Linkin Park have started work on the follow-up to 2010's 'A Thousand Suns' and have said they believe their fifth studio album will 'polarize' people.

Speaking to Kerrang!, singer Chester Bennington has also said the band address a plethora of "serious issues" in their new songs.

He said: "We've been working on a new record for the past two months. The music is great and we're well ahead of where we're expecting to be. There aren't a whole lot of noises going on, but there are a lot of good songs. It will probably get a very polarized reaction. Which pleases me. As an artist, I want a reaction."

The singer added that the band would be looking to tackle controversial topics on their new album, rather than the more personal subjects of their older material.

Bennington added: "We've learned how to write serious songs and serious lyrics. We've learned how to deal with politics, faith and other things. Those are things that can get preachy really quickly, which we don't want to do. So you need to learn to talk to people and not at people."

Rubin says the group has "been in the studio writing" for a follow-up to 2010's "A Thousand Suns," which Rubin also produced. "Typically we'll have a once-a-week meeting to go listen to the songs that they're coming up with and talk about them. For so early in the project, they are much further along than they have been on the last two albums we did. On ('A Thousand Suns') there were still a lot of irons in the fire. We knew, 'OK, we can't do this forever. Let's leave this batch and we'll come back and address it when we start up again.' "

Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns was released in September of last year, but the band is already working on a follow-up. "We’re in the studio and we’re well on our way to making our next record," frontman Chester Bennington tells Rolling Stone. "I can tell you that we have a lot of good music, a lot of quality songs." The album is once again being produced by Rick Rubin.

In fact, the band is so far along that Bennington says he'd be "shocked" if it doesn’t come out next year – even though until now, the band had released three studio albums in 10 years. But they've been shifting their focus to writing new songs, even while on the road. "Mike [Shinoda] and I are out there with our studios – technology, thank God, has gotten to the point when what used to be three refrigerator-sized racks of equipment and a full board the size of a king bed can now fit in my backpack – and we’re working on new music as we’re driving in the car to a venue or in our hotel room, and when we come home, everybody works in their homes," he says. "So we’ve kind of got this groove down to the point we’re kind of having our cake and eating it too."

The band's new goal: A new album every 18 months. "That would be ****ing awesome," Bennington says. Of course, a big part of achieving this new faster pace of releasing music is shorter touring cycles. "Touring for two years is excruciating," he says. "When we would tour for two years even the most resilient person in the band, at the end of that, was ****ing miserable."

The band is still very active live though, and one show they're particularly excited about is coming up August 31 at a secret location in Los Angeles, where they will share the stage with the B'z, Japan's biggest band. The gig is a fundraiser for their Music for Relief charity, and proceeds will go towards victims of the natural disasters in Japan. For the last few years, Bennington says, the band has been donating a dollar from every ticket they sell to the charity, and fans also donate via Music Relief kiosks at their shows. For the L.A. concert, Linkin Park are inviting the fans who have raised the most money for Music for Relief.

Originally posted by hazuki Linkin Park is my favorite band. Been following them since 01. I have every album. My first concert was them. I'm not really apart of the stanbase though. A Thousand Suns was amazing; I think. I love that their experimenting sounds

Originally posted by hazuki Blackout, Wretches and Kings, Iridescent, When They Come From Me were my favorite songs on the album I want more songs like those then the one you listed, but I loe WFTE atoo.

Originally posted by Loghen I hope it's nothing like 'A Thousand Suns'. I already lost hope for another 'Hybrid Theory' or 'Meteora' but at least I want them to go back to using instruments more than computers this time, and more Mike verses.

Originally posted by Dephira Waiting For The End is still my most played song on iTunes. Their last album was a little uneven though imo, but I'm still looking forward to this one. It sounds like sonically it's gonna be a continuation of ATS, which was basically about nuclear war.

Originally posted by hazuki Pushing Me Away is one of my favorite songs from them; So underrated. Beautiful.

Originally posted by hazuki Just added you on last.fm LP is the most played on mine haha.