Hybrid Theory

Give me rap-rock or rap-metal crossover albums anytime. Give me a *bit* of nu-metal, even. Give me heavy guitar riffs, true rebellion, sharp politically-minded lyrics. Or, on the contrary, give me brutally sincere descriptions of personal malaise. Anything that finds an artistically relevant way to scream: "I'm alive, this world is fucked up, I suffer, but I'm alive!". Give me Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, Deftones, the "Judgment Night" motion picture soundtrack... Even the early Korn albums can work out... But don't give me this overbloated, overproduced turd of a record. Heck, turds have taste at least, or so I hear. :) As you can, I won't mince words about this band (and first album). But I've got my reasons. To me, *Hybrid Theory* is indeed the epitome of blandness--nothing in it *feels* honest or authentic. You might tell me Chester Bennington's lyrics drew from his difficult childhood experience, I just can't find a way to *care* about them. Because the end results here are just plain corny--there's none of the strong imagery delivered by his pal Chino Moreno, for instance, or the latter's intense, dynamic performance throughout Deftones' discography. The so-called "rebellion" or "malaise" in Linkin' Park's lyrics actually amount to pointing at nothing in particular, with vague references about "bad memories" and the likes. And those lyrics are just *one* ingredient among others in a mechanical formula. They just have nothing to say. And they even manage to say it badly. The same goes for the cheesy, dated rapping, or the vocal lines for the choruses and singing parts, which are *always* predictable--unimaginative melodies copied-and-pasted over unimaginative guitar riffs, so slick and clean they actually sound like synths. Because no, the instrumentation is not good either, as competent the performers (or production tools) are. The band does the same thing all over again, mostly, with the same sort of lazy, overdone tricks being applied from start to finish. Guitar saturation is here used to raze everything to the same orderly level, devoid of any true *life*. A paradox of sorts, which owes more to protools shenanigans than any thought-out concept behind the music. Which makes sense, given that saturation is also used here to hide the lack of any shred of meaningful idea. That's probably what's "Hybrid" in the "Theory" here--this thing being *both* lifeless AND brainless. Even the electronic/abstract hip hop asides suck, minus the very short "Cure For The Itch", maybe--but to be fair, this minor track towards the end is nothing but a secondhand attempt at a DJ Shadow-like instrumental... And just as everything in the album--that awful cover, for instance--its inclusion in the tracklisting looks like a decision made by a corporate committee, not one made by a real, genuine band showing personality. And just like everything else, it's a stylistic dead end. *Hybrid Theory* made millions, admittedly (not necessarily a sure sign of quality, but OK). It sold a hold a huge lot. Yet it's a dead-end nonetheless. Void. Sterile. We can just all be glad and grateful that teens or kids these days are not listening to such crap anymore. At least, they'll make *fresh* mistakes of their own... In the light of Bennington's still recent suicide, this personal judgment about what is merely a piece of art here might sound harsh, of course, even exaggerated. May the man rest in peace, God bless his soul, and so on... May people who go through what he had to go through, just like Chris Cornell or Kurt Cobain, or anybody else, find the help they need to survive. To be honest, I wish that this band had at least provided Bennington that catharsis he so direly needed to get better. And this aside obviously goes beyond any personal tastes about music. One could have hoped that years after their first commercial success, Linkin' Park's singer might have found some meaning in his life. But things don't always work out that way, even when you manage to "make it". Friends who knew Bennington seem to say he was a good person. I don't know, I didn't know him. But I just hope that fans who are reading this understand I have nothing against the man. I simply didn't like the artist, and the band he was part in. These things happen... As for the rest, be aware that hope comes in many forms, and that if music, good or bad, can't save you, you can *still* find other ways out--through reaching out to friends or a family genuinely caring for you, or through mental health professionals. Anything that can help you get better. But I'd rather hear about who Chester Bennington was as a person rather than having to listen to his music again. It's not for me. In a way, critics' accusations that the band had "sold out" for 2017's pop-oriented *One More Light*--that they now suddenly sounded "as if they were selected by committee", to be more precise--were totally and absolutely nonsensical to my ears. Because to me, they've *always* been this way. A few yellings and heavy guitar riffs here and there couldn't hide the fact that they've never been the sharpest knife in the drawer, musically speaking. And Bennington's offensive public replies to those misguided critics did not only show how fragile his mental state was, but also how lost he was as to the sort of audience his band had entertained for all these years. And there's probably a good reason for that. Because a) that audience had never been picky for sure. And b) it was dwindling album after album anyway. In all honesty, it's a bit of a mystery *who* this music is aimed at today, in 2022 (both for what it was in 2017 AND what it had been in 2000). And this, also, makes me kinda sad... Not for Bennington, this time, but for the standards generally followed by this list of records. So next, please... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 887 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 59 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 29 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 26 (including this one)

