Let me start off by answering the question everyone is asking: This blows Minutes To Midnight out of the fucking water. Linkin Park HAS finally proved they are a band instead of just a snapshot of the music industry in the early 2000′s. But, this isn’t enough to erase the snapshot altogether, it’s just able to have the word “band” scribbled under the polaroid. While it still has traces of Minutes To Midnight on it, it isn’t a steaming pile of alt-rock. To tell you the truth, it isn’t a pile of anything specific. It’s a giant mix of everything and is kinda confusing to be completely honest.

Don’t get me wrong, this album isn’t shit. This isn’t Kesha (I refuse to use the dollar sign) or Justin Bieber, but this isn’t The Fragile. It feels more like an experiment than an album. A test more than a final product. And you can tell that’s what they were going for. It was meant to be an experience. That’s why, if you got the special edition of it on iTunes, there’s a track called “A Thousand Suns: The Full Experience”. It’s not meant to be easy to swallow and, while that usually works, it actually ends up being quite hard to get used to it being in your throat. You don’t get it at first and it requires multiple listens to fully appreciate it, but it does grow on you.

We were introduced to the new sound with “The Catalyst”, which is the album’s 6 minute, half-electro, half-stadium rock single, and it didn’t seem abnormally drastic from their normal stuff. Sure, it was different, but it wasn’t completely left field. (It was a couple degrees short.) Then we got treated to “Wretches And Kings” and shit started to get very head-scratch worthy. Then we got “Waiting For The End”, which added to the scratching. Then we got the album. We’ve been scratching our heads so much that we’re starting to get skin under our fingernails and the album just made us scratch so much that we started to draw blood.

It’s not accessible. At all. That’s not a bad thing, but when you are band that’s as massive as Linkin Park, that could back you into a corner. Back in the day, they were pushing it by having an instrumental track on their record. Today, they are pushing it by having three minutes of filler tracks before the first real song. (There is a total of six filler tracks on this record.) And while “Burning In The Sky” is an easily-accessible yet still experimental track (and sounds like it would be a really heavy track), the training wheels are taken off right away with “When They Come For Me”. It’s titled like a ballad, it’s actually a track with an intensely-layered tribal beat and immensely distorted synths. We get the rare treat of Mike rapping a lot more on this record, but the rapping here feels more like Fort Minor than Linkin Park, which is understandable but out of place.

But this album does get the award for Best Song Title with “Robot Boy”. If you couldn’t tell already, this album likes to have misleading titles. “Robot Boy” sounds like it would be a very industrial or electronic song, but it’s a ballad with piano and strings. It’s actually one of the most uplifting songs Linkin Park has ever made.

Throughout the rest of the album, we get everything from layered ballads to “WTF?!” worthy combinations. A perfect example of the latter being “Blackout”, which has Chester screaming extremely intensely but is made up of a simplistic drum machine beat and very melodic piano. It’s the songs like this that really show the attempt and want to make something different and unexpected, but those songs never seem to be able to pull of the magic trick they are trying to.

A Thousand Suns is a great successor to the ultimately disappointing Minutes To Midnight and actually ends up surpassing it greatly. While it’s not hard proof that Linkin Park is a force to be reckoned with in any genre other than nu-metal, it is enough to make you turn your head and realize that they aren’t chained to the early 2000′s.  This is the right move for Linkin Park and they seem to be getting a grip on what they should do with the band’s direction. With that said though, A Thousand Suns seems to be more of a way to prove to themselves that they can do something other than nu-metal well than an actual attempt to do it. We’re not reaping the fruits of their success of becoming something more than a snapshot, we’re just observing their journey to that point. And that’s not really a bad thing.

A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park gets a 4 out of 5.

