The Hunting Party is the sixth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on June 13, 2014 by Machine Shop Recordings and Warner Bros. Records. Produced by band members Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, it was recorded at Larrabee Studios in Van Nuys, California, EastWest Studios in Hollywood, and Glenwood Place Studios in Los Angeles, and was recorded from May 2013 to April 2014.
It is the band's first studio album since Meteora (2003) not to be produced by Rick Rubin, who had co-produced the band's previous three albums Minutes to Midnight (2007), A Thousand Suns (2010), and Living Things (2012).
Background[]
The Hunting Party marks a departure from the electronic rock sound of A Thousand Suns and Living Things, and was described by Shinoda as simply "a rock record" serving as a statement by the band against contemporary mainstream and active rock bands, whom he accused of "trying to be other bands and playing it safe". The album's title is a contextual metaphor, with the band being the "party" that is "hunting" to bring back the "energy and soul" of rock music.
The album took under a year to produce, with material being improvisationally written by the band. It also features guest appearances from Page Hamilton of Helmet, Daron Malakian of System of a Down, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and Rakim, marking the first time Linkin Park has collaborated with other artists on a studio album. Its artwork was created by Brandon Parvini and was based on an original drawing by James Jean. The album was promoted by the band and Warner Bros. Records, with multiple promotional teasers and interviews released in the lead-up to its release date.
Upon its release, The Hunting Party received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its return to the heavier rock sound of the band's older albums. It debuted at number three on US Billboard 200 and six other international charts, and was placed at number four on Revolver's list of "The 20 Best Albums of 2014". Five singles were released from the album: "Guilty All the Same", "Until It's Gone", "Wastelands", "Rebellion", and "Final Masquerade". The band embarked on the Carnivores Tour, a double-headline tour with Thirty Seconds to Mars, as well as The Hunting Party Tour, in support of the album.
Singles[]
7 March 2014
6 May 2014
1 June 2014
4 June 2014
10 June 2014
Track Listing[]
| Standard Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Keys to the Kingdom" | Featuring Page Hamilton | 3:25 |
| 2. | "All for Nothing" | 3:20 | |
| 3. | "Guilty All the Same" | Featuring Rakim | 3:50 |
| 4. | "The Summoning" | 1:00 | |
| 5. | "War" | 2:21 | |
| 6. | "Wastelands" | 3:15 | |
| 7. | "Until It's Gone" | 3:53 | |
| 8. | "Rebellion" | Featuring Daron Malakian | 3:44 |
| 9. | "Mark the Graves" | 5:05 | |
| 10. | "Drawbar" | 2:46 | |
| 11. | "Final Masquerade" | 3:37 | |
| 12. | "A Line in the Sand" | 6:35 | |
| bonus | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "Burn It Down (Paul van Dyk remix)" | 8:00 |
Credits[]
- Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington – lead vocals, backing vocals on “All for Nothing”, lyrics
- Mike Shinoda – co-lead and rap vocals; rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, production, creative director, engineering, lyrics
- Brad Delson – lead guitar, backing vocals, production, additional lyrics
- Dave "Phoenix" Farrell – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Hahn – sampling, programming, backing vocals
- Rob Bourdon – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Technical
- Ryan DeMarti – production coordination
- Ethan Mates – engineering
- Andy Wallace – mixing
- Paul Suarez – Pro Tools
- Josh Newell – digital editing
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Jerry Johnson – drum technician
- Brandon Parvini – computer graphics, creative direction
- Rickey Kim – creative direction
- Annie Nguyen – art direction/album packaging design
- James Jean – artwork
- Brandon Cox – photography
- Rich Morales – mastering assistance
- Marc VanGool – guitar and studio technician
- Co-producers
- Rob Cavallo – on "Wastelands", A&R
- Emile Haynie – on "Final Masquerade"
- Assistant Engineers
- Alejandro Baima
- Brendan Dekora
- Jennifer Langdon
- Publicity
- Kymm Britton
- Kas Mercer
- Additional Musicians
- Page Hamilton – chorus vocals and additional guitar (on "All for Nothing")
- Rakim – rap vocals (on "Guilty All the Same")
- Daron Malakian – additional guitar (on "Rebellion")
- Tom Morello – additional guitar (on "Drawbar")
Gallery[]
Main article: The Hunting Party/Gallery
| The Hunting Party, the sixth studio album by American band, Linkin Park, and all its releases | |||||||||||||||
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