Oh FFS... how in the world did this crap make the list? This style/genre/shameful detour of rock music should be forgotten and lost to the sands of time. And this isn't even their "best" album - it's easily the most cheesy representation of this nonsense.

The worst. This album actually made me angry.

Hard-hitting but melodic, this is another album that I think younger me would have really loved. I like it now but it has a ... not juvenile, that seems pejorative, and that's definitely not what I'm going for ... but maybe youthful(?) feel to it that doesn't hold the same appeal as it would have a couple or so decades ago. Still, high marks!

I bought this album shortly after its release and listened to it for several years, but then it sort of disappeared from my radar. I don’t really have the rage in me that I still managed then. So what’s it like to come back to this almost 20 years later? It’s great! I remembered right away what I love about Linkin Park… they know how to rock but also have great hooks and modulation to hold my interest. I like their lyrics and the personal themes. Great vocals. Really great to hear this again today. “The End” is an awesome song and is kind of the perfection of the Linkin Park formula, but there are lots of other songs I very much like on this album including “Papercut,” “Points of Authority,” “Crawling,” “Runaway,” “Forgotten” and “Pushing Me Away.” Even though the last twenty years have softened my edges, I guess I still have room for some angry, angsty, cathartic hard rock. Linkin Park’s ability to modulate with softer passages is just the right kind of heavy for me.

Awful. Unfair but this album/band comprises almost every single thing that I hated about turn-of-the-millenium nu-rock: massive wall of tuned-down guitars so overly compressed and processed within an inch of their lives that sound more like a steel factory than like guitars... and what.is.up with the Cookie Monster vocals - honestly wtf I never understood how that became a thing for a few years. Hard hard nope. I actually kinda get why some people would like this - but I can't get through this overly aggressive unrelenting assault. Did/could not finish. 2/10 1 star.

I was 16 when this album came out and I wasn’t the biggest fan of nu-metal to start with. I was into stuff like Pantera, Sepultura, Faith no More, Alice in Chains, NOFX etc – 90s heavy/alternative but not nu-metal – but I also had an appreciation for bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. I’d been into metal since about 91 so I had the feel of the genre: Korn basically invented the shit, Limp Bizkit popularised it, and Slipknot made it so fucking unpalatable to your parents that you just had to applaud them. Lots of previously "pure"-metal bands were trying to get in on it. But Korn etc all had one thing in common: their songs were organic, there was a legit “what we’re doing isn’t grunge, it’s not standard metal, but we still want a place” attitude. It never felt (at the time) like they were music school kids, writing from a how-to guide, or anything like that. It was popular in the mainstream, but it seemed it'd stuck its head in by force of sheer popularity, and had kinda beaten the odds in that sense. This was still like 98-99 so it was only a year or two into nu-metal’s mainstream run. Those bands (Korn, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Deftones etc) really worked for their recognition. Linkin Park’s first album was different. Even as a teenager I picked up on it. When that first “I’m about to break!” song came out I knew it was some kinda changing of the guard moment. It wasn’t nu-metal; it was radio rock pretending to be nu-metal. I remember in 2000 asking my mum to buy me In Flames’ Colony album, and she said “you sure you don’t want maybe Linkin Park instead?”. And that was because Linkin Park had worked out the market: create family-friendly rock with an angsty facade that parents didn’t find threatening. It ticked their boxes and (hopefully) also yours. It was loud, but also commercial as shit, with songs that could've been ANY genre if you'd tweaked them a bit. Most of Hybrid Theory would've made a great Shania Twain record. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (my Slippery When Wet review hopefully explains that) but it was also dishonestly subversive. It pretended to be something it wasn’t. And it’s telling that Linkin Park became the biggest band out of the whole movement, and that radio rock has never really (as of 2022) moved much past their blueprint. Nu-metal is long gone but Linkin Park's style isn't. Sure we’ve dialled back the rap-rock these days, but the core of their song structures, choruses and vague angst remain. That whole “nothin’ but rock” radio movement has been boring and stale ever since. And I blame Linkin Park. Is that a legacy? Probably. But I’m giving it 2/5.

