious refrain around the corner (provided you can survive the often banal verses)." - New York Times.

"The California rap-rockers are stymied by their decision to stay roughly within the shrieky boundaries of their genre (albeit with less emphasis on the rap). This opens up new opportunities for rapper Mike Shinoda as a gruff, bellicose singer, but the sound still pivots on the interplay of walloping guitar chords and self-flagellating lyrics." - the Guardian.

So is it any good?
The unfortunate thing for Minutes to Midnight is that it is filed immediately after Meteora in my alphabetised media library, and a couple of tracks in I realised I would rather be listening to the latter's final track Numb. From the bass-heavy resonance of opening instrumental Wake to the frankly Snow Patrol-sounding The Little Things you Give Away, it's obvious that Linkin Park were trying to do something very different with their third album.

Sadly though the experiment is largely a failure, with Shinoda-led shouty tracks Given Up, Bleed it Out and In Between a tired throwback to the band's earlier heights, as well as sitting uneasily next to the more melodic Bennington's harmonies. The main problem with Minutes to Midnight appears to be this lack of cohesion, despite the CD booklet's handy insets explaining what each song represents for the band (What I've Done apparently works on "many levels").

Linkin Park arrived in 2000 in the last flicker of the rap-rock flame led by Korn, Limp Bizkit et al, but seven years on their music seems a little bit lost, with their meaningless emo lyrics betraying the dearth of direction. So while British music has found a new voice through bands singing about irreverent and everyday actions, Linkin Park are still writing stuff like "A black winter took you away/From sight/Another darkness over day/That night/And the clouds move closer/Looking so dissatisfied/And the ground below grew colder/As they put you down inside/But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing".

Admittedly it's not all a downer, Shadow of the Day and In Pieces are both very listenable tracks, but the album overall is missing the triumphant songs of In the End and Cure for the Itch of Hybrid Theory. Nevertheless, Minutes to Midnight, is likely to leave Linkin Park fans feeling a little shortchanged, and new listeners probably more bemused than anything else.

5/10

From Dallas Morning News
No American rock act is as passively precocious as Linkin Park. The chagrin and hunger stirred up by the purposeful SoCal rap-rock wunderkinds has no contemporary peer, except perhaps by Kelly Clarkson.

But it certainly aids the construction of hype, and Linkin Park's third studio CD is easily the year's most anticipated modern rock release. However, the band did warn us that its new material would trumpet a reconstituted Linkin Park.

Sure enough, Minutes to Midnight has about as much in common with Hybrid Theory and Meteora as Peter Gabriel's So does with early Genesis. It's highly refined, mellow and cerebral, and structurally glossy, with as many silken songwriting turns as strident ones.

Linkin Park predictably de-emphasized both vocalist/MC Mike Shinoda's rapping and turntablist Joseph Hahn's sampling, effectively reassigning each to multi-instrumentalist (Mr. Shinoda) and rhythm generator-artist (Mr. Hahn). Most of Minutes to Midnight's songs lose crunch and vitality because of it, though in return they gain civility, identity and finesse.

Only two tracks truly rock: the hand clap-paced screamo exercise "Given Up" and the Fear Factory-like chugger "No More Sorrow." Others recall a Motown-bred AC/DC ("Bleed It Out"), the Fray ("In Between," on which Mr. Shinoda sings and Mr. Hahn outputs a sweet crinkled-paper beat) and U2 ("Shadow of the Day"). The standouts defy such trite pigeonholing. "What I've Done" is a snappy and grand first single; "Hands Held High" combines gospel and rap with political ire; and the lavish harmony-layered "The Little Things Give You Away" closes the disc with uncharacteristic grace.

The little things give Minutes to Midnight away as a valid departure. You were warned.

