The internet reacts to the new Linkin Park song

Linkin Park promo photo
(Image credit: James Minchin)

Yesterday (February 16) Linkin Park released the first track from their upcoming album One More Light. Titled Heavy, it’s like nothing the nu-metal Hall Of Famers have written before and is the first LP song to feature a female vocalist. Taking cues from the school of Twenty One Pilots and new-era pop, it has understandably split LP fans across the board. If you haven’t heard it yourself, take three minutes out of your day now.

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We have no idea if the rest of One More Light is going to sound like this, but we’re pretty sure there won’t be any blastbeats – it’s like they’ve used the word ‘heavy’ ironically because they knew it would wind up the internet. Or at least confuse the hell out of people… which it did! Here’s what Twitter had to say about Linkin Park’s radical change of direction.

Bands Saved Us weren’t sure how to react, opting for a jpeg of Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie to illustrate their WTFness.

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McKenna heard the new song Heavy and instantly regressed to his former emo self. As you do.

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Sapnupuas was suckered in by the title Heavy, not realising it would conjure up images of a certain Canadian pop megastar.

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Telle from The Word Alive is fully on board with the new Linkin Park song, declaring it both “rad” and “dope”.

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We see what you did there, EatingWithSirens.

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Vanessa is all about the posi vibes and looking forward to the future of Linkin Park, unlike some people who forget that Hybrid Theory was seventeen years ago.

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The man known to the world as Gremlin used the new song to subtweet his own family.

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Lewis Reid did find some comfort in Heavy though, as it’s only two minutes and 49 seconds long.

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Jared from Blessthefall just doesn’t know what to make of it. Seriously, look at the emoji. That’s how unsure he is.

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But if you’re a pop fan like Tom, you’re probably gonna love it.

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One More Light will be released on May 19 via Warner Bros and is available now for pre-order.

The 10 best Linkin Park songs, by I Prevail’s Brian Burkheiser

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.