I didn't love this. Other than "In the End", I hadn't really heard much by Linkin Park before. Why? Because I get screamed at enough in real life. I mean, I'm the guy who appreciates the Bangles' subtle harmonies, the smooth sounds of Yacht Rock, and the entire catalog of James D. Buffett. What's the opposite of Linkin Park? Jimmy, man. Or Bob Marley - hey angry Linkin Park guys, "Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright". That said, I do understand why people like this (maybe there are supernaturally calm people out there that just want to get their anger on), but I could feel my blood pressure rising the whole time. Neighbors walking by my open garage sped up and gave me the side eye - that must be one angry dude! No man, no. Echo, play Bob Marley Legend....check that. Play Loggins & Messina....

easiest 5 of my life

I get that this was a genre defining album for the time, but the genre is really bad, so I can't condone these actions.

Just when you thought metal could go no lower, along comes to Linkin Park to add the most annoying elements of several other genres (especially emo) to drill deeper still. The combination of sheer awfulness with utter pomposity is potently toxic to the ears of anyone with any taste at all. How it sold 32 copies, let alone 32 million, boggles the mind, but that's popular taste, innit. See The Onion's Winner's History of Rock and Roll for the imbalance.

Dense, formulaic, stylistically hollow. Overly produced sound with annoying rap-to-raging vocals. Unmemorable. Fave Songs: None, really. Favorite quote from a fellow reviewer: "I get screamed at enough in real life."

Trite shit. I thought this was 1001 albums to listen to before you die, not 1001 albums that make you want to die. This belongs at the top of the latter and shouldn't even sniff the former. Fuck this garbage. -Chris

i was hoping this would be another one like the SOAD album where i ignored it in my yoof and now i've listened to it i get it. it wasn't, if anything it was the opposite and now i've actually listened to it i like it less than i was expecting. it's super cheddar. give me limp bizkit over this any day - yeah that's right i really didn't like this.

They are the reason I got invested into metal (I'm biased)

RIP Chester.

IN THE END NOTHING EVEN MATTERS

This was very popular when I was in middle school, and I was very much into it. That being said, I thought I would hate hearing it again. However, I'm surprised to say I was impressed. The powerful emotions of these songs give them a timelessness, despite some of the sounds (turntable scratching) that date it. The same things that make it easy to knock also make it impactful. I know I just dissed turntable scratching, but "Cure for the Itch" is still a fucking great listen.

4.5 stars. What a debut album! Every track is solid from start to end. Bennington's singing with Shinodah's rapping blends so well. Album is harder/heavier than I remember. "A Place For My Head" is a microcosm for the album and the band.

The cultural impact of this album really can't be overstated. Growing up when it came out, I can tell you this was everywhere. There were at least 4 huge songs off this album. Despite this, Linkin Park has mostly faded into history, and in the end it doesn't even matter.

I get that this is a big group in 2000s “rock” but it’s not for me. Too many songs sound the same and it lacks soul.

If I listened to this rap metal style when I was much younger I may have fallen for the soft/quiet -> hard/loud -> soft/quiet changes within most of the songs, but now I find it to be cliched and just plain gimmicky. So... nope.

I'd only ever heard "In the End", and the rest of this is about what I expected. The whole thing comes across as like a 10-year-old's idea of badass music. Chugging alt-metal riffs, angsty lyrics, bad white guy rapping, and production elements that probably seemed dated in the year 2000. It's bad, but it's not even really groundbreaking in any sort of way. They mainly come off as a less fun version of Limp Bizkit. I did not need to hear this before I died, which might be sooner than before I listened to it. 0.5 stars.

