Linkin Park say they are taking a new approach to writing their upcoming seventh album.
They entered the studio towards the end of last year to begin work on the follow-up to 2014’s The Hunting Party, and this time they say they have written lyrics before music for the first time.
It was an idea their long-time producer Rick Rubin urged them to investigate, and so far it’s paying off.
Singer Mike Shinoda tells Billboard: “The thing that’s notable to me is that we’re approaching the process backwards, for us.
“Usually the music comes first and the words come second, even if it’s 30 minutes apart that’s usually what happens – the music inspires the words. And in this case it’s mostly the words and melodies first, no track.”
Guitarist Brad Delson adds: “We’ve focused almost exclusively on songwriting, not on sound, not on genre, not on arrangement, on words and melodies.
“And that’s something Rick has always told us to do years past and we never listened because we started always track first. Now we’re writing songs and now we’re just starting to get into the style of that.”
DJ Joe Hahn says the band have a “mountain of material” at their disposal for the record, which Linkin Park hope to release by the end of 2016.
