Valarius
They weren’t the first band to do it, but with the album ‘Hybrid Theory’, Linkin Park kicked off the huge rise of the genre known as Nu Metal that dominated the early years of the new millennium.
Whilst bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn had already garnered a huge following for their style of music, featuring stripped-down song arrangements, detuned guitars, DJ’s and rapping vocals, it was Linkin Park in the year 2000 that really pushed the genre into the mainstream, and with five hit singles, the album would go on to become one of the finest representations for what Nu Metal was all about.
Not bad for a debut album.
Whilst Nu Metal isn’t usually my first pick when it comes to Metal genres, Linkin Park’s debut record certainly has some excellent tunes. With that said, it’s the singles which are easily the best, and most recognizable, songs. Tracks like ‘Papercut’, ‘One Step Closer’, ‘In the End’ and ‘Points of Authority’ may all sound overplayed and done-to-death when you're watching the music video for the millionth time, but there’s just some magic in the songs that make them great to listen to through loud speakers, no matter how often you’ve heard them.
Unfortunately, with the exception of ‘Runaway’, probably my favourite track from the album, the rest of the songs are pretty pointless, filler material. And towards the end the constant lyrical themes of depression, regret, rebellion, anxiety etc, start to wear a bit thin (a problem that would ensure this genre’s stay at the top would last no more than a couple of years).
Overall Linkin Park is far from being one of my favourite bands, but coming from a time when Metal music in the mainstream was near non-existent, ‘Hybrid Theory’ gives the music world a good kick in the arse, and helps revitalize a dying genre.