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched the TV Show ALF, but in the credits, there is a list of “Personal Assistants to ALF” and there’s like 4 people listed. Isn’t that wild? ALF must’ve been quite a handful to require four assistants. How many meetings and appointments did ALF have that required 4 people to plan his day to day activities? I can see him having a stylist and someone to keep track of his schedule…but 4? I had no idea ALF was such a diva.

As you're going through the list of 1001 albums to hear before you die, remember to save this for last, preferably for while you're in hospice. Half way through you'll be ready to pull the plug.

Thought I was too cool for school when this was originally released and gave it a wide berth. By some weird coincidence, I've been listening to this very album for the last two weeks and have living my best angsty-teen life!

Linkin Park's debut album is a classic by any standard, but it took me a long time to get to that point. Chester's trauma is thinly veiled in most songs, but the raw power and fury that drove him is on full display.

Already an album I've known and enjoyed for years

I've really enjoyed this album for a long time. In listening to it again, i certainly heard more Limp Bizkit in it than i remembered, and they certainly took different trajectories. Fred is a bit of an embarrassment while Chester improved with time. There are still enough energetic creative aggressive items on here to make it a home run.

Iconic sound. LP hit a vein of gold and then milked it for all it was worth. This album was for all those angsty teens existing without normalized therapy and proper mental health awareness. Hits like a greatest hits album.

Bland American rock. One of those albums that will only work for folks who grew up with it (for better or worse).

I tried, I really did, but yeah, nah.

Shut up and clean your room, dude.

Not a record to hear before one dies or ever, but rather a record to make one yearn for the silence of the tomb. And so utterly dated – likely the reason the editors dropped it from latest editions.

"I cannot take this anymore." You and me both, buddy. Something about the guitar and vocal tones of this is physically exhausting.

This is horrible. I thought that things could not get worse than the Limp Bizkit album--but this project proved me wrong. Musically it's just as bad, but it's so whiny and angsty. One of the most grating sounding albums I have ever heard. 1 star because I can't give anything less.

Shit

Why is this on the list

Youth in an album

Neck workout

relisten. if you didn't grow up with an older sibling in the 00s you probably don't get it. i feel like every time i listen to this album it's better than i remembered

Hybrid Theory is the debut album by American rock band Linkin Park. This critically acclaimed rap rock / alternative rock album and its four singles launched the band into mainstream popularity - where they have stayed to this day. The four singles remain the band's most successful songs to date, and they are: "One step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling", & "Papercut". The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, is certified 12x platinum (diamond), and is the best-selling rock album of the 21st century. This is the first time that I have listened to Linkin Park's debut album in one sitting (I've heard its singles many times) and I have to say it was pretty awesome! The nostalgia this gave me for the early 2000's is unmatched and listening to this album today made it a great day. Well produced, amazing hooks, and aggressive lyrics shape this album to be a cornerstone of modern rock. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that hasn't heard at least one of these songs before, but everyone needs to listen to this album.

A classic of my preteens. Full of angst and alienation that I can still relate to. Love the aesthetic of the cover. I don't think I've paid super close attention to what the guitar does before. I know this album pretty well tho. Or at least the hits. Some of this stuff gets kinda heavy tbh. Riffs are more Nu Metal-y than I recall — which should be obvs because this was one of THE nu metal albums of that era. This album feels like the soundtrack to dissociating over angst and abuse and inner pain. The band does way more interesting stuff instrumentally on the non-singles. The Mr. Hahn track (Cure for the Itch) was pretty sick, ngl. This band's instrumentals are kinda fun. Pushing Me Away feels like a blueprint for Numb, similar vibe, similar simple guitars over melodic synth/electronic with simple guitar chords coming in for the chorus. It's youthful and earnest as an album, and I see why it's one of the best selling rock albums of all time. LP wrote some good pop, riffs, melodies, compositions, raps, lyrics, etc. here. Feels pretty focused ngl.

Loved it, not my usual listening material, familiar with alot of this but was never my genre... Great to listen to something that I wouldn't normally choose... Felt like a step back to the noughties...

so good, brings me back to my teenage years! top songs: obvs In The End, and Pushing Me Away

No. 297/1001 Papercut 4/5 One Step Closer 3/5 With You 4/5 Points of Authority 3/5 Crawling 3/5 Runaway 4/5 By Myself 3/5 In the End 5/5 A Place for My Head 3/5 Forgotten 3/5 Cure for the Itch 3/5 Pushing Me Away 4/5 Average: 3,5 At times really good, at times a bit repetitive.