From USA Today
Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight: * * * Muscular reinvention

When Meteora arrived with meteoric force in 2003, hitting No. 1 after opening-week sales of 810,000 copies, Linkin Park seemed to have a lock on a winning formula. Even then, the band may have foreseen the waning tenability of rap-rock, a cocky but cockeyed hybrid that reached its commercial peak with Limp Bizkit’s baffling million-selling week in 2000.

On its third studio album, the band abandons nu-metal for a mid-career rock reinvention that entails more appropriation than originality. Raw, dense and intense, Minutes to Midnight has plenty of muscle and attitude, but there’s little fresh or dangerous in Linkin’s sonic tool chest, and in some respects, the band comes across as a late arrival to the emo party, especially in such mopey interludes as Valentine’s Day.

Singer Chester Bennington, who seesaws between a blistering wail and a whispery croon, dominates the vocals, while rapper Mike Shinoda retreats to share production duties with Rick Rubin, cropping up only periodically to spit out rhymes, most effectively on feisty beast Bleed It Out, a fine nod to the band’s old sound. The new sound is fairly old too. Paint-peeling guitar sizzle, threads of electronica, metallic thump — it’s all been done. Shadow of the Day is a solid rock anthem, yet hardly rises to the U2 stratum it aims for. And the craft and catchiness of What I’ve Done might be more impressive if its synth lines weren’t swiped from the Halloween theme. Power surges, emotional fervor and newly nuanced songwriting skills keep Midnight sparking. There’s no new wheel here. Just another spin. — Edna Gundersen

-- Download: Bleed It Out, Given Up, Hands Held High
-- Consider: Shadow of the Day, The Little Things You Give Away
-- Skip: Valentine’s Day, In Between

From Daily 49er
One of the biggest challenges a band faces when creating a new record is deciding how it will evolve. A similar sound retains an audience, but a new sound can prove maturity and growth. Such was the dilemma facing Linkin Park, the seemingly sole survivors of the rap-rock genre, with its third studio album, "Minutes To Midnight," which hits records stores today.

With its latest album, Linkin Park has all but abandoned rap-rock in favor of a new sound that is more dynamic and broad, but also has lost some of the edge the band had. Part of the appeal of past Linkin Park albums was that many of the songs sounded similar, so if you liked one, chances are you liked them all. "Minutes To Midnight," on the other hand, challenges the listener to look past the surface of the track, decipher the lyrics, discover the intricacies of each song and ultimately gain a message from the album.

Four years in the making, "Midnight" is a major departure from past LP material. Gone are the formulas that existed in the band's past work, and in their place is an album with radically contrasting songs. The faster-paced, rap-metal-esque tracks are still present, but they are few and far between. Most of the album is composed of slower-paced, multi-layered songs.

In essence, this is Linkin Park with schizophrenia. One minute the band is leading a punk-inspired assault heard in "Given Up" immediately followed by a sorrow-ridden trek through lead singer Chester Bennington's past a la "Leave Out All The Rest." The pieces that give LP its unique sound are still present, but they are implemented in vastly different ways.

The most glaringly obvious change is the lack of mic time for MC Mike Shinoda. One of Linkin Park's past trademarks was the vocal interplay between Shinoda and Bennington. But beside the track "Bleed It Out," this signature of the band is absent. Shinoda is still heavily involved in the music. He is credited with writing a majority of the songs and lyrics as well as playing keyboard and rhythm guitar on most of the songs. He also co-produced the album with legendary producer Rick Rubin.

When Shinoda does appear on a track, it is generally one of the better songs. The aforementioned "Bleed It Out" draws heavily from the past style of LP, and the hip-hop heavy "Hands Held High" features Shinoda at his finest, making a powerful political statement about the war in Iraq backed by a military drum beat. Musically, the band has improved drastically, especially lead guitarist Brad Delson, who has solos for the first time on a Linkin Park album. Unlike past LP records, you can actually hear the bass this time around, and bassist Dave Farrell leads a song. Drummer Rob Bourdon continues to get tighter and more innovative behind the drum set.