This is not their worst album. At all. Liberation Transmission was their worst (and it was still better than most music out right now). But, this is not their best. At all. The album starts with a shortish intro song that has marching band-like snare rides and choruses with actual choruses singing. It gears you up for something epic… but it just doesn’t happen. After the first 3 songs (which are pretty decent, a lot different from the Liberation tracks and more like the original albums, but sound like imitations other than just sounding like them), we get treated to “Where We Belong”. It’s just a nosedive after that. “Next Stop Atro City” is a pretty hard rock track that isn’t too poppy, but after that, it’s just Liberation Transmission all over again. The ending track is similar to “Sway” from Start Something, as they both end the album with an extended instrumental, except this one’s is a hidden track that is stretched out way longer than it should be. (P.S. I reviewed the Korean edition, which has about 3 extra tracks in the middle of the album and this hidden track. All other versions do not have a hidden track.)

When I first started listening to the album, I’ll tell you, I had hope. Lostprophets is one of my favorite bands and I was just wishing that they would go back to their old grind. The only problem is this: The Betrayed attempts to do go back to the Start Something and Thefakesoundofprogress days for a little bit and then gives up. Even the times it tries, it sounds like the Liberation Transmission era Lostprophets are trying to imitate themselves instead of just BEING their old selves. Plus, as I listened to the Korean edition, it was 3 tracks longer and I felt that it stretched on too long. So, I suggest just picking up the US or UK version.

I’m just a really big Lostprophets fan who loved their first two albums more than most albums. That’s how I see them. If you don’t know this band or even if you have some knowledge about them, I highly suggest you pick this up. It’s an easy to swallow album that is poppy with a hard rock edge. It’s not bad, it’s just not the Lostprophets I know and love.

The Betrayed gets a 3 out of 5.

So, after four long years, is the mighty Em able to return to the rap game with the same fire as before? Click read more to see if he did.

The album begins with the skit “Dr. West”. A meeting of Eminem and his rehab doctor. Slowly… we start to find out that his doctor doesn’t really care. He begins to tell Eminem that it’s okay to become loose… and finally reveals himself to be Slim Shady himself. Eminem then wakes up to his alarm clock… and… what’s that on the floor?

A bunch of dead bodies… that’s what’s on the floor. “3 A.M.” is the first song on the album and begins it on a menacing note. The whole song is about Slim Shady’s killing spree and drug addiction. Sneaking into rehabilitation centers, McDonalds, anywhere, and murdering every last soul there. The beat, produced by Dr. Dre, gives a cheesy boost to Eminem’s lyrics and flow and works surprisingly well. The video is even more evil then the song itself, with more fake blood then a bad slasher flick, it takes it to a whole new level.

Then, a beat filled with a horn section, drums, and… a saxophone solo? Yes… we have stumbled upon “My Mom”. The song is about how Eminem got addicted to drugs through his mom. Of course, no nice words are exchanged until the end when he, in the style of “Kill You” and “White America”, says “I’m just playing mom, I love you.” A bit mediocre, but only because the lyrics are a bit boring and the whole “mother” subject is just wearing a tiny bit thin.

No time wasted, we are immediately greeted by the lyrics “I was born with a dick in my brain/yeah, fucked in the head.” Are the lyrics nuts? No, they’re insane… and so is the song. Eminem even said that his goal for the song “Insane” was to make people sick to their stomachs, and he succeeded. With talk about rape, giant balls, dismemberment, and half of a whole verse in the role of a rapist explaining what it’s like, it’s pretty damn disgusting. But it’s also one of the best songs on the album. It’s a break from the usual Em subjects like suicide or drugs, and it’s a good thing. After three albums, we needed a new subject for Eminem to rap about.

