Linkin Park have announced September 13th as the official release date for new album 'A Thousand Suns'. The album is co-produced by Rick Rubin (U2, Johnny Cash) and Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda. The first single 'The Catalyst' will be released on September 6th, but will be available on the band's myspace page before release.

Furthermore, prior to the release, Linkin Park and MySpace are teaming up for "Linkin Park, Featuring You," a unique promotion that gives fans a first-of-its-kind opportunity to collaborate with Linkin Park to produce their own song based on some of the tracks from the forthcoming single. The contest, which is live as of tomorrow, allows fans to use their own music production software to create a song and upload it for the band via their myspace page (myspace.com/linkinpark). The winner of the contest will have the chance to have their submission included on the band's new album or will be invited to perform with the band on a song on the upcoming record. Shinoda feels this competition will allow them to give something back to their fans: "reserving a spot for a fan to play on one of our songs felt like a way to show our dedication to them [the fans]."

The band have recently announced their upcoming European tour dates, with each of their live performances designed to be a transformative multi-media experience, complete with a unique blending of music and art and featuring never-before-seen visual technology.

Ticket info can be found at www.linkinpark.com.

-clashmusic.com