Linkin Park Music:

Description of Hybrid Theory:
It may be too cynical to assume Hybrid Theory changed its name to Linkin Park in order to appear right next to Limp Bizkit in your local record bin. But rock-rap workouts like "One Step Closer" and "Papercut" do make Linkin Park a comfortable fit with Fred Durst and his ilk. Producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Lit, Eve 6) and twin vocal threats Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda serve up industrial-strength rap and rock melodicism with equal aplomb on this woulda-been-self-titled debut effort. "Points of Authority" aims to sound like Trent Reznor wanking it up with Lars and company, whereas guitarist Brad Delson's Edge-y harmonics help "In the End" and "Pushing Me Away" evoke a dark romanticism akin to A Perfect Circle. Curiously, the band gets by with no bass player, while sample-happy DJ Joseph Hahn's step into the spotlight on the instrumental "Cure for the Itch" suggests a potential for eclecticism that could help Linkin Park outlive its seemingly transient genre. --Bill Forman

Hybrid Theory Reviews:
Linkin Park ftw
2009-09-24 - Although this is the first official album that Linkin Park released, there is nothing amateur about it. The music and the vocals blend together perfectly, with a style that is very unique to the band. Mike Shinoda raps in a very mellow tone, beating rhythmically and smooth along with the industrial, nu metal sound that became the trademark of the band. The mix of hip-hop, heavy metal and alternative styles combine into a whole new style that is chaotic, but perfectly blended at the same time. The voice of Chester Bennington is very dynamic in the way that is sounds when he screams. It sounds like two or three different voices overlapping to create a multi-toned sound unlike anything else. The mix between Chester singing and Mike rapping creates many different feelings and rhythms uncharacteristic of any other band, many times enhancing the intended emotion much better than one person could.

Interesting . . .
2009-08-20 - This album is interesting because rock and roll died many years ago. Some white boys think they need to try to play it but in fact Beethoven rocked more than they do. Sad. Seriously, though, the test is this: will anyone who is not a teenager living in 2000 like Linkin Park by the time 2050 rolls around? No. They're not relevant at all.

Memories...
2009-07-31 - I remember when I was 13 years old, I bought this album a year after it originally came out. It was one of the very few CDs that I owned at the time, but this album found its way on repeat throughout my 7th grade year. Linkin Park were one of my favorite bands, and naturally, I bought Meteora around the time it came out as well.

Then, after about 2 years, there was a phase I had when I completely regretted owning this album, going all the way to making fun of them for the wrong reasons and even destroying my copy of the album. I feel much worse for that reason now.

Now, let's go to this day. In no way am I big on this album as I was back in 2001/02, due to the fact that I discovered a lot of better music out there, but I also realized that there is far worse than this. Still, it's a rather average output for an overhyped band.

First off, the lyrical content has much more you can relate to when you were younger than when you mature. To my surprise, you don't hear any profanities, which is uncommon for a lot of nu-metal acts. However, what you hear is nothing but angst and internal struggles for the most part, and while there are plenty of bands I listen to that focus on that, they pull it off much better than what LP does. A good example is "Shut up when I'm talking to you" from "One Step Closer".

For the rest of this album, I should hate it, but I don't. The songwriting is extremely basic, mostly verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, and there's barely any semblance of musicianship other than the basic chord progression. Mike Shinoda is an average MC, and vocalist Chester Bennington is pretty bad at what he does. BUT, I believe that the use of electronica and scratching used in this album helps out a bit, seeing that not many nu-metal bands that incorporate rapping can use electronic soundscapes to good use. For example, "Cure For the Itch" is a nice instrumental that's a far cry and a nice break from the rest of the album. The songs give me a feeling of deja vu, especially the non-singles, because it should be obvious that you can't let go of your past.

This album isn't highly recommended by me. There are so many faults with it, but then again, this is much better than the re-hash of this album the band would do with Meteora, the awful remix album Reanimation, the pointless Jay-Z collaboration, or even worse yet, Minutes to Midnight. If you have to go with one LP album, go with this.

MISTER MAGIC MIDGET
2009-04-28 - THIS REVIEW GOES DIRECTLY TO MR.MAGIC MIDGET, YOU ARE A PIECE OF CRaP, THESE GUYS ROCK, IF THEY SUCK AS BAD AS YOU SAY WHY DID THIS ALBUM SELL OUT PLATINUM, USE YOUR HEAD RETARD, STOP TRYING TO BE SUCH A DIE HARD ROCK FAN, WE GET IT DUDE YOU LIKE THE OLD SCHOOL ROCK AND THATS COOL, BUT DON'T HATE ON THEM FOR NOT MAKING AN OLD SCHOOL ROCK ALBUM, THEY ARE A DIFFERENT GENRE AND SOME PEOPLE HAPPEN TO THINK THEY'RE GREAT. ITS CALLED FUSION THATS WHATS THEY DO, I LIKE RAP AND HIP HOP AND I BOUGHT THIS ALBUM AND LIKED IT, BUT WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEW I WANTED TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND CHEW YOUR FACE OFF. DON'T BE SUCH A HATER.

Amazing Nu-Metal from the Glory Days of LP
2009-04-20 - What can I say? Linkin Park has really not been so great lately. And I think that stems from a couple of bad decisions they've made:
1. Start cussing in their music
2. Start writing sell out pop (I'm not a whiney pop hater... but it's just not Linkin Park!)

That being said, this album is 100% genuine, satisfying Linkin Park material that has stood the test of time and is still SO good. From the tasty metal of "One Step Closer" to the heartbreaking melody of "In the End" this album represents Linkin Park at their best. I also highly, highly recommend "Meteora" which is even a better than this one!

You can't go wrong with this gem.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Meteora-Linkin Park
Wonder What's Next-Chevelle
End of Silence- Red
Innocence and Instinct-Red
Define the Great Line- Underoath