Linkin Park From Zero

Critic's Take

The best songs on From Zero arrive in the back half, where the record finally breathes life again. Linkin Park find footing with “Overflow”, whose dark, captivating atmosphere makes it a standout, and “IGYEIH” which opens with an energetic riff and an explosive chorus that the band needed. “Two Faced” sneaks in as one of the catchiest songs on the album, and the closing “Good Things Go” showcases real chemistry between Shinoda and Emily Armstrong. These tracks make the album's best songs worth seeking out despite a pandering, cautious first half.

Key Points

• The best song is "Overflow" because its dark atmosphere and simplicity create a powerful standout that flips the album into its stronger half.
• The album’s core strength is revisiting past Linkin Park eras while finding redemption in the second half through vocal chemistry and stronger songwriting.

Themes

Critic's Take

Hi, everyone. In this review of From Zero, Linkin Park largely aims to reassure listeners that the band can still deliver classic-sounding alt rock, and the best songs - like “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown” - do just that. The review voice repeatedly returns to the central question of replacement, noting Emily Armstrong often complements the band while sometimes sounding like a different act entirely. Tracks such as “Two Faced” and “Casualty” are praised as convincing moments, whereas cuts like “Overflow” and “Stained” expose uneven songwriting. Ultimately the album reads as a brief, sometimes effective proof-of-concept rather than a fully realized LP.

Key Points

• The best song, "Casualty", is the most aggressive and showcases Emily's monstrous vocals and the band's heavier energy.
• The album's core strength is reconnecting to classic Linkin Park alt rock moments while suffering from uneven songwriting and some out-of-place tracks.

Themes

Critic's Take

Linkin Park's From Zero is a cautious, back-to-basics attempt whose best moments are the tracks that most clearly channel the band's earlier strengths, especially “The Emptiness Machine” and “Casualty”. Paul Attard writes with a blunt, evaluative voice, noting that while Emily Armstrong often provides the album's brightest sparks, many songs merely ape Hybrid Theory and Meteora without matching their emotional heft. He praises Armstrong on “Casualty” and credits her for rescuing tracks like “Overflow”, even as he criticizes the record for feeling like Linkin Park karaoke. The review thus answers the question of the best songs on From Zero by pointing to the handful of tracks where new energy overcomes past imitation.

Key Points

• The best song is driven by Emily Armstrong's visceral vocals, especially on "Casualty".
• The album's core strength is its brief successful channeling of Linkin Park's early sound, though it mostly feels imitative.

Themes

Critic's Take

Helen Brown hears a re-energised Linkin Park on From Zero, where Emily Armstrong’s snarling voice makes tracks like “The Emptiness Machine” and “Casualty” feel rousing and immediate. She writes in a vivid, slightly sardonic register, noting how Armstrong growls and snarls more like a lion than a backyard moggy while Mike Shinoda steadies the band. Brown flags the album’s readable hooks - the chorus of “Heavy Is the Crown” and the melodic tug of “Over Each Other” - as proof that LP haven’t tried to replace their past so much as redeploy it. The result, she suggests, is not revolutionary but a confident, crowd-pleasing return that will get fan fists pumping.

Key Points

• The Emptiness Machine is the best song due to its rousing duet vocals and crowd-ready chorus.
• The album’s core strength is its hooky, familiar nu-metal sound refreshed by Emily Armstrong’s snarling presence.

Themes

Critic's Take

Linkin Park's From Zero reads like a rallying cry, and the review points most insistently to “The Emptiness Machine”, “Heavy Is the Crown” and “Over Each Other” as the album's strongest moments. Hobson writes with a measured, slightly rueful authority, noting how those songs lean into the ascendant choruses and emotionally driven lyrics that defined their best work. He highlights the heft of “Heavy Is the Crown” and the singable immediacy of “Over Each Other” while acknowledging surprises such as the chunky thump of “Casualty” and the space given to Emily Armstrong on “Stained”. The tone is admiring but skeptical, framing From Zero less as a giant step forward and more as a triumphant, familiar return that saves the band to fight another day.