On the next song, we are greeted by bagpipes and a female singer. What the fuck, right? Before you jump to a conclusion, the drums come in and Eminem starts talking in a Scottish accent. The song is mostly (as you know about the ADD of rap lyrics, it’s impossible to stay on one subject in a rap song) about his “relationship” with Mariah Carey. “Bagpipes From Baghdad” is a pretty interesting song. The lyrics are Eminem’s first full on attack on Ms. Carey (He somewhat attacked her on the song “Jimmy Crack Corn” with 50 Cent on the album “Eminem Presents: The Re-Up”) and he does not hold back, even going as far as calling her a whore. As with the rest of the album, he inserts talk about prescription drugs into his regular humorishness. The whole third verse is him going back to his immature talk about sex with Siamese Twins and in the end, instead of proving how much he hates Mariah, it just proves that he most likely has ADD. The whole song is all over the place with subjects and you can never fully understand what the fuck he is rapping about. At the end, he takes a final shot at someone, this time being either T-Pain or Kayne West with an auto-tune outro.

The next song, “Hello”, is about Eminem’s absence from the whole rap thing. He re-introduces himself and explains how he has changed. Talking about going crazy after losing one pill, killing hookers, wanting to have sex with random girls, and even says  “I don’t mean any homo, I just want to say hello!”. To tell you the truth, it is actually kinda boring. He even talks about how he is going to leave rap forever. It’s just the same old subjects as the other songs from the album or even from his older albums have done before, and the other songs do it better. It would of been better as an intro track as he would of introduced himself at the beginning and it would of just been over with and we could just get to the good songs.

Then we get to the skit “Tonya”, which is a lead into “Same Song And Dance”, in which the first verse is about this Tonya.

“Same Song And Dance” is about how Slim Shady kidnaps Tonya, Lindsy Lohan, and Britney Spears and kills them. The beat is very dancy and feels like it should be playing in a club. It is meant to be scary and it succeeds on that. The beat, even though it is dancy, it is also very eerie. The lyrics are a mix of funny and surprising. He talks about how he has a crush on Britney Spears and loves her so much that he kills her to be with her forever. It is a song that finally breaks the mediocrity of the past few songs. It isn’t the same subject as the other songs and revives the freshness of the record.

Next up is the lead single, “We Made You”. Following tradition, this was the first single as it is the funny, rip on everyone song. As many times I have heard it, it never gets old. It was the first sign that Eminem was back and with as much force as before. It has the fast delivery and odd flow we would expect, the kick ass beat provided by none other then Dr. Dre, and it meshes perfectly. He rips on everyone who is relevant in today’s pop culture and talks about how every famous female is in love with him. It’s exactly the push needed to not bore the listener and makes them want more. As Dr. Dre said in “Encore”, “Make them scratch and itch for it like fresh cut grass”.

We then stumble upon my one of the songs tied for my personal favorite off of the album, “Medicine Ball”. The beat is bumping and sounds like something you would blast while driving down the street, and the second best beat on the whole album. The lyrics are a mix of the hilarity seen in “We Made You”, but with all the other subjects Eminem manages to stuff into the album, but it doesn’t feel recycled, as do the other songs. His flow on this song makes the subjects feel fresh and not like you have heard them a million times already. The second half of the third verse where Eminem acts like Christopher Reeves is classic and most likely a moment in Em history we will remember for years to come.

We then have the manditory “Paul” skit. He decides he doesn’t have Em’s back on this one. SPOILER!

The next song is “Stay Wide Awake”. Right at the beginning, you can tell it isn’t going to be a happy song. Even though the beat is pretty awesome and it is a darker song, it is interesting… for about two minutes. Once again, the same old subjects are re-used and even though they are used in a different way, it gets old fast. It makes you think “What the fuck man? Isn’t there something else you can rap about?” It makes you wish he would bring up his mother again.

