It's going to be extremely heavy: Linkin Park have always been metal in moderation, however this time around they are going full-on with an album that strips out the familiar electronics found in past records in favour of balls-to-the-wall guitar work. Before heading into the studio Mike Shinoda told guitarist Brad Delson: "If the kid you were at 15 heard what you made today, would he be proud of you? Or would he say, That guy's kind of a pussy. Because he was listening to fucking Metallica and heavier at that point. I said, Write a song that'll make that kid play guitar."

The awesome guests: In perhaps the most eclectic selection of guests in quite a while The Hunting Party features Rakim on 'Guilty All the Same', Helmet's Page Hamilton on 'All For Nothing' and System of a Down's Daron Malakian on 'Rebellion'. Right there you have huge figures from the world of grunge, nu-metal and hip hop. It displays the band's ability to be both inventive and surprising whilst riffing on a range of influences from numerous and disparate genres.

The artwork: Each of Linkin Park's previous albums have been concept records, and The Hunting Party will be no exception. Expect dazzling album artwork to compliment the record's themes, as with their past releases. It's all part of the same epic package.

It's the album they want to make: In the most recent promo released for the album, Shinoda said that this time he had a revelation that he was making music that he thought people wanted to hear, not what he wanted to make. "There was a point last year when I was making stuff, I listened to it and I realised it was wrong," he said. "I'd estimated what I thought I'd like to listen to, not something that I wanted to be making." This album is going to be the opposite which no doubt means it will be the rawest album yet.

The remixes: Every Linkin Park album is something of an event when it is released and Shinoda has such an investment in other genres that he is incredibly good at commissioning remixes and guest spots. For instance, Hybrid Theory was remixed in its entirety to become Reanimation along with Living Things which was reinterpreted by EDM DJ's. It goes without saying that the Hunting Party will get the same treatment and as always it will be interesting to see who will feature.

They are writing the album in the studio: While this may sound like a bad thing it is the culmination of everything they have learnt throughout their career. Brad Delson told Premiere Guitar: "When we worked with [producer] Rick Rubin [for 2007's Minutes to Midnight, 2010's A Thousand Suns, and 2012's Living Things] we brought him a bunch of demos along with the recorded versions that we'd spent days working on in a perfectly good studio environment. When Rick A/B'd the versions, he always thought the demos were more compelling. They are now working in the studio to retain the raw power of the band and get the most out of their sound.