With the changes in the band's sound, DJ Joe Hahn has seen his contributions to the band change. His scratching is nearly non-existent, but he does contribute heavily with synth and atmospheric sounds on many of the slower songs. And what about those slower songs? They are definitely in full force. Excluding the instrumental intro "Wake," six out of the 12 songs on the album have a decidedly slow sound. Bennington takes center stage on most of these songs, producing some of the most powerful and beautiful vocals in recent memory. Bennington has had a tough past, and he holds nothing back with his singing and lyrics on "Midnight."

Whether it be the U2-inspired "Shadow Of The Day," the electronic beat coupled with reggae guitar of "In Pieces" or the emotional pop ballad "Valentine's Day," Linkin Park has a knack for making slow, catchy songs with some deep meaning. Faster-paced songs such as the first single "What I've Done" shows that Linkin Park can still rock. And by far the heaviest song on the album, "No More Sorrow," comes out of nowhere with its powerful screaming, heavily distorted riffs and thundering drums.

From 411 Mania
Overall, as I said many times before, this is a decent album as a whole, but lacks that certain special something that makes it great. But it honestly sounds way too much like a Chester Bennington solo album that features Mike Shinoda a couple of times rather than a Linkin Park album. There is no more DJ work by Joe Hahn here, but rather the overuse of annoying samples, and the excruciatingly bad clap rhythm effect that is only tolerable, much less good on “Bleed It Out.” Most of the tracks are bland and boring, with very little solid guitar work by Brad Delson, save for the two harder songs. “What I’ve Done” is probably the closest you’ll get to old Linkin Park here, but that still sounds way too different to be Linkin Park. Of course bands will sometimes try to experiment a little too much with their sound and find out how it doesn’t work (see also “Breaking The Habit” from Meteora, which despite how popular it got, was not a good song at all), but consider the situation here. It has been over four years since the band’s last album. Rick Rubin, who you know can make a good, heavy record produced it, and the band wrote somewhere in the area of one hundred songs for this record, which obviously included the phenomenal “Qwerty.” Who knows how many other great heavier songs they wrote as well. Full review

From Entertainment Weekly
To the list of America's most endangered professions — lighthouse keepers, Detroit autoworkers, record-store clerks — add rappers in rock bands. Linkin Park certainly haven't failed to notice the nü-metal market withering since their last multiplatinum album in '03. They probably read the self-pitying blog ramblings of Bizkit-turned-filmmaker Fred Durst and thought: There but for the grace of God go we. A response to this crisis is apparent on Minutes to Midnight, their third studio disc. Before, Mike Shinoda rapped on nearly everything the band cut, sharing the limelight with singer Chester Bennington; here he throws down his mad rhyming skillz on a mere two numbers. (As consolation, Shinoda sings lead on a third track and earns a co-producer credit...but it's still marginalizing for a guy who rapped his way almost to the top of the Hot 100 last year with ''Where'd You Go,'' from side project Fort Minor.)

So who's the pied piper leading Linkin away from rap-rock? Ironically, it's co-producer Rick Rubin, the man who presided over the hybrid's invention. Whether he offered any game plan for replacing the missing elements, though, isn't clear. Amid the stabs at growth, every new effect sounds borrowed. The electronic pulse that opens ''Shadow of the Day'' sounds like an ancient NIN loop; then the song turns into their ''With or Without You,'' gradually adding elements — a snare, strings — in a wan attempt at anthemic momentum. The piano intro to ''What I've Done''...where have we heard that before? Oh, yeah: It sounds like the theme from Halloween. (Maybe they'll get a hit ringtone out of it — John Carpenter did.)

