Linkin Park: Living Things – Anmeldelse/Review

Linkin Park: Living Things – Review

Let’s start with the complete list of songs on the Album:

1. LOST IN THE ECHO
2. IN MY REMAINS
3. BURN IT DOWN
4. LIES GREED MISERY
5. I’LL BE GONE
6. CASTLE OF GLASS
7. VICTIMIZED
8. ROADS UNTRAVELLED
9. SKIN TO BONE
10. UNTIL IT BREAKS
11. TINFOIL
12. POWERLESS

Now, I’ve been a fan of Linkin Park ever since Hybrid Theory. It blew my mind, and since then they’ve evolved. Granted not all fans believe they’ve gotten better, and perhaps they haven’t, but that’s not the point. How do you follow two albums that were almost perfect? You simply can’t. Linkin Park had to evolve following two albums that were the closest thing to be perfect that I think any band has made within the last 12 years. Hybrid Theory and Meteora were simply magnificent. Never have I heard any album as good as they were. So, how did Linkin Park return?

They made a ton of extra projects. We had the Jay-Z mash-up, for one. But what I remember very well was the side running projects that, still to this day, remain memorable. The two most well-known side projects being Mike Shinoda’s Fort Minor & Chester Bennington’s Dead by Sunrise. Now I see these projects as being a part of Linkin Park, even though they may not be. I’ve enjoyed those projects, and I still do.

Then came the Transformer-years. We had the album Minutes to Midnight that really changed the style. It was different, and some fans were outraged. This was apparently not what they saw Linkin Park as being. Still, I loved this album and I still do. It’s an album that I find very pleasing, when looking back. After Minutes to Midnight another ‘Transformer’ album came. It was an album with an obvious theme. It told a story, even more so than any other album they’ve made. It was refreshing for me to, once again, get something very different from what they’d done before.

Still, some fans became angry. They were not the same band that they’d heard in the beginning of the 21^st Century. And thus started a whole new discussion; when are you a fan? I’m not gonna answer that, however, I’ve never hated the Evolution of Linkin Park. I’ve loved that they proved they could evolve. Something other bands can only dream of doing.

Now, we have a new album, and Living Things is not Hybrid Theory or Meteora. However, I feel this album shows us just how versatile these guys can be. Through the years we’ve listened to a lot of different versions of Linkin Park. Different stages of the Evolution. I applaud this Evolution, but, it seems as though they’ve now shown that they can still make every kind of music. On this album we have songs that remind me of every album. I love Linkin Park, I love their albums – but now, I’m gonna try not to be biased; even though that may be impossible. I’m gonna go through the album slowly, taking each song into account.

First up is “LOST IN THE ECHO”. It sets the tone for an amazing album. With Mike showing his skills with the mike during the different verses, and Chester taking the chorus on. I simply love this song, and the chorus in particular. This song shows something that is essential on the entire album, I’ll get to this later. Grade: 10.

2. IN MY REMAINS: We move on to a song that I, at first, didn’t really like. Perhaps I wasn’t really paying attention; because, now, after I’ve listened to the entire album around 6 or 7 times – I really dig it. This time we have Chester taking on almost the entire song on his own. A marvellous display of how Chester is not just a chorus-singer. I really really like when Mike then shows up with: “Like an army, falling one by one by one.” – Which sets the tone for another awesome Chester chorus. Grade: 7.

3. BURN IT DOWN: We’ve known about this song for a very long time, us Linkin Park fans, but still, I’d like to say a few things about it. I think it once again follows a very recognizable code, that is Linkin Park – which is nice. However, at times I feel the song becomes to Pop’y – but, maybe that’s just because I’ve listened to it too many times. Still a great anthem in its own right, BURN IT DOWN is a great first single from a band that isn’t afraid of breaking boundaries. Grade: 7.

4. LIES GREED MISERY: I’ve seen some reviews stating that this song, featured in the new Medal of Honor-game, falls flat. However, I don’t agree. Not really. Though I don’t feel this is the strongest of all the songs, I do feel that they’re too harsh. The song once again has a lot of Mike Shinoda in it, which is great. When he’s not rapping we have Chester either punishing the chorus or softly singing our ears to calmness. Not an atypical composition for Linkin Park. Grade: 7.