We then get to “Old Times Sake”, which includes Eminem’s old friend, Dr. Dre. It starts with a little intro and really begins with Dr. Dre… singing? Yes, you read it right. He is SINGING. This song is, once again, about drugs and violence, but it is more standable as it is a lighter song and it is all meant in a comedic way. It isn’t fully standable, but since he isn’t all serious about it, you can just push it to the side. Usually when Dr. Dre is in one of Em’s songs, he takes the song to a new level, but the only problem is he is barely in it. He sings a bit, raps a tiny bit at the beginning of verse three, and then raps only about 12 lines in the middle of verse three. Dr. Dre would be the saving grace of this song if only he was in here more. Now, it isn’t really bad, it is just forgettable. It would be better to listen to this first then listen to the rest of the songs, because by the time you get to this song, you are just bored by the same subject coming up over and over and can’t fully appreciate the song.

“Must Be The Ganja” is the next song. Guess what it’s about. I am even getting bored writing about this subject over and over. Just another song about drugs. The beat is boring, the lyrics are boring, it’s just boring. Seriously. There is nothing else to say.

We get to a skit about him OD’ing and get into the song “Deja Vu”.

“Deja Vu” is different. It does talk drug use, but in a bad way. Not just about him using the drugs, but about the after-effects and how it effects the ones around him. It is a sadder song and it is the freshest use of the drug subject since the first time it is mentioned on the album. The beat is just loud enough to give off the whole intenseness of it but, but quiet enough to let Eminem’s lyrics to get through. It really makes you listen and just feel bad for him. It also shows that he realizes that he messed up and he has to face the consequences. It is one of the most real songs on the album and is yet another break from mediocrity.

We then get to the longest song on the album, “Beautiful”. This is the only song on the album with a beat produced by Eminem, and not Dr. Dre. It is THE saddest song on the album and it is about how he is realizing that he may be done with rap. He keeps his head up on the way out and says that others shouldn’t judge him before walking in his shoes. The beat is tight with drums, synth, drones, and even guitar solos. It even samples a Queen + Paul Rodgers song. The lyrics are very down to earth and talk about how he just has gone through so much shit lately. This is a, no pun intended, beautiful song as it is pretty much the only one where he doesn’t try to prove his craziness, he just tries to connect with his fans. It’s really something special.

Then comes “Crack A Bottle”, or as it could also be called, “Encore Part 2″. A colab song between Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent. It is not really a song to raise the mood after “Beautiful”, but it doesn’t keep the mood. It is a great colab between all three of these talented rappers, and even though it isn’t as strong as “Encore” was, it is close. The lyrics are funny and serious at the same time and all three of the rappers showcase their different flows in a very easy to notice way. It almost seems like they wouldn’t fit together, but it just flows. Eminem’s high-pitched flow, Dr. Dre’s hardcore flow, 50 Cent’s laid back flow, it just works. One of the best songs on the album.

We have a Steve Berman skit, and then the final song.

“Underground/Ken Kaniff” is the final song, and the second song tied for my personal favorite song. It is such an intense song and Eminem’s flow and delivery is so drastic, it almost gives you goosebumps. You can tell he means business. The beat adds onto that with the dramatic mix of guitar, drums, strings, and a choir. How Eminem raps is almost the polar opposite of “3 A.M.”, the first song on the album, as “3 A.M.” is a serious song with comedic delivery, and this is somewhat of a comedic song with a serious delivery. Maybe it was done to show an evolution, but whatever it was, it was a good choice. It is the prefect way to close out his return.

Overall: 3/5. Yes, “Relapse” has some good songs, and it does make up for the overall mediocrity of “Encore”, but overall, it is quite mediocre in itself. It is a great comeback, and I will say that, but Eminem just raps about the same damn thing way too much and wears it very thin. By the end of the album, you already forgot three quarters of it and the only thing that will stick with you are the final songs.

The album starts with the hard-hitting song “Who Said We’re Wack?”, a song about The Dudes trying to figure out who said they were wack. It feels like a gangster rap song… hard-hitting, catchy, and makes you feel like you want to make a mosh pit… somewhat. The simplistic lyrics actually work to the advantage of the song and it clearly deserved the opening spot. It does end somewhat abruptly, but then it leads to the first song with a guest… which is a recurring theme.

