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). 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.
Track listing[]
- Keys to the Kingdom
- All for Nothing (featuring Page Hamilton)
- Guilty All the Same (featuring Rakim)
- The Summoning
- War
- Wastelands
- Until It's Gone
- Rebellion (featuring Daron Malakian)
- Mark the Graves
- Drawbar (featuring Tom Morello)
- Final Masquerade
- A Line in the Sand