Linkin Park, ‘Burn It Down’ – Song Review

One thing is for sure when it comes to Linkin Park: While they definitely have a signature sound, they've certainly experimented sonically in recent years. On the band’s latest single, ‘Burn It Down,’ the group continues to integrate new sounds into their music, but at the same time there's a familiar feeling that harkens back to Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' days.

‘Burn It Down,’ which is the lead single off the band’s upcoming ‘Living Things’ album (out June 26), is the most recent step in Linkin Park’s move to incorporate electronic sounds into their music. The song features a heavy, robotic beat and a broad synth hook that lends a thickness and edge to the track.

Bennington’s lyrics still rebel against some ambiguous kind of tyrant, with his characteristic lyrical musings: “The cycle repeated / As explosions broke in the sky / All that I needed / Was the one thing I couldn't find /And you were there at the turn / Waiting to let me know,” he croons in the first verse.

Bennington’s soaring voice fits the atmospheric aesthetic of the track, which builds and builds into an anthemic, moody chorus. “We're building it up / To break it back down / We're building it up / To burn it down / We can't wait / To burn it to the ground.”

While Linkin Park dropped their nu metal shades long ago, they still offer a touch of rap with their rock, and ‘Burn It Down’ features Shinoda spitting out a catchy rhyme in the bridge.

Linkin Park took their sweet time getting ‘Burn It Down’ out, but that wait was worth it, as they deliver a unique song packed with subdued rhythms, riffs and raps, draped in a sea of atmospheric electronics. Want to catch ‘Burn It Down’ live? The guys just announced a 2012 trek with Incubus.