The next song is a stoner-rap song (if that even exists) called “Santana DVX” with guest rapper E-40. It is about how Carlos Santana finally made a champagne and how it is pretty much the greatest drink ever made. When The Dudes are bragging about it, Carlos Santana (E-40) comes to them warning them how it can get them “fucked up.” The beat makes you feel like this is their song all about drugs… except it is about a drink. It is a real fun song and IT NEEDS TO BE LISTENED TO. LET ME TELL YOU WHY: “Santana Champ” is a very recurring theme on this album. You need to listen to this song for it to make sense. This, like many other songs on the album, stops pretty abruptly. Then we begin the driving force behind this album…

…which is the all too well known song “Jizz In My Pants”. It tells the story about how two “British” men meet amazing women that make them… well… I am not even going to explain it. But… just when you think it can’t get any odder, they tell how it doesn’t just happen with women. Yeah… fill in that blank in your head. The beat makes it feel like a dance song and this is, no doubt, one of the best songs on the album. It does kinda get old after a while… but it never fully loses it’s flavor… like Stride Gum!

The next song might just be my personal favorite song on this album, “I’m On A Boat” featuring T-Pain, the man guest starring on all of your favorite rap songs… well… it’s actually either him or Rihanna. Probably because their solo work sucks. JUST SAYING. Well… on the subject of the song… it kinda makes you think of N.W.A… as it makes it humor by a never-ending line of unnecessary swears. It has more of a normal rap beat and kinda feels like the beat for “Live Your Life” by T.I. and Rihanna (What a Coincidence!)… but the lyrics are the gem of this song. This song never fails to make you laugh and is just pure amazing.

Next, we have “Sax Man” featuring Jack Black. It should just be credited to Jack Black as he is the only one who has any lyrical parts in this song. It is actually about a saxophone player and is not innuendo for some thing else. It does show Jack Black’s ability to use his voice as an instrument… but the song itself isn’t really something that you are remember and come back to a lot. It is, to tell you the truth, the first low point of the album.

Then we have the holy grail of all Lonely Island songs… the song that launched Andy Samburg to fame… “Lazy Sunday” featuring Chris Parnell. It tells the story of two friends who are trying to get to a showing of “The Chronicles of Narnia” on Sunday. It does has another meaning if you listen closely… but you can figure that out. It is amusing every time you listen to it… and I first listened to it years ago and it still makes me laugh. It has a more gangster rap beat and it’s references to movies and real New York locations make it feel like a real story. It is pure awesome and nothing can take it’s throne of… ummm… awesomeness. I guess.

Next is the interlude “Normal Guy”. I don’t really care for the interludes… so I won’t really dwell on them.

After that… we have “Boombox” featuring Julian Casablancas, who is the lead singer of the rock band “The Strokes”. It tells the story of a man who changes the world with his boombox… but makes one mistake… a very gross mistake. The beat is kinda like an R & B/Dance beat and it fits the song like puzzle pieces… as do Andy’s rapping and Julian’s singing. Julian actually steals the spotlight and really makes you scratch your head… wondering how this “serious” singer can be so comedic. It is one of the of the best songs on the album… and actually tied with “Dreamgirl” featuring Norah Jones for longest songs on the album… which are the only songs longer then 3 minutes on this album.

We have another interlude called “Shrooms”. Let’s face it… it explains itself.

We then have “Like A Boss”, in which Andy tells a man how his normal day is as the boss of a company. It has a very dominate sample of the song “Like A Boss” by Slim Thug… and it sounds just like an extended version of the chorus, or hook, of that song… which isn’t a bad thing. It starts with normal things, like leading workshops and remembering birthdays… then gets kinda crazy, with him getting sad from being rejected by a co-worker, becoming so sad he calls a sex line and cries deeply, getting drunk… and it gets even crazier. It is actually in my top five songs… even though it is just a laundry list of things and it barely ever rhymes.

