“From zero? Like from nothing? Oh wait you’re for-” And so begins Emily Armstrong’s run as the new co-vocalist of the beloved band Linkin Park.
The full release of the From Zero album in early November led fans both new and old to open up their music streaming platforms and begin the new era of the band’s life. While yes, it is a new sound given the introduction of Armstrong, it still has the same feel as older hits such as “Numb,” “Faint,” and “Castle of Glass.”
With the unfortunate passing of Chester Bennington in 2017, the band had lost its most well-known lead singer to a long battle with mental health. The band had released a few albums during the 2018 to 2023 era, but most of them contained unreleased songs or rereleases for 20-year anniversaries.
In 2023, the band approached Armstrong to become a new lead, as she has a music past inspired by Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and many more. Her introduction to the world as the new singer of Linkin Park was on Sept. 5 this year at a live-streamed concert.
As the title suggests, From Zero is the musical equivalent of starting over, with two lead singers, Armstrong and Mike Shinoda. The music still has the “edgy” nature that drew in so many fans in their 2000s and 2010s run, with songs like “Casualty” being very screamy and drum heavy. Meanwhile, others like “IGYEIH” combine gentle singing with the loud scream-like growling that can be found in many of the Bennington-era songs.
“Heavy Is the Crown” had helped develop a crowd for the album, as it was featured in the popular TV show, Arcane. If you look on Spotify, you’ll see that “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown” have taken over the top spots from “In the End,” “Numb” and “Faint.”
‘From Zero’ (Intro)
This song is a cute bit, with building and swelling music all leading to a conversation between Armstrong and Shinoda. This interaction, as seen above, immediately jumps into the next song on the album.
‘The Emptiness Machine’
This song starts out with vocals from an original member of the band, Mike Shinoda, before transitioning to Armstrong’. It has a mix of calmer vocals, a fast and upbeat drum line, and ends with the pained shouting that comes with this “machine.” The song tells the story of giving your all for someone who will never give you anything in return, and follows the anger of the pain stemming from “Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine.”
‘Cut the Bridge’
This song speaks of someone who will start a fight to make themself seem right. It’s the idea of cutting ties with this sort of toxic person as they appear to be the type to build up a nice steady and calm platform only to shatter it all “Everything was perfect-Always made me nervous-Knowing you would burn it-Just to watch it burn.” Armstrong and Shinoda take turns with leading vocals and lamenting about a toxic relationship, metaphorically cutting the bridge between them.
‘Heavy Is the Crown’
This song again starts out with Shinoda and Armstrong taking turns with vocals. It is another song of anger, only this one feels like the equivalent of telling someone ‘I told you so’, as the lead vocalist talk to an unknown person telling them, “This is what you asked for, heavy is the crown.”
‘Over Each Other’
“Over Each Other” feels like cutting off a toxic figure in your life. While it is not as angry as the songs before it, it still feels like the words are soaked in anguish at having to tell someone off and cut them out. It is a final goodbye to a partner who dragged you down in many little ways. “This is the letter I, I didn’t write… /All we are is talking over each other… / It’s all a waste of time.” This one ends with one of the many little bits that are found throughout the ends of songs, the most notable being Shinoda telling Armstong to “get her screaming pants on.”
‘Casualty’
One of the most scream and drum heavy songs on the album. The drum line tends to take away from the chorus with its almost over barring presence. The lyrics themselves tell about not wanting to be, well, a casualty. The subject of the song seems to have a habit of using friends or partners as scapegoats. “You drew the first blood–like playing god–Closing the doors up while I’m fed to the dogs.” This song most prominently features Shinoda’s vocals while Armstrong repeats the chorus and provides backing vocals.
‘Overflow’
This song portrays the feelings of the singer, Armstrong and Shinoda in this case, who have habits of making things turn out badly: “I know I can’t make it stop– I know I’m out of control–I keep filling it up to overflow.” While the lyrics would convince one this is a louder song, it is surprisingly on the calmer end, filled with mild bouts of self loathing. The instrumentals follow this, building and swelling with the pain and distress of the vocals. This one has an ending that sounds like the changing of a cassette player, it switches to the opening of an unknown song before the sound of changing happens again.
‘Two Face’
Starting out with a whisper saying “I believe you” is a little ironic given the lyrics to follow. Telling the story of calling someone out for switching sides and never realling picking one over the other playing both sides, “Your truth’s not ridgid, your rules aren’t fair.” Having been played by someone, Armstrong and Shinoda both call this person out for being seemingly flighty and having no sort of loyalty to either side. What sides? It is unclear. What is clear is that this person has gaslit others into thinking what has happened is not their doing, but rather anyone else’s. This song also ends on a little bit ending with Armstrong laughing at whatever is being shown to her giving context to the song.
‘Stained’
The confrontation of an abuser, the lyrics of this song depict lamenting letting this person into their life, realizing the mistake too late: “Gave you a chance, already regret it.” Now the abuser must deal with the consequences of their actions: “You don’t get to make amends like your hand’s still clean. / Pretend you’re spotless, but I don’t wash away.” The instrumentals are rather tame, focusing on emphasizing the lyrics.
‘IGYEIH’
“I gave you everything I had” starts a distant and quiet shout only for Armstrong to get closer to the microphone and start fully singing. This is another song about being angry at a partner who was given everything with nothing in return: “Just a devil with a god complex–I’m not the enemy you make me out to be.” It’s about being manipulated into thinking it was a form of love when it only went one way. The lyrics transition from, “From now on, I don’t need ya” to “From now on, got amnesia.”
‘Good Things Go’
The last track of the new era is another song of lamenting, only it is directed to the self rather than anyone else. “And I say I hate you when I don’t/Push you when you get too close…/Only you can save me from my lack of self control.” It feels like hating the need to push others away while craving the human connection, admitting that one person can help break this while also knowing the other has been hurt. “I won’t make excuses for the pain I’ve caused us both.” People are flawed and “Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go.”
Overall, this album feels as if it was a way to explore the different sounds and styles from before Armstrong has taken up the lead, as if proving that the band can still feel the same even with a different frontman. From Zero is a mix of calling out others and the self for the negative actions, yet also taking accountability for causing pain. Whether this is Linkin Park’s last album or the start of a new era, it’s truly an experience from start to finish.
Velocity 
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