Five albums into their career and Linkin Park's 'Living Things' can only be described as a bold wake-up call to shake the rock world.

Big words indeed, the band's first fresh material since their 2010 release 'A Thousand Suns', is probably the best Linkin Park sounds ever to be heard. Taking elements of nu metal, alternative rock and even rap the 12 track album is a dynamic, kinetic and ingenious level taken to the ultimate extreme.

Opening track 'Lost In The Echo' is a confident build-up of fearless experiments that use synthesisers and hi-tech programming to give the album a futuristic vibe. The intelligent and catchy chorus of ‘And these promises broken, deep, feeble / Each word gets lost in the echo’ disregards the limits they took with previous material.

'Victimised' does have a lot of Billy Talent meet Rise Against quirks but Linkin Park have done it well and maintain their identity. The introduction for 'Roads Untraveled' is a gently melodic tune that challenges the band showing their softer side. Fortunately they manage it well with a chorus fitting for an anthem. Linkin Park could not have chosen a better single than the successful 'Burn It Down' that won favour with many radio stations and for such an alternative band, if rock was dead then Linkin Park certainly brought it back to life.

Maybe not saving the best until last, closing track 'Powerless' is one of the weaker tracks on the album that doesn’t really have the punch as much as 'Skin To Bone' or 'Until It Breaks' that sound more like tracks off first album 'Hybrid Theory' and preventing them from escaping too much from the old Linkin Park sound  - but nobody said that was a bad thing.

The relationship lyric based album has high hopes of being played out to sold out stadiums and arenas that of course it well and truly belongs in. An excellent return to form.