You definitely need to give a second chance to this album, since it's mostly brilliant and gets better the more you listen to it. "Minutes to Midnight"was well worth the wait! The lyrics are outstanding and amazing! It's definitely different from what they've done, but also more mature. I'm glad they didn't just make the same old style songs. Some of the highlights are What I've Done, Leave Out All The Rest, Valentine's Day, and In Pieces. I bet these songs are gonna sound great live too. I really respect the band's will to try something different and be innovative. This is a rare quality these days.
The bottom line - give this album a chance!