во первых, почему сайт опять прикольнулся и подкинул ЛП после новости о камбэке, как былло с оазис?) во вторых, я конечно этот альбом пиздюком гонял как сумасшедший, но как подрос то перестал это слушать. и не слушал ЛП уже много лет. сейчас вот переслушал и чисто ностальгически кайфанул. а некоторые трэки прям сладкие. но в целом засчёт того, что ЛП от меня отлепились естественным образом поставлю не пятерку. а ещё идите нахуй хуесосы кто говорит что это музло для школьников, не тру роцк. это идеальная точка входа в рок, а уже потом из этих детей вылупятся снобы говноеды типа вас мудачков )))

Hell yeah

I get why they were popular but they sound very dated already.

Reasonably well mixed album. That said the lyrical content leans more on the side of edgy cringe than genuine angst. The sound is hard and heavy, but the punch pulling softens the overall appeal.

A classic nümetal album. However, even if it's very well known today, perhaps the most well known, it was not really genre defining at the time and does have its weak points.

An amazing album to hear as a pre-teen. All that pent up child/teenage angst released with a nice bit of rap/rock/nu-metal. Then a few years later I turned 16 and never played it again. Listening back as an adult I'm torn between hearing the songs as I heard them then and loving it and hearing it afresh now and realising it's pretty naff. 4* and 2* respectively for those two versions of me.

"The best-selling rock album of the 21st century". What if that said more about the state of rock than it being an endorsement of this?

I was prepared to give this a go, but I just do not like it. Nu-Metal crossed with bad rap. I can appreciate some of the creativity, but I won't be spinning this one again.

linkin park has not aged well. still fun despite its corniness but the hits on this thing still hit. you're better off just listening to the top songs of this n skipping the rest

Like bits of this, but similar to a lot of nu-metal it can feel a bit plastic to me. Not sure what itis, maybe over production, too much compression...not sure, but everything feels like it has a sheen, like it's somehow restrained and lacking depth. Lyrically, the overuse of first person moaning about relationships can get tiring, there is a lot of 'tell' and not much 'show' going one, with lyrics telling us how the singer feels, but not giving much story / context.

I am sorry but I simply cannot take this music seriously

Whiny voices and indecipherable guitars to be "edgy" , utterly unlistenable and probably in the worst 5 albums on this list.

Trash

This is embarrassing to listen to. Lyrics that the kid failing school because he didn't try but blamed the school relates to and record scratches that puts Jet Set Radio to shame, there is nothing here that I enjoy. The fact that System of a Down is lumped in with this whiney rap-rock bullshit because the era of nu-metal just happened to be going on is awful. Everything here just sounds the same, and the best part here is that it is relatively short compared to most other albums on here.

An album of angry anthemic fight songs. Was never a fan of the punk, pop era. Chester's thrash metal vocals sound forced (to me) and the constant rapping over the top just doesn't appeal, but each to their own, probably a generational thing and I'm too old for it. It's like nine inch nails origins, but hungry for commercial success has made it niche, conceited and inauthentic. Glad it's only short. Sad about Chester though, rest in peace.

I’ve always had a problem with Linkin Park The singer sounds too much like James Hetfield and their songs just all run together

No notes needed

Hybrid Theory is the sound of lightning captured in a bottle. Linkin Park would cement themselves not only in the record books but into the psyche of millions of music fans that persists to this day with this immediate approach to rap, rock and all things in-between. No wonder why Hybrid Theory continues to rack up adoration and accolades close to a quarter century after its release.