Then, the dance-ish song “We Like Sportz” comes on. It acts as a sequel to the song “Just 2 Guyz”, which sadly didn’t make the album… but it’s video is on the DVD. It talks about how Guy 1 and Guy 2 are real men for loving sports, drinking whiskey, and smoking cigars. It is one of those songs that make you laugh just because it is so freaking awkward. How they rap in this makes them sound like just two regular guys that happened to break out in song. The beat sounds like it should be at a party and fits in this odd way that doesn’t fit… if that makes any sense.

The message “The following song is brought to you by Chex Mix.” really doesn’t seem like it has any importance at the beginning of the song “Dreamgirl” featuring Norah Jones… but it does… trust me. It is a song where The Dudes explain their dream girls… which really makes you question what attracts them to woman. It has Norah Jones singing the chorus and a real short verse… then the subject of the song changes completely… but stays with the same R&B beat… and it really makes you think why they did that. The change of the subject is like thinking of the sky and then you start thinking about the letter z. It doesn’t make any sense! It ultimately feels a bit long and it somewhat forgettable. It isn’t one of the best songs on the album… but isn’t one of the worst.

JA! The word that starts our next song “Ras Trent”. It talks about a college student who changes his religion to Rastafarianism. He talks about how his normal day is… and you can tell the whole time he doesn’t fit… as he stereotypically says you need to have own a copy of “Cool Runnings”. I am not mad about it… I am just saying. The song is one of those songs that you don’t really like at first… but after a few listenings… it grows on you. I personally watching the video more then listening to the song… as the video has a special part which they had to remove from the song… as it doesn’t make any sense if you don’t have the visual. Luckily… the video is on the included DVD.

The famous beginning words of “Hey girl, I got something real important to give you…” start the almighty love ballad “Dick In A Box” featuring Justin Timberlake. If you are thinking what I think you are thinking… then your thinking is correct… this is pretty much the best song on the album. I don’t care how many times you listen to this song… it NEVER gets old. The lyrics are as amazing as pure gold and the beat is a homage to 90′s R&B love ballads. It is just flat-out amasome. (Amasome = Amazing + Awesome.) I want you guys to sing this song to a girl and tell me what happens. Just try it.

We then have “The Old Saloon” interlude. This is actually the only interlude that is actually worth listening to every time it comes up. There is hundreds of things going on at one time and real fun to listen to.

“These days… a lot of cats are outta line…” are the opening words for the next song, “Punch You In The Jeans”. The beat is very reminiscent of 90′s rap songs… calm and just makes you chill out. The lyrics are all about punching jeans… no joke. It is actually better then it sounds… but… like “Ras Trent”, it has to grow on you. But it grows on you fast… but it does still have to grow on you. It is a good chill out song and it is place strategically on the album track list… as after “The Old Saloon”, you do need to calm down.

The next song is another song from an SNL Digital Short, “Space Olympics”. It has a sci-fi beat and feels real… well… space-ish and sci-fi-ish. (Yes… I do realize that almost says fish.) The lyrics talk about… ummmm… the Space Olympics. It starts very hopefully… but… like “Like A Boss”, it goes downhill fast. I know you are sick of me saying this… but this is another song that has to grow on you… and it takes a while to do that. It hasn’t fully grown on me yet… but I feel that even when it does grow on me… I still will think that this far from the best song on the album.

You need to turn off your mind for this next song… and forget all previous knowledge about actress Natalie Portman… as the song “Natalie’s Rap” with Natalie Portman and Chris Parnell will completely change how you think of her. It is the most gangster song on the album and feels like it was if you mixed the gangster of N.W.A. with a female rapper. It is oddly amusing… and is almost better when it is censored… as the level of swearing is up there with “I’m On A Boat”. It is a great penultimate song.