5. I’LL BE GONE: I think this song somehow calms me down more, than before on this album. I love the first verse, and generally this song shows how great Chester is on this album. I find this song to be one of the strongest on this album, but, still we have a typical Linkin Park song. Not that I find that bad. This is a great song, and one I really like. Though it isn’t similar to “What I’ve Done”, I can’t help but think of that song when reading the lyrics. The same can be said for another classic song “Leave out all the rest”. Very pleased with this song. Grade: 10.

6. CASTLE OF GLASS: This song is different, and I find that this is one of the songs on this album that is different from what we’re used to. They’ve evolved, and this is one of two songs that I believe show that fact a whole lot. I love the lyrics, and as another reviewer has said, the line “I’m only a crack in this Castle of Glass” is very meaningful and poignant. Great song, I enjoyed this a lot when first getting the album. Grade: 7.

7. VICTIMIZED: A short song that I feel is too rough. Though I often find myself completely flabbergasted by Chester, this is a song that I find him not as great as usual. On the other hand Mike is awesome in this song. On another note the band performs on this song. I can see this being an amazing song at a concert. When grading this I have to remember the length of the song, and grade it thereafter. Grade: 7.

8. ROADS UNTRAVELLED: One of my favourite songs on this album. It definitely softens my ears, after listening to VICTIMIZED. I find this song to be very deep, and sad. Still, it’s an amazing show of the depth of this band. I can listen to this song all day, and I’d advise you to do the same. Some songs are meant to be sad. Grade: 10.

9. SKIN TO BONE: The ultimate show of Evolution on this album is SKIN TO BONE. A song that I’ve heard has been compared to Bob Dylan-style songs. When the song starts I immediately thought of another band like Muse. But, this is another sign of how Linkin Park can do everything that they set their mind to. Mike is awesome in this song. Grade: 10.

10. UNTIL IT BREAKS: This song was gonna be great, or so I thought. I was disappointed when I first heard this song. Mike is going a place that he should stay away from, at least in my opinion. This is not my favourite song on this album; not at all. I think the biggest problem with this song is that it feels like a mixture of three songs; a Shinoda Rap-song, a Chester-masterpiece and a song that feels like an Evolution. They fail to impress me here, and that’s me being honest. You can’t love everything. Grade: 4.

11. TINFOIL: This is not what I wanted it to be. I had hoped it’d be a Joe Hahn song, like we had on Hybrid Theory and Meteora for example. In stead it’s something that troubled a lot of fans on A Thousand Suns. These songs are just filling room, if you’re very critical. I feel like they should’ve added this to either UNTIL IT BREAKS or POWERLESS. Not enough Techno in this song, in my opinion. But it serves its purpose, of introducing us to a new song, which is why it gets the following grade. Grade: 7.

12. POWERLESS: My favourite song on the entire album. Enough said! Just kidding. This song calms me, and reminds me of how they’ve left us on Minutes to Midnight & A Thousand Suns; farewells that I loved. This song makes up for the two songs before it. I love the lyrics, and the video in which we are shown scenes from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, among other things. Grade: 12.

When looking at the album in its entirety, I find that they’ve not evolved as much as where used to them doing. With that being said, this album goes back to the band’s roots, just like the band promised. I simply love the album. If you’ve loved Linkin Park you should love it, and if you still love them, like me, then it’s a must-have.

Average grade: 8,16.

Explaining the meaning of the different grades:
12 – Acceptable, Amazing performance that demonstrates the closest to perfection.
10 – Acceptable, Great performance that has very few mistakes, which are not outrageous.
7 – Acceptable, Good performance; average song, a lot of flaws.
4 – Acceptable, below average, not good enough.
02 – Acceptable. Just acceptable performance with an amazingly high amount of flaws.
00 – Unacceptable, Doesn’t demonstrate anything of value.
-3 – Unacceptable. Horrible performance, inexcusable.

Compared to other albums:
Hybrid Theory – 10,3.
Meteora – 10,61.
Minutes to Midnigt – 7,5.
A Thousand Suns – 7,3.