Key Points

• The Emptiness Machine stands out for leaning into the ascendant choruses and emotionally driven lyrics that defined Linkin Park's best work.
• From Zero balances hefty, familiar rock songwriting with quieter, vocal-forward moments, delivering a triumphant return rather than a radical reinvention.

Themes

Critic's Take

In his measured, slightly sardonic tone Tom Morgan frames Linkin Park's From Zero as a cautious but occasionally thrilling reset. He singles out “Overflow” and “Stained” as the best songs on From Zero, praising how “Overflow” fuses electronica and rock with elegance and how “Stained” feels contemporary and cutting-edge. Morgan is blunt about weaker moments too, calling lead singles like “Heavy Is the Crown” and “The Emptiness Machine” prosaic and lacking dynamism, while still crediting Emily Armstrong as a compelling addition. The result reads like a review that wants the band to win back its old cleverness, even if much of the album plays safe.

Key Points

• ‘‘Overflow’ is best because it elegantly fuses electronica and rock and showcases Emily Armstrong’s falsetto to great effect.
• The album’s core strengths are moments of technical imagination and successful fusion of electronica and rock, offset by weak mixes and prosaic singles.

Themes

Critic's Take

The return of Linkin Park on From Zero is framed as a reunion heavy with backstory and expectation, not a clean slate. Luke Morton writes with a wary, conversational eye, noting the controversy around Emily Armstrong and lineup changes while also stressing that the band still sells out venues and can summon live energy. For listeners asking "best songs on From Zero" and "best tracks on From Zero," the review focuses less on individual breakthroughs and more on whether new material can match the old catalogue - the question hangs over the record like a repeated refrain. Morton’s tone is measured rather than celebratory, alternating reportage with sceptical curiosity about whether any new track truly captures past magic.

Key Points

• The review implies no single new song is crowned best; the focus is on whether the album can recapture past magic.
• Core strengths are reunion energy and enduring fan connection, tempered by controversy over lineup changes.

Themes

Critic's Take

Seven years after Chester Bennington, Linkin Park arrive at a reset with From Zero, and the best songs make that reset feel earned. Chief among them is “The Emptiness Machine”, a deservedly huge rock single that showcases Emily Armstrong’s impeccable vocals and scaffolds the album’s comeback narrative. Close behind are “Heavy Is the Crown” and “Over Each Other”, tracks that revive the band’s old precision and stadium pop-rock power while proving why fans ask, "what are the best tracks on From Zero?"

Key Points

• “The Emptiness Machine” is the best song because Armstrong’s vocals and the song’s build make the comeback feel earned.
• The album’s core strengths are triumphant lead vocals, moments of classic Linkin Park riffing, and stadium-sized songwriting despite uneven tracks.

Themes

Critic's Take

Linkin Park's From Zero feels like a band that has read the room and played to its strengths, and the best songs here prove it. The Emptiness Machine comes off as a modern classic with a monstrous chorus, while energetic cuts like “IGYEIH” and “Two Faced” deliver the nu-metal bite fans want. Emily Armstrong's performances on “Over Each Other” and “Heavy Is The Crown” showcase the vocal chemistry that keeps this record anchored, making the best tracks on From Zero both familiar and fresh.

Key Points

• The Emptiness Machine is the best song because the reviewer calls it a modern classic with a monstrous chorus and Meteora-style alt-metal energy.
• The album's core strengths are vocal chemistry between Emily Armstrong and Mike Shinoda, hook-laden songwriting, and successful blending of heavier nu-metal with polished pop sheen.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a voice that still traffics in yearning melody and arena-sized hooks, Linkin Park on From Zero deliver their best songs as a neat collision of pop and fury. The review fixes on “The Emptiness Machine” as a chart-smashing single and highlights “Over Each Other” and “Overflow” as moments where melody and modern production meet the band’s trademark edge. Alexis Petridis praises the grabby melodies and dynamic, punchy sound, arguing the album manages to sound refreshed and current while honouring Linkin Park’s past. That balance makes tracks like “Cut the Bridge” and “Stained” feel like true highlights rather than exercises in nostalgia.

Key Points

• The Emptiness Machine stands out because it married chart success with the band’s melodic instincts.
• The album’s core strengths are its grabby melodies, dynamic punchy production, and a balance of pop accessibility with raw aggression.

Themes