Out of Ashes

Okay, so I got Chester's album today and right now, I'm listening to it for the second time.
I have to admit that...overall...I like it a lot. Now, my view on Chester hasn't really changed, but if I don't think about all that crap, here are my thoughts on the album.
I won't do the rating with x/10, because I couldn't decide, even if I wanted to, but I'm just gonna make some notes about what I think and feel when I hear each song.

1. Fire
I like the lyrics and the song in general is very catchy. It only takes two listens to get most of the lyrics down and I like that, a lot.
Chester's voice sounds awesome and considering that he wrote this and one or two other songs in 8 hours, I think it's really good.
The only bad thing about it, is that it'll bore me pretty easily because it gets repetitive towards the end and it'll probably end up being one of those songs that I skip.

2. Crawl Back In
This was the first song I (and everyone else) heard from the album, before it came out.
I love the lyrics. I think most of us can relate to them, at least at some points in our life. I also love the 'roughness' of Chester's voice. It's what he does, isn't it?
Sadly this, too, gets a little repetitive, but it's definitely one of those songs that I'll dig out, when I feel like crap, just like I do with Breaking The Habit.

3. Too Late
I really, really like this one. Chester's voice is -amazing- on it and the lyrics gives me chills and makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
Definitely one I'll be destroying by singing along as loud as I possibly can, when driving, lol. I have a soft spot for soft rock ballads and this one is definitely one of my favorites.
Love the guitars and it's just... Fuck it, it makes me wanna fucking hug Chester!

4. Inside Of Me
I absolutely love the layering on this one and what stands out, to me, even if the rest of the songs probably do the same...is how melodic Chester's voice is, even when he's pretty much screaming.
That's something that always amazed me about him. I usually have issues with his screaming, but this one has just the right amount of screaming.
Very honest song.

5. Let Down
This song moved me to tears, the first time I heard the acoustic version of it and it made my heart bleed for Chester and everything that happened to him.
I have to admit that I prefer the acoustic version, but the lyrics still hit me right in my heart.
Is that Ryan interfering the singing, though? That's a bit annoying. Let Chester sing this one alone, dude.
Very powerful song, although I don't think Chester's able to portray the same emotions on the album version as he does on the acoustic version.

6. Give Me Your Name
Okay, I'm sorry. I know this is supposed to be all romantic and written for Talinda and whatnot, but it simply makes my skin crawl and it makes me want to hurt things.
It's like...was Chester high when he wrote this? 'Yeah, on love' *rolls eyes*. It seems to me like he just morphed into a member of New Kids On The Block, for a moment, there.
I don't even like his voice on it. The falsetto is just...ick. After my skin is done crawling and I've destroyed the biggest tree around, it makes me fall asleep. Definitely one I'll be skipping...a lot. I probably won't even learn the lyrics to this one, to the point of me being able to sing along.
So boring, so cheesy and not very amazing, at all.

7. My Suffering
Now this is the Chester, I like to hear. Aggressive and in-your-fucking-face! Even if it gets a bit repetitive, like Fire and Crawl Back In, I can forgive that, simply because the lyrics are fucking awesome and Chester's doing exactly what he became so famous for, with his voice.

8. Condemned
I...don't know what it is about this song, but it rubs me the wrong way. It seems like the lyrics doesn't fit with the melody. I'll probably like this song, if I'm in a horrible, horrible mood, but other than that, it just annoys the hell out of me.
Too much non-melodic screaming, maybe? I think that's part of it, anyway. I love Chester's melodic screaming, but this seems like he's just trying too damn hard and it just becomes screaming for the sake of screaming.

9. Into You
Probably my absolute favorite on the album. Nice soft and emotional voice from Mr. Bennington and nice instruments - rock, but not too much so they don't fit the lyrics.
Very cute lyrics. Makes me wish that I'd find a love like that. Good job, Ches.

10. End of the World.
Love the drums. Good song, good voice. Not mindblowing song, though, simply because it seems to me that Chester's lyrics are about the crisis and other bad things, we hear when we turn on the TV/radio/internet/whatever.
It's not a bad song and I might grow to love it as I listen to it more, but right now, it doesn't make me listen in awe.

11. Walking In Circles
Love Chester's voice on this one. I interpret this one to be about loneliness, when you're in a crowd and it touches me, although I don't think I could explain how, if my life depended on it.
Particularly love the line 'screaming silence', simply because it's so...not possible, lol. I don't know. I think this one touches the black side of my soul and the lonely, vulnerable girl, inside.

12. Into The Darkness
Heh, I love that Chester wrote a song like this. Now, I could be totally wrong and people could tell me to just get my mind out of the gutter, but this seems to be written about making love to someone, you share an epic love with.
And also to be accepted 100% by that person and having that person teach you how to make the most of things and appreciate life, again, not to mention the difficult task it is to surrender completely to someone.
I don't get the weird moaning-thing in the beginning, though. That's a bit annoying.
It's a little bit boring, if I'm honest, but also kinda sweet.

So yeah. Overall a good album that I'll be listening a lot to, when I need something -not- Grey Daze or Linkin Park.
You were right, Chester; these songs, minus Condemned maybe, are not Linkin Park songs and even if I was a bitch to you in my previous entry, I think you did a really good job with this album.
Thanks for letting us see inside your heart a little. Although, next time...put the lyrics in the booklet, okay?