I'm No Expert: A review of Linkin Park's 'From Zero'

Seven and a half years after the release of their last major album release, rock/nu-metal band Linkin Park is back with "From Zero."

It follows months of discussion and debate about the band's return, and new vocalist Emily Armstrong.

At a brisk 32 minutes and change, it's easy to listen to this one multiple times in a day.

That's fortunate, because Linkin Park fans new and old will want to let this one wash over them a few times, to fully grasp the variety of sound on the record.

Personally, I think "From Zero" is worth your time, your money, and your attention.

But I'm no expert.

I am, however, a Linkin Park fan.

I was 18 when the California-based band released "Hybrid Theory" in 2000 - please, don't do that math.

It was a revelation: the dual vocals of Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington, the aggressive guitar work, the turntable scratching and sampling.

I wore out that CD, same for their follow-up, "Meteora", released in 2003.

The band was huge, enjoying stadium tours and massive radio and television airplay.

More albums followed, including remix albums, their "Collision Course" team-up with Jay-Z, and Shinoda's side project, Fort Minor.

Over time, the band's sound changed, for better or for worse.

In 2017, Linkin Park released "One More Light:."

Critics (and fans) were not impressed, and the album received generally bad reviews.

The band responded, with Bennington lashing out to defend the work.

Months later, on July 20, 2017, singer Chester Bennington took his own life.

It hit me, and millions of other fans, like a ton of bricks.

There were tributes and a memorial concert with fill-in singers ... and then nothing.

For seven years.

Shinoda released a solo album in 2018, "Post Traumatic."

Linkin Park fans were unsure if the band would ever play together again, or release new music.

Then, in August of this year, a countdown appeared on the band's website.

It fueled speculation about new music, and who the band may have brought on in Bennington's absence.

Eventually, on Sept. 5, the band livestreamed a performance in front of a select number of fans.

Shinoda started the performance by saying to the crowd, "It's good to see you again."

The first song played was a new one, "The Emptiness Machine," and moments later new vocalist Emily Armstrong took the stage.

It was also the first performance of the band's new drummer, Colin Brittain.

At the same time, news spread of a new tour, and a new album, called "From Zero."

Leading up to the release of "From Zero," the band released four singles.

The album includes five more tracks, and a quick intro.

Here's my totally amateur, fan-written, non-expert review of each song.

"The Emptiness Machine" is the song fans have had the most time to digest.

It features slick production, Shinoda's impassioned vocals, and Armstrong's harsh, sometimes raspy sound.

I think it's the best first showcase of what Armstrong can contribute.

The hook is catchy and will stay in your head.

"Cut the Bridge" had me bobbing my head in the first 10 seconds.

It starts with Shinoda rapping, before Armstrong gets us to the chorus, which will sound great when thousands of fans sing along.

"Heavy is the Crown" feels like it could be on "Meteora."

The sampling and the guitars drive the song, with Shinoda rapping faster this time.

This song also includes a 15-second scream from Armstrong - drawing unavoidable comparisons to Bennington's own 17-second scream on "Given Up," released in 2007.

"Over Each Other" was the band's third single and one that seemed to divide fans.

It's the only song on the album that doesn't include vocals from Shinoda.

In that way, it's a showcase for Emily Armstrong. Her voice has some gruff, before soaring later in the song.

It gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it.

"Casualty" is, maybe, the album's punk song.

It's the shortest, at 2:21, and Armstrong's scream dominates.

Even when Shinoda gets involved, he's just shy of screaming into the microphone.

Expect the pit to open up at Linkin Park concerts during this one.

"Overflow" slows things down a little.

Vocals echo.

The production, atmospheric.

It's moody. It's a break.

"Two Faced" is my favorite song on the album, right now.

It feels like a return to that "Hybrid Theory" album I love so much.

Shinoda raps over a great guitar riff and drums, the turntables come through, and the song is punctuated by Armstrong's chorus, and it builds to a ferocious vocal breakdown at the end of the song.

I want to listen to it again, now.

If the album touches on Linkin Park's past, "Stained" is from that "One More Light" era.

It's poppy, and catchy.

Still, Armstrong's voice is a winner for me here. She's more than capable when it comes to harsh vocals, but her clean singing stands out, too.

"IGYEIH" (I Gave You Everything I Had) brings back the metal tinge to Linkin Park's sound.

Armstrong is all over the place, screaming through the chorus, on a track that feels angry.

It feels, at times, like something Stone Temple Pilots might have released.

"Good Things Go" caps the album with maybe the most complete song from this new Linkin Park lineup.

The harmonies on this one are great, and just ... pleasing.

It builds, with Shinoda going from singing, to more frenetic rapping later.

Here's the lyric I'll quote, that will surely get pulled out by other fans and critics: "Thank you for always standing by me even though / Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go."

The end of the song feels sudden.

Overall, to me, "From Zero" lives up to the hype.

Sure, conversations will continue about what the addition of Armstrong means to the band and the band's legacy.

There will also be those who refuse to celebrate them, because Bennington is gone.

But those albums still exist and can still be enjoyed.

"From Zero" is a welcome return.

I'd give it a solid NINE out of ten.

But I'm no expert.