Pep & Roman can ruin Chelsea Football Club

"We've waited so long, but we'd wait forever. Our Blood is Blue, and we will leave you never." – Those lines are from the song “Blue day” by Suggs. Those lines could have been created at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League Final. Thus saluting Roman Abramovich for his incredible spending with the London Football Club Chelsea FC. However, that’s not the case. This song was made to salute the team before we ‘had money’. This song is from the ‘glory’ days. Back when Liverpool fans weren’t singing that we have no history – the days when Russia & Chelsea weren’t mentioned in the same sentence. Those days are gone.

Abramovich bought the Club, and created one of the most successful clubs in the last 8 or 9 years. After Claudio Ranieri was sacked, he brought in The Special One, José Mourinho; and since then there have been numerous ‘Blue Days’. Until one day, when Abramovich decided that the team should play like Barcelona – thus creating the AVB-CFC-Team. We all now how that turned out. AVB was sacked on the 4^th of March. Suddenly something happened. We weren’t a team trying to do flashy things anymore. We were Mourinho’s Chelsea once again.

It was Interim Manager Roberto Di Matteo who brought Chelsea back in form. With Eddie Newton & Steve Holland by his side, he managed to turn Chelsea’s poorest season under Abramovich – into probably the best ever.

How did we do that? By doing what Abramovich didn’t want – we played the Chelsea way. No more high backlines for Chelsea. We were back, baby! We ended up winning the FA Cup as well as the Champions League, with our Interim Manager.

Now the future must be decided, what now? Well, first of all Di Matteo & Newton might be gone, second of all Kalou, Malouda, Bosingwa & Drogba are on their way out of Chelsea territory. As a reaction we’ve brought in Marko Marin, and it looks like Eden Hazard & Hulk are also on their way.

However, this doesn’t bode well for the Blues. Sure, they’re great players – but, are they Chelsea players? Can they defend? Hazard is a big question mark on defence – according to his former national coach. Marko Marin isn’t really a guy I know a lot about – but, I think we can agree that he isn’t the next John Terry. A guy like Juan Mata should be expected. Then we have Hulk. This is the guy that makes most sense, in my opinion. Even though he isn’t tall, he’s strong – and it’s really hard to steal the ball away from him – this guy is good, but, he’s no Drogba.

I am worried that we neglect to find a guy that can play like Didier; Or at least the half of Didier that Hulk’s missing. I only see one guy fitting in… Cavani. However, how much money can we really spend?

My biggest concern is the coaching job. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a guy with multiple Champions League wins with him, but, I don’t really think Pep Guardiola is the right fit. Chelsea’s an English team, they should be strong and physical – not small and mainly offensive. The Premier League is changing, but not fast enough. I don’t think Chelsea will be able to become a great team in the following year, if we continue to search for a high-standing backline. We need to be careful, or else Guardiola & Abramovich will have problems in the following year.

I hope I’m wrong, I really do – because if Guardiola works, then I’d be overjoyed.

However, I’d still go with Di Matteo and thus the old Chelsea. That’s what we’ve all grown to know and love, ever since The Special One made us roar at Stamford Bridge.

CHL: Sejren venter på jer! [DANISH]

Følgende er en motivationstale oversat fra og inspireret af den legendariske NFL Coach Vince Lombardi. Fokuseret på Champions League-Finalen mellem mit favorithold Chelsea FC & Bayern München.

"Nå, så er vi her... I har været i gang siden sidste sommer, gennem vinter og nu ind i foråret. Det har været noget af en rejse. Det arbejde I har gjort, har fået jer hertil. I var ikke perfekte, det kan alle skrive under på. Men I var gode, gode nok til at komme hertil.

Og nu er det tid til at blive bedre! Og spille hårdere – give mere! Hvis I ikke tror I er vindere, så passer I ikke ind her! For sejr venter på jer! Det venter på Bayern München, det venter på Chelsea! Det venter på jer, på den bane! Det venter på jer, til at løbe for den – til at kæmpe for den. Til at I stjæler den fra modstanderen – og begynder noget som vil tage jer hele vejen til Berømthedens gyldne haller!

Herrer, Jeg tror fuldt og fast på at enhver mands fineste tid - hans største præstation – er det øjeblik hvor manden ligger udmattet på Kampens Bane – sejrrig.