Bennington still has a rare gift for screaming and hitting recognizable notes at the same time. He manages some impressive bellowing on the handful of Metallica-flavored barn burners, especially on ''Given Up,'' where he yowls ''Put me out of my f---ing misery!'' — holding that last ''eeeeeee!'' for 17 seconds. (Yes, we timed it.) More often, though, he uses what a parent would call his ''inside voice,'' softly crooning about how a ''shadow of the day will embrace the world in gray'' or how his ''insides all turn to ash, so slow.'' Without Shinoda to interrupt , Bennington is forced all the more to be his own egocentric, emo-centric foil.

Now, guess what the best cuts are. Yep: the two where Shinoda gets his spoken word on — namely ''Bleed It Out,'' the most viscerally exciting thing the band has ever done; here, his rant provokes them into picking up the pace, not slackening it. We're no Rick Rubin, but some advice: Next time, guys, embrace your outmoded identity, throw cred or caution to the wind, and let your rap-rock freak flag fly. C

From New York Times
In retrospect, it’s clear that the stratospheric success of Linkin Park marked the end of an era. Two eras, actually. With the rise of Linkin Park, the great (or not-so-great) rap-rock boom of the 1990s had one last hurrah. And with the release of group’s 2000 debut album, “Hybrid Theory,” which sold more than nine million copies in the United States, the great CD sales boom of the 1990s had one of its last hurrahs, too.

Seven years later (and four years after the successful sequel, “Meteora”), CD sales are in the toilet and rap-rock has been flushed, so the members of Linkin Park are trying to evolve and survive with “Minutes to Midnight.” In deference to the current climate, they have de-emphasized rap-rock and tentatively embraced emo. “What I’ve Done,” the first single (already a rock-radio staple), begins with Chester Bennington, the lead singer, delivering the kind of vague but overwritten lyrics that emo bands are known for: “In this farewell, there’s no blood, there’s no alibi/’Cause I’ve drawn regret from the truth of a thousand lies.” If you’re waiting for the rapping to start, you’ll wait in vain.

Maybe Rick Rubin, who helped produce, got the musicians to loosen up, but loose is relative with a band this fastidious. Instead of writing songs during jam sessions, the members typically share ideas by swapping hard drives. Even on this album, just about everything is tweaked to perfection, and there’s always an infectious refrain around the corner (provided you can survive the often banal verses).

As you might imagine, the band’s emo makeover doesn’t always go smoothly. “Valentine’s Day,” in particular, is alarmingly silly even before you get to the hilarious chorus: “I never knew what it was like to be alone/On a Valentine’s Day.” And in “Hands Held High,” Mike Shinoda delivers anti-Bush rhymes in a style that could be described as Eminem Lite; “Lightweights step to the side,” he raps, conspicuously declining to follow his own command.

By contrast, “In Between” is a pleasant surprise: Mr. Shinoda does a more-than-passable impression of a lovelorn emo singer. And “Shadow of the Day” is a handsome, radio-friendly ballad that keeps threatening to morph into U2’s “With or Without You.” Two eras may be over, but this band seems nostalgic for only one of them.

From Daily Titan
Remember Linkin Park? If you pick up Minutes To Midnight, the sextets first album in over four years, you might have trouble recognizing them. Change is understandable, but the Nu-metal gurus have scrapped what made them famous, the harmonious singing and screaming by Chester Bennington mixed with the raps and rhythms of Mike Shinoda.

The only song that resembles what used to be is "Bleed it out," and even that is a far cry from the Linkin Park of old. The album is dominated by Bennington, with Shinoda only appearing on four songs out of the album's 12.

Linkin Park has admitted that change would come, and the song "Shadow of the Day" proves this with Bennington singing like Bono. The song goes along with a string of tracks that are at a much slower tempo than Linkin Park listeners are used to.

The album is emotional and raw, and songs such as "Valentines Day" and "Hands Held High" show Linkin Park's versatility and creativity with colorful lyrics and instrumental sessions.

For the combination of angst and melody, "No More Sorrow" and "Given Up" provide some of that vintage Linkin Park anger that fans have grown accustomed to.