Now… the wait is over… we finally get to figure out why the hell the album is called Incredibad! The song “Incredibad” explains more how “The Lonely Island” got their older name… as they used to be called “Incredibad”, but it still explains it somewhat. It has, in my opinion, the best beat from any song on this album. I was immediately attracted to the song from the beat. The lyrics talk about how when The Dudes were 13, they were hanging out and ended up meeting an alien. The alien came to their planet asking for help, as the alien’s race has a mutated strain in their DNA helix. You may be asking the same thing Andy asked, “But we are just 13 man, what can we do?”… and you might not want to know. I won’t spoil it… so just listen to it. Trust me… you will never be able to guess what they have to do.

Overall: 4/5. Yes… this album is the best comedy album I have ever heard and one of the best overall albums I have heard. It, sadly, is weighed down by most of the songs being too short. They may of done that to make you want more and that you would get more with the next song… but it didn’t really work like that. It is a bit weighed down also by the interludes and a few of the songs… but overall… this is an awesome album. And when you can get a 19 track CD that comes with a DVD for $13… you take that chance.

DVD:

Awesome. The performance was great. It was recorded in my hometown… so that is some extra awesome points right there. The power the band gave was awesome. They were very energetic and it made it a pleasure to watch. Not once was I wanting it to just be over. Though… some of the visual effects I could of gone without. Most of the time they were cool… sometimes they just got in the way of the show. The documentary was both informative and funny. It is interlaced with the performance very well and it always leaves you wanting more. The special features on the Deluxe Edition… to tell you the truth… were kinda a disappointment. The extra director’s cut footage was kinda smaller then I thought and most of it was just parts in the regular documentary that was elongated to show you all of it… not saying that’s a bad thing… I just thought that maybe… MAYBE there could of been a BIT more… just a TINY bit. But what they had there was awesome. The photo gallery was pretty cool. There were some real nice pictures there set to some real good music. Now… the thing that disappointed me the most out of all the extra stuff… not saying it was bad… it was awesome… was the music video for “Let The Flames Begin”. That is pretty much my favorite Paramore song and I thought it would be really cool to see a music video for it. Then I saw it and realized it was basically what I just finished watching. The live performance of this song was amazing… don’t get me wrong… but I was just kinda expecting more. The thing that bugged me the most about it is how there was almost a time machine effect in it. In one clip… you would see Hayley get down on her knees for the outro… but then the next clip… you will see the same thing happen again… just at a different angle. Now… that is just me being completely honest. Overall though… it was freaking awesome.

CD:

Also awesome. The quality was real good for a live album and all the intros and outros added to the songs live just SCREAMED for a live CD to come out… and it is awesome to be able to have those extra tid-bits of awesomeness in a CD form so you can have it at awesome quality and officially.

Packaging:

When I looked at the case for the Deluxe Edition… right off the bat… I knew it was something special. I pulled out the art book and looked through it… it was awesome. The pictures in there were either artistic… cool… or just plain funny. It looked just like the tour program so you don’t really feel like you were missing out on anything if you got this. The special long case for the CD and DVD really helps keep them safe and non-wiggly. Though… it sometimes is a pain to get the disks out and put them back in without having to worry a bit about scratching them. The laminate was a nice touch… really makes you feel special… but it could of had a better holder. With my OCD… I always have to keep things from CDs where they were… slipcases… extra stuff… pretty much anything. Every time I opened the CD case… or even took it out from the slip case… the laminate would just fall out. But… still… it was some awesome extra stuff.

So all in all… it was awesome. Totally worth the $35. It is/was limited to 5,000 copies… so if you hurry up… you may still be able to grab the deluxe edition. Yeah… I just checked… the deluxe edition is sadly sold out. BUT: the regular edition is selling at Target for $15. It just has the CD and DVD in a regular CD/DVD case. It does come with a regular booklet… but not with the art book.. photo gallery/director’s cut footage/”Let The Flames Begin” music video extras on the DVD… the fake backstage pass… or the special longer packaging.

Here we have them preforming “Breaking The Habit”, just click on the picture: