On Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, two new monumental metal releases hit the shelves: the popstar turned screaming sensation, Poppy, and Linkin Park with their long-awaited, energetic revival-record.
Poppy has been on a fantastic run as of late and has proved herself to be a genre-defying icon. From pop in her early career, to industrial, metal and even electronic — Poppy always keeps her listeners on their toes.
Her new record, “Negative Spaces,” aims to compete with the best alternative metal records of the early 2000s — a true throwback. Released on the legendary metal label, Sumerian, this record stands on the back of classics. Despite all of the pressure, “Negative Spaces” comes out the other side and shines as bright as a diamond.
Aside from the standout singles on “Negative Spaces,” including: “the cost of giving up,” “new way out” and “they’re all around us,” there are a boatload of exciting and genre-pushing tracks on this LP.
Specifically, “the center’s falling out,” “nothing” and “surviving on defiance” are fantastically diverse. They all share the same genre, but branch outside of that main idea in a variety of different ways. From 2000s alt-metal throwback to nu metal, current metalcore worship and even industrial metal are all represented here.
While the lyrics are not life-changing or deeply profound, there are some songs on here with catchy choruses and sometimes even lines that hit close to home. An example of both of these things being true is on the chorus of “surviving on defiance.”
“I’m fighting in the wake/Unfettered so maybe/Flowers will bloom for me again/The mirror in my face/She’s screaming for blood and violence/But it’s my time to pretend,” Poppy sings on the twelfth track.
Overall, while “Negative Spaces” does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to alternative metal, it definitely plays up the best and most exciting aspects of it for a fun listen.
On the other side of the spectrum, “From Zero” by Linkin Park had a lot of expectations to live up to. In 2017, Linkin Park’s lead singer, Chester Bennington, died at 41. They released “One More Light” earlier that year, to the dismay of fans who wanted something heavier and more like the band’s earlier records.
With the absence of Bennington, there was radio silence from the band, until in the summer of 2024 where Linkin Park announced a new record was to be released.
“From Zero” includes 11 new tracks as well as a new lead vocalist, Emily Armstrong, and the band’s original lineup, including Mike Shinoda — another one of the band’s longtime vocalists.
The sonics of the record are much more polished and cleaner than previous Linkin Park records like “Meteora” or “Hybrid Theory.” However, it is a little disappointing that there is not as much edge to the production than with those previous works. While aspects of the production are good, like the vocal and instrumental mix, the plainness of the sounds of the album really display a lackluster quality of “From Zero.”
Songs like “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown” — two singles released before the album dropped — are both incredibly tight lyrically and sonically. They remind me of classic Linkin Park songs like “Somewhere I Belong” off 2003’s “Meteora” and “Papercut” off their debut, “Hybrid Theory.”
However, the rest of the tracks range from average to disappointing. It is just not something I would expect, even out of an average Linkin Park record like “Minutes to Midnight” and “The Hunting Party.”
The lyrics are strong on this, catchy choruses as well, yet the chemistry between Armstrong and Shinoda are not at the same level as the chemistry between Bennington and Shinoda. It is not a damnable offense, since this is their first record together, but it does not help me think that this album contends with some of the bands best.
Between Poppy and Linkin Park, I’m left a tiny bit disappointed with the two records. One basks in an early 2000s-sentimentalism that overshoots its promise sometimes and the other is just an alright alt-metal revival record from Linkin Park. I’m excited to see the future of both of these acts though, as it looks like they are both just getting hot.
