In the wee hours of Thursday morning (August 26), MTV pulled the curtain away from "The Catalyst," the hotly-anticipated new video from Linkin Park from their forthcoming album A Thousand Suns. The clip doesn't have any particular narrative, but it remains compelling, as it shows the band in various states of distress and danger involving smoke, mirrors, water and a number of chaotic crowds. For a band that has always committed itself deeply to the way it looks in the music video universe, it's a worthy addition to an impressive collection of past clips.
For many, the premiere of "The Catalyst" was also the first chance they got to hear the single for the first time. While the core elements are still there (big, powerful guitars married to various experimental bits of electronic music, production tricks and the band's two distinct voices), it's a different kind of Linkin Park song than we are used to hearing (and profoundly different from most everything on modern rock radio at the moment). The structure is unusual (it doesn't so much have verses and choruses as it has several repeated movements — in this way, it bears more of a resemblance to a well-constructed dance song than any piece of rock) and the pace and tone stay relatively static throughout most of the first part of the track (rather than building up to a chorus and coming back down again). Rather than a sin wave, "The Catalyst" operates like a steadily inclining line.
But what does this shift in focus mean for Linkin Park's fans? We leave it to you. Vote in the poll below and let us know in the comments what you think about "The Catalyst."