1. Wake

	2.	Given Up
	3.	Leave Out All the Rest
	4.	Bleed It Out
	5.	Shadow of the Day
	6.	What I've Done
	7.	Hands Held High
	8.	No More Sorrow
	9.	Valentine's Day
	10.	In Between
	11.	In Pieces
	12.	The Little Things Give You Away

Chester Bennington - vocals
Rob Bourdon - drums, percussion
Brad Delson - lead guitar
Dave "Phoenix" Farrell - bass guitar, backing vocals
Joe Hahn - turntables, programming, samples
Mike Shinoda - emcee, vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards

The year 2007 saw the release of Linkin Park's third studio album, Minutes to Midnight, produced by Rick Rubin. While it generally has recieved positive reviews, and spawned several hit singles, the album has been criticized by some for being too 'mellow'. Songs like "What I've Done", "Shadow of the Day", and "Leave Out All The Rest" are perfect examples of this mellow new direction. However, tracks like "Given Up", "Bleed It Out", still have that classic hard rock sound of earlier Linkin Park material found on Hybrid Theory and Meteora.

This album is also different in the fact that emcee/vocalist Mike Shinoda only performs his rapping techniques on two tracks, "Bleed It Out" and "Hands Held High". While Shinoda makes up for this loss by singing backup and lead vocals on numerous tracks, Joe Hahn, the band's DJ and effects man, does not seem to hold the pivotal role he held earlier on in Linkin Park's career, as his deejaying can only be heard on a few tracks. This album also marks the first time guitarist Brad Delson has performed guitar solos on any Linkin Park album, for the songs "In Pieces" and "The Little Things You Give Away". The biggest change Linkin Park has made to this material is the use of politically-charged lyrics. There are a lot of political messages in this album which are pushed on the listener, instead of the traditional songs mostly having to deal with relationship issues. A politically active Linkin Park may be one which is not well embraced by older fans, and could have been a reason for backlash.

All criticisms tossed aside, this album actually has a lot to offer. Between new direction, lyrics with deeper meanings, and more layered music, Linkin Park have recharged themselves, and proved that they don't have to keep on making the same old music again and again. They knew that their sound could have gotten stale if they kept repeating themselves, so they decided to change. It was a bold step in a new direction but who could blame them?

The way I see it, is that Linkin Park made the right decision to make this album the way they did. Minutes to Midnight has some great songs, and some songs of a little bit lower calibre. In my opinion, the entire first half is fucking incredible, and then it starts to sour. Any which way you look at it, the band still has time to hone in on the new sound and perfect it for future albums. This album may be no Hybrid Theory, or Meteora, but it is still pretty good, and could serve as a point f inspiration for later works. Not only did this album open up the band to new audiences, but it also opened the band up to their own creativity, and I'm sure Minutes will go down as a cornerstone of their career.

Total Album Rating: 7.1/10