The albums success is in the hands of producer Rick Rubin and his ability to dish out a quality product. The rapping might be gone, but Bennington alone is worth the price of admission.

From Philadephia Inquirer
No sooner does nu-metal find its ragged soul and experimental punch in Linkin Park (Meteora was riveting; its Collision Course collaboration with Jay Z better still) than the L.A. band dispenses with its signature rap-rawk. Dag - and me with a closet full of recently purchased baggy shorts.

With just enough humpty-hump to hold hip-hop heads in thrall, Park's Mike Shinoda (emboldened by his atmospheric Fort Minor project) and the ubiquitous Rick Rubin turn Linkin into moody punks with a visceral kick, some oddly classic-rock hooks, and soft, contagious melodies dolled up with esoteric noisemakers. That Linkin's careening sound is stripped to the waist gives Shinoda's wordy rapping flow on "Bleed It Out" more oomph and his vocals ("In Between") room to ruminate.

But never forget the unforeseen possibilities of singer Chester Bennington. While "Leave Out All the Rest" leans toward balladeering electronica and "The Little Things Give You Away" swoons through acoustic guitars, the scuffed yet silken Bennington gets more chances to rock out with his schlock out ("Given Up") than ever. And when Bennington and Shinoda go at the war song of "Hands Held High" with a taut rap and a croon, Linkin Park sound brutal and beautiful.

From NY Mag
Linkin Park consider their third album to be such a departure from their nu-metal core values that the CD booklet explains each track's conception. For example, the pop-metal moanfest What I've Done "is intended to work on many levels, including freedom, art and death metaphors", which shows the breadth of their ambition.

But even with rock's Mr Fix-It, Rick Rubin, on production detail, and a willingness to try random new things, the California rap-rockers are stymied by their decision to stay roughly within the shrieky boundaries of their genre (albeit with less emphasis on the rap). This opens up new opportunities for rapper Mike Shinoda as a gruff, bellicose singer, but the sound still pivots on the interplay of walloping guitar chords and self-flagellating lyrics.

From Associate Content
Linkin Park burst onto the scene with heavy guitars, Chester Bennigton's vocals that switched from raw to soaring an back again and Mike Shinoda's aggressive rap. It was a sound that was a fresh and welcome change from sameness of early 21st century angst-alt music. It's a shame that a band that was so groundbreaking has turned in such a pedestrian and disappointing effort with "Minutes to Midnight."

When "Minutes to Midnight" hits stores, it will be one of the year's most eagerly awaited offerings, but a first listen shows that it yields little of the excitement of the band's major label breakthrough "Hybrid Theory." The same ingredients are mostly in place- the guitar lines are strong and Bennington's fine vocals are front and center, but the sound has been tweaked until it is only a shadow of the music that sold millions of CDs. Bennington seems to have taken on the mantle of undisputed front man, and Mike Shinoda has been relegated to what amounts to "special guest star" status on a few of the songs. The only track that comes close to capturing the magic of Linkin Park's early recordings is "Bleed It Out," the stand out cut in a CD where each song blends into the next with little to distinguish any of the tracks.

Linkin Park inspired a lot of bands that populate modern rock radio, but by staying stagnant, the new CD sounds the same as most everything else on the radio. "What I've Done," the first single from the CD, reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, but after only four weeks on the chart it has dropped to number 25.

The CD isn't a total loss, and it's not even bad, but it's not the splendid album that Linkin Park has proven they are capable of creating. Expect major sales the first week, but watch as the album sales sink like a rock without solid singles to give the CD legs.

Individual tracks to download from iTunes are "Bleed It Out," the fine "The Little Things You Give Away" and "Shadow of the Day." The rest of the CD is for die hard Linkin Park fans only. You have to admire Linkin Park for taking a risk by reworking their sound, but change isn't always good, as "Minutes to Midnight" shows. This CD is little more that a place holder on the charts until the real Linkin Park stand up.