Halo 24: Year Zero
A return to the concept album with 2007's Year Zero, meant a new approach to the concept itself. This resulted in an online alternate reality game that had fans finding clues as to the idea behind the album in clothing, usb drives, and hidden websites. The idea was that the songs told different perspectives of different people in a landscape set in the near future. Musically, the album was largely electronic and hip-hop inspired. It was somewhat cautionary, politically charged, and sci-fi based. Because the album is told from various perspectives, it's easy to separate tracks from the running theme, as they're intentionally self-contained. This makes it easier to listen to certain tracks individually rather than collectively. Year Zero is radically different from any of the studio albums and distances itself thematically, which is a nice change and makes it that much easier to pick up and listen to.