Herrer, Det øjeblik venter på jer! Det venter på enhver mand i Bayern München’s Omklædningsrum – det venter på enhver mand i Chelsea’s Omklædningsrum!

Det der separerer en Champions League Finale, fra enhver anden kamp, er at en Champions League Finale altid huskes! Det er ikke bare endnu 90 minutters fodbold, det er 90 minutter som vil definere jer for altid – som vindere!

Folk spørger om det at vinde er det eneste? Mit svar til dem, er mit svar til jer – Spørg jer selv det forbandede spørgsmål! Er det at vinde det eneste for dig?! Er det dét du vil?! Vil du huskes som en vinder, eller som noget andet?

At spille i en Champions League Finale, vil sige at spille en Kamp som vil definere dig for evigt!

Det er essentielt at forstå at enhver Kamp, primært bliver vundet i hver mands hjerte... Så mænd, lad mig se jeres hjerter!  

Gør denne kamp til jeres fineste – Vi venter på jer...

Sejren venter på jer!"

Glæder mig utrolig meget til kampen, det skal være nu - på pokalen skal der stå Chelsea FC!

Keep the Blue Flag Flyin' High!

- I'm Jeffrey Rex!

This isn't a Democracy anymore!

It’s been a long time since I wrote a blogpost. However, I think this is the right time to do it. I could try to predict the NFL Draft, or write about how The Bears are doing almost everything right. But, I’m not going to do that. Instead I’m going to recommend a TV-Show I’m really enjoying. That show is The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead is a TV-Show on the American television channel AMC, a channel known for Mad Men & Breaking Bad. On the 31st of October 2010 they debuted a TV-Show that has something TV lacks in my opinion... Zombies! Yes, those creatures from the George Romero-movies.

Wait. Don’t expect this show to be a lot of poor dialogue and acting – resulting in a poor TV-Show that only lives due to Zombies. The show is great. It has the Zombies required to call it a Zombie-Show, but, it’s much more than that. It’s a show about survival and family.

If you don’t watch this show, then I believe you’ll regret it. This is the show I’ve been waiting for all of my life! I’ve always wanted a Zombie show on television, and finally, we have it!

Now, if you search for the Walking Dead, you’ll find some comic books – or Graphic Novels. And that’s right. It’s based on a ’comic book’. But, don’t judge the book on its cover.

This show is great!

Super Bowl Prediction!

It's finally time for the Super Bowl!

It'll be The Patriots versus The Giants.

At first I thought the Patriots were gonna win... But after thinking about it a lot, I see that The Giants are better than they were when they last won the Super Bowl, and that the Patriots are worse.

All in all the Giants are better.

The Giants will win the Super Bowl, that is my prediction!

NFC Championship Prediction

NFC Championship Predictions:

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers

How they got here:
- The Giants had to fight their way to the Playoffs! And it all came down to the final week! They ended up defeating their opponents, and won their division. When they then came to the Playoffs they met the Atlanta Falcons... A tough opponent, or so we thought! They defeated them 24-2 in New York! The Next Round of the Playoffs was against the favorites... Green Bay Packers! Surprisingly they defeated the Packers! 37-20 at Lambeau Field! So they’ve surprised a few people!

- The San Francisco 49ers surprised a lot of people when they won their division! Jim Harbaugh proved that he could reassemble Alex Smith, and with him at his best, and a extremely strong defence – they fought their way to this position! Their Playoff-Game against the Saints this year is right now the best game I’ve ever seen! They proved to them that a strong defence is the best offense – but also that you can never underestimate Alex Smith! They defeated Drew Brees’ New Orleans Saints 36-32 at Candlestick!

Team:
- The Giants have a good defence, but, an even better offense! Their team is really good, and they have the opportunity to do it all again! Will they go to the Super Bowl to meet the Patriots??? This we don’t know yet, but, they have a fight on their hands – already.

- The Niners have an extremely strong defence! We already know that – but their offense is still strong at its best. I feel that all in all their teams is what we always say – That defence wins championship. They are the ideal team for me.

NFC Championship Game Prediction:
- OK. So if you’ve read the rest of this, you already know that I really like the Niners – but, that I have a lot of faith in the wellrounded Giant-Team... This is tough for me. But, I always say that a strong defence must be the strongest offense! Therefore I say that it’ll be Harbaugh vs Belichick in the Super Bowl... And, that the San Francisco 49ers will win the NFC Championship Game!

