Linkin Park, 'Guilty All the Same' – Song Review

Linkin Park, ‘Guilty All the Same’ – Song Review

2014-03-10

Review by Anne Erickson

‘Guilty All the Same’ circles back to Linkin Park’s old school sound with heavy riffing and fierce guitars

Linkin Park is back. Last week, the band announced a major summer co-headlining tour with 30 Seconds to Mars, and now, the guys have surprised fans by releasing a new song called “Guilty All the Same” featuring Rakim.

“Guilty All the Same” is a notably heavier nugget than what Linkin Park delivered on their previous two albums, “A Thousand Suns” and “Living Things.” Packed with hard-rock riffs and heavy rhythms, the tune is a throwback to the alternative rockers’ earlier, louder concoctions off “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora.” Call it old school Linkin Park, with an exploding chorus and noisy instrumentals.

The song starts with crunchy guitars and a pulsating bass. The non-radio version kicks off with a nearly 90-second instrumental introduction before Chester Bennington finally starts crooning. From start to finish, the six-minute song meshes hard rock and Rakim’s hip-hop, with plenty of grit and guitar.

Lyrically, the message is one of non-judgment. Bennington gives listeners a poignant warning in the chorus, singing, “You’re guilty all the same / Too sick to be ashamed / You want to point your finger / But there’s no one else to blame.” Fans of classic Linkin Park will appreciate the return of the band’s furious temper in the song’s lyrics.

“Guilty All the Same” brings Linkin Park full circle with the band’s original, groundbreaking sound: a hybrid of rock and hip-hop that’s explosive and all its own.