Another album that's hard to be critical of since I loved it so much as a teenager. To me it still holds up pretty well though, and I like the mix of influences from metal, rap and electronic music. I do prefer Meteora but Hybrid Theory is still fantastic

the album that transformed my 6/7 year old brain into knowing about other music that could be hard and fast. growing up was 90s hiphop and spanish music, this is how I learned about music. this album is a pillar in defining the early 00s with their nu-metal sound. sure there was Korn and the like, but this was the first that truly went to #1 with their innovative orchestra of strings, beats and guitar riffs. Chester you will forever be missed. R.I.P.

honestly, i forgot how good this album was. Despite a consistent motif throughout both sonically and lyrically, it continues to strike at the heart of loneliness, sadness, despair, heartbreak and yearning for something greater. Chester's vocals embody the theme, and the lyrics of Mike really build out the message before slamming home that beautiful nu metal sound.

One of my favorites from high school

One of the best debuts ever. Solid from start to finish. Chester and Mike really make each other shine on vocals.

Thoroughly enjoy this album start to finish. Quite interesting how divisive the album is. Whether you absolutely love this album and listen to it often, or find it to be overdone, lazy,and late to the scene; you have to admit this is an absolutely unique album. Deserving of it's place on this list.

Loved this one! Definitely rocked to it in the car!! Will add to rotation. "In the end" is a timeless rock classic

Hard for me to be objective here; while listening to this I found that I still knew all the words to the songs that never even made it to the radio. That said, this album holds up really well. Yeah, it's tainted a bit by the nu-metal of its time, but I still enjoyed the heck out of a re-listen in 2024. I forgot what a great song "A Place for My Head" is. I know there's a line in one of their songs that "rock and hip-hop have collaborated for years" but I still feel like Linkin Park lead that charge in the 21st century. I'm not going to write a treatise comparing the influences of Run DMC and Linkin Park here; I'll just say that this album felt novel at the time and it's still fucking great. I wasn't expecting to see this one on the list, but I'm very glad it is. 4.9

I was a little tardy to the party on Linkin Park. Being fresh off the initial rap/rock boys club that is Limp Bizkit I needed a break and didn't give LP the attention that they deserve.

This one might be my most listened album this year, ever since I started listening to it on February I just kept coming back to it one way or another, mainly because of how it's such a good and consistent listen all the way through, all the songs are just incredibly well crafted and produced, they are catchy but also still have edge to them, the lyrics are so earnest that yeah it can be a bit much but personally I completely feel the emotions within them and even relate to them. It's weird to explain why I like it, especially with how maligned this album was in the past and the endless memes, but looking beyond that there is an honest to god great album that really showed that Nu Metal might be as disposable as people say it was. I don't know, I like this album a lot

One of the best

"The sound of your voice Painted on my memories, even if you're not with me I'm with you"

Somehow still know all the words to all the songs. This album is my youth encapsulated.

I saw a bit more discourse and dislike for this album than I expected to see here. My opinion: let the haters hate, this album is special and deserves to be here. Linkin Park did not create nu-metal nor rap metal -- those movements were already fully in swing when this album came out. That said, this album arrived during the turn of the millennium and really seemed to open these genres up to a whole new generation of people. It ensnared and primed that new generation of angsty music lovers before emo really took off. This album didn't rehash these genres, Linkin Park found a completely new way forward in mastering these genres. Chester Bennington goes all the way and leaves EVERYTHING on the floor in EVERY track on this album with unique, raw, and tormented vocals that cut right to the listener, the likes of which had not really been seen since Kurt Cobain. Following that Nirvana comparison, it bears mentioning that Mike Shinoda and the rest of the Linkin Park band have outstanding interplay with Bennington as well as a strong overall band synergy as well, creating very catchy and memorable hooks, mixes, and riffs. As a result, nearly everyone has their favorite tracks from this album that speak the loudest to them, but there is simply not a weak song or a skippable song to be found here. This is another album where it is just remarkable to witness what a band was able to conceive of and release right out of the gate with their first album. What a legacy they started! This album is a high enough 4 for me and revisiting the entire album for me was a lot of fun, so I feel inspired to round up.

so much better than i remembered. dated but still aged like fine wine, somehow

here after they changed a vocalist and dropped from zero this album is fire tho and never getting old

Duh.

I am not a huge Linkin Park fan, but this was awesome. The wall of sound they produce is really punchy and sonically powerful, while still being very melodic and music. I couldn't get enough of this album, so I listened to it twice. Five stars.

This is #day99 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... throwing Hybrid Theory at me on a day when From Zero is released? Well played, random generator, well played. Linkin