- I’m Jeffrey Rex!

AFC Championship Prediction

AFC – Conference Championship Prediction

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

How they got here:
- Both the Ravens & the Patriots won their respective divisions. The Ravens however had tough competition on their way towards the AFC North Championship. Baltimore had to fight with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and to a length also the Cleveland Browns, who actually had a better record than New England’s main opponent, The New York Jets. The Ravens had 12 wins and 4 losses – they had the exact same overall record as the Steelers. You can say that their Playoffs began much much earlier than for a lot of other teams in the NFL, seeing as they had to fight every week for the top position in the AFC North. Then it’s time for the Patriots. As mentioned earlier, their main opponent in the Regular Season was the New York Jets. However, remember that both the Browns & the Steelers had a better record – and therefore the Patriots had a much easier way to the Playoffs than the Ravens. But, as we know both of these teams won their respective divisions. Also, both teams entered in the Divisional Round. The Patriots faced the lucky Denver Broncos, led by the famous running Quarterback Tim Tebow. Now in my opinion both Tebow and the entire Bronco-offense is overrated, and that definitely proved to be the case when they faced the AFC East winners. The Patriots proved their offensive might when they rewrote the offensive Playoff-record books with Brady’s arm & Rob Gronkowski’s hands. They ended up winning 45-10 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. In a sense both the Ravens & the Patriots where lucky, seeing as they both met either an injured team or an unbelievably lucky team. The Ravens met the injured team, the Playoff-debutants the Houston Texans. When looking at the Texans, it was obvious that they were injured severely! Just look at the Quarterback position – they started a rookie 5^th round pick, T.J. Yates. Sure, he’s actually done fine – but he replaced the very very good Quarterback Matt Schaub & Matt Leinart. They relied heavily on their running-game and their defence. Bears-football. The Texans did their best, but, eventually they lost 20-13 at the M&T Bank Stadium. So now the Ravens face the Patriots in Foxborough to fight for the AFC Championship and the AFC Super Bowl-spot. 

Ravens experience:
- This is their 8^th appearance in the Playoffs for the Ravens. They won the AFC Championship & the Super Bowl in the 2000-season. However, there are a lot of new faces on the team. But, remember – the Ravens have been to the Playoffs every year since the 2008-season, all of which has been with Joe Flacco as their Quarterback.

Patriots experience:
- This is their 19^th appearance in the Playoffs for the Patriots. They’ve won the AFC Championship 6 times, and the Super Bowl 3 times – all these Super Bowl wins have been with their current Quarterback Tom Brady.

Offense:
- The Patriots offense is record breaking! I’ve already mentioned Brady & Gronkowski, and they are simply magnificent this season! Their per game average point total is the 3^rd highest in the NFL, their yard average at 2^nd highest, their passing yards 2^nd highest – however, their running yards average is ranked 20^th in the NFL. An amazing offense! However, their opponent has a very average offensive output. Flacco doesn’t do much, and Rice hasn’t been amazing throughout the season, therefore both of these will have to play good in order for the Ravens to pull out a win!

Defence:
- The Patriots allow the second most yards per game in the NFL – that is all I need to say. Their defence is not good enough. They rely on their offense! The Ravens D is much much better than their defence… With names like Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs & Ed Reed they have a very good shot on defence. Their defence allow the 3^rd lowest amount of yards and points in the NFL!

Special Teams:
- I’d rank the Patriots as the 19^th best Kick Return-team, and the Ravens as the 14^th best. Both teams have very good kickers and punters.

Who will win?:
- This is tough… I’d love to see the Harbaugh-Harbaugh II in the Super Bowl, however, I believe that Flacco will not be capable of providing the Ravens with a good enough passing offense, and that will ultimately end up being the reason they lose the AFC Championship Game… The Patriots aren’t good defensively, but, they are scary offensively! Brady, Belichick & Gronkowski will go to the Super Bowl!

Prediction for the AFC Championship Game:
- New England Patriots.

- I’m Jeffrey Rex!

Divisional Playoff Predictions!

Playoff Wildcard Predictions!

Last regular-season predictions