From Zero review | From old foundations spring bright new beginnings for Linkin Park

According to rock titans Linkin Park, the title of their latest record From Zero has a dual meaning. It’s both a reference to the band’s first ever name – Xero – as well as a nod to the new chapter the band are currently embarking on with their eighth studio album. As band co-founder and vocalist Mike Shinoda has explained: “Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future – embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life”, also reflecting: “It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans”.

Indeed, the record’s opening plays into the title. ‘From Zero (Intro)’ begins with a blend of chorale vocals, before cutting out so you hear two voices conversing: “From Zero?” “Yep” “Like from nothing? Oh wait you’re-“, the conversation abruptly finishing as the chugging opening riff of the anthemic ‘The Emptiness Machine’ kicks in – a song that sees Shinoda and the band’s new vocalist Emily Armstrong declare: “I only wanted to be part of something”. This “something” could be construed as Linkin Park – a band who are arguably one of the most influential and essential of the 21st century.

From Zero is Linkin Park’s first new music in seven years, and their first release since frontman Chester Bennington’s tragic passing in 2017. It’s also the first album released by the band in their new formation, with Colin Brittain on drums and Emily Armstrong joining on vocal duties. Armstrong’s addition has been controversial, due to Armstrong’s links to both Scientology, and convicted rapist Danny Masterson (the latter was addressed by Armstrong in an online statement, which saw her state: “I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since.”).

It’s a record that draws on Linkin Park’s now iconic sound: a sound that helped bring nu-metal to the masses and with which the band built a hefty back catalogue of alt-rock smashes. Armstrong’s vocals are powerhouse, whether that’s belting out the stirring chorus of ‘Heavy Is the Crown’ (a cut that’d feel at home on the band’s 2007 record ‘Minutes to Midnight’), or delivering the ferocious half-screamed opening of ‘Casualty’.

Songs like ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and ‘Cut the Bridge’ are typically Linkin Park, their exhilarating choruses and earworm melodies sure to soar during the band’s mega 2025 tour (which includes a date at Wembley Stadium). Elsewhere, though, it can stumble. There’s no bite on the dreary ‘Overflow’, its almost trap-inflected beats dragging the track along; nor slow-burning album closer ‘Good Things Go’. Yet for each moment like this, there’s one like ‘IGYEIH’: a hulking juggernaut of furious guitar riffs, floor-shaking rhythm section, and electric bridge breakdown that sees Armstrong vow: “From now on I don’t need you”.

Largely, though, it’s a rousing album from one of the 21st century’s most vital rock bands. In a statement around the album’s release, Shinoda concluded: “We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.” With From Zero the first step of that journey, there’s much for band and fans alike to look ahead to.

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