After ten years in the mainstream ­music scene, maturation and change is natural. Abandoning your sound is not, and that’s exactly what Linkin Park has done on their latest release.

If you listen closely, you can tell “A Thousand Suns” is actually Linkin Park. The album is more similar to their last release “Minutes to Midnight” rather than their certified diamond debut “Hybrid Theory”and their multi-platinum follow-up “Meteora.”

Gone are the heavy guitars and abrasive screaming of Chester Bennington. Instead, the band traded them in for electronic and synth effects. The album has an airy feel in comparison to past efforts, as multiple tracks are broken up by interludes.

Mike Shinoda brings back a rapping presence that was absent on the past albums. Unlike his past verses, these seem less inspired and more repetitive.

The album is void of the unshakable hooks that were prevalent in past releases, so much so that even the album’s single “The Catalyst” feels out of place on rock radio.

The record’s lone gem is its third track, “Burning in the Skies,” but since no other track lives up to its quality, it simply serves as an example of the potential the band was unable to reach on the release.

Linkin Park may have warned fans that this would be an experimental release, but that doesn’t excuse the haphazard album. Maybe it’s time for the band to team-up with hit-making producer Rick Rubin and return to their multi-platinum ways … or fully commit to this new sound and actually make it work.