A Thousand Suns Reviewed

Sup?
So for those of you who don't know, Linkin Park recently released a new album called A Thousand Suns. It's been out since September. I am a big fan of LP so naturally I got the whole album. And I thought I'd share my views.

Their first single of the album was The Catalyst. Brilliant track. You'll notice it's not quite the LP you're used to. That's exactly what I thought when I heard the album. Their overall sound on this album is VERY different. LP as a band have evolved with every album since Hybrid Theory. But never has their "evolution" been more pronounced than with this album.
With this album, they've experimented on soooo many levels. And the result is excellent in my opinion.
First off, if you are going to get the album, listen to it in order the first time. The album is made such that they songs flow together with interludes and snippets between tracks, which set the overall mood very nicely. Do not interrupt the flow. Go with it. I'm serious..
Also, this album deals with very real world issues unlike their other albums.
From the first track, which sets off on a chilling note, you're taken on a journey. The Requiem starts off chilling, has some haunting female vocals with lyrics that are repeated on the track The Catalyst.
The Requiem is made to blend with The Radiance flawlessly. This interlude of sorts lasting 58 seconds has a clip of a speech by Robert Oppenheimer, who is sometimes known as "the father of the atomic bomb", where he quotes from the Bhagwad Gita.
The Radiance flows into Burning In The Skies. This is one of my fave tracks on the album. Smooth, soft vocals by Chester.
The next track after an 18 second interlude is When They Come For Me. This track features Mike Shinoda's rapping style with him spitting out verse after verse to a sick drum beat. It then slows pace and Chester jumps in. Very nicely done.
The next track up is Robot Boy. This is a slower track with some great vocals by Chester again.
This is followed by a crazy interlude with Japanese lyrics.
Waiting For The End is the next track which has both Chester and Mike. Great song. 
Blackout is the next track. This track is for those people who think Chester is subdued on this album. Vocals are good as usual. Great track. Variations are very cool. It starts off sounding Indian and that sound is there throughout.
The next track is Wretches and Kings. It deals with oppression. This starts off with a quote by Mario Savio and goes into Mike spitting with Chester on the chorus. 
What follows is a VERY deep quote by Martin Luther King Jr. - 
"I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice... A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, 'This way of settling differences is not just.' This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love..." 
This would prolly give you an idea of how deep this album gets. 
Iridescent follows this. A great track with a feel-good air about it. Lightens the mood a little. This is followed by an interlude which has lyrics from Burning In The Skies. 
The Catalyst follows through after this almost seamlessly again. Ill say it again, brilliant track! Great combination of Mike and Chester.
The final track is The Messenger with kinda sums up the whole album with the message "When life leaves us blind, love keeps us kind." 
Overall, you'll notice there's a lot more of the keyboard by Mike and electro by Hahn. Chester is brilliant on vocals as usual. 
I definitely think that this is one of their better albums in spite of its very different sound.
Leme know what you think.
Peace