He was pretty vocal about not being real thrilled with the reaction to the latest album. I dunno, it's his band he can do what he wants, but yeah, people may not like it. Almost certainly not the main factor but it probably didn't help his depression.
Not too long ago, I was watching some of their older videos, thinking how much money all of that CGI must have cost back then, and how dated it looked today. I also thought about how big they were back then, up until Minutes To Midnight. Thinking about all of that, I had no idea they were about to release their new album, which came out in May.
Their new stuff got bad reviews, which might have been a bit unfair, but if you're reviewing Linkin Park, you can't simply set aside the sound and style they've distinguished themselves with all those years ago. Their new tracks sound like something taken from a Fast and the Furious soundtrack, or any teen blockbuster movie that has slow-mo scenes of massive parties. Alternatively, they can be found on a teenage girl's playlist, which she's been preparing for her and her boyfriend's first time.
Which is not to say the music is utter rubbish. It's just a bit too generic, too "buy me now, because in a year no one will be producing or listening to music that sounds like this". It's like when dubstep blew up. Everyone just had to have that damned wobble bass. Now, it's all about the smurf squeals. Having them on multiple tracks on the same album was definitely not a great idea.
Example 1
Example 2
Having said that, I'm sure the under-performing album wasn't the reason he took his life, and I'm sorry he got to a point when he saw no other way out. It's a damn shame. He should have endured, for the sake of his kids. Then again, I have no idea what his family situation was.