Linkin Park Releases ‘Hunting Party,’ How Is It?

American rock band Linkin Park has released their sixth full-length album The Hunting Party under the labels Warner Bros. and Machine Shop. Having created a video game to promote the album and streaming the entire LP before the official release, Linkin Park has been putting a lot of effort into the publicity of their new project. But the question is, has it paid off? How are fans and critics reacting to the latest Linkin Park record?

The Hunting Party provides more of Linkin Park’s signature heavy metal sound while sticking to conventional pop song structures. The release features the lead single “Guilty All The Same,” as well as “Until Its Gone” and “Final Masquerade.” Linkin Park also brought in special guest stars Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, rap artist Rakim and System of a Down’s Daron Malakian.

LoudWire reviewed Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party and gave it four out of five stars, claiming the album brought lots of “hard-hitting” and “thrashy” songs:

“While Linkin Park unveiled several songs ahead of its release, those listening to ‘The Hunting Party’ for first time will find the disc at its most triumphant during its final stretch, as tracks like ‘Rebellion,’ ‘Mark the Graves,’ ‘Final Masquerade’ and ‘A Line in the Sand’ provide a powerful finish to a rock-solid effort.”

A rock-solid effort or a solid effort at rock music?

While most reviews of The Hunting Party are favorable, most sites seem to agree that Linkin Park’s latest album is little more than decent. NME.com was not as lenient with their review, giving Linkin Park’s LP a six out of 10 and calling it “reliably heavy.” They rounded out their brief review by saying, “The Hunting Party’ is an energetic effort at least.”

Once again, the album is dubbed an “effort.” That seems to suggest Linkin Park tried their best but didn’t quite achieve the sonic-success of their past releases. After all, Linkin Park’s debut album Hybrid Theory went multi-platinum. Their second album Meteora also did quite well, topping the Billboard 200 chart in 2003. Did Linkin Park hit their peak at the very start of their career? Or is The Hunting Party another great release from the band?

Drowned in Soundgave The Hunting Party a three out of 10, saying of the album: “It screams often, confused, like the mess that it is.”

Dave Simpson’s review of Linkin Park’s The Hunting Party at The Guardian was a little more forgiving, praising the drums and the energy. He said:

“Linkin Park certainly know their audience, and here delicately navigate the gulf between their own aspirations and a fanbase who will celebrate the band’s loud return to rocking hard.”

Watch the official lyrics video for Linkin Park’s song “Rebellion” in the video below:

You can see what you think of the new Linkin Park record yourself. Stream it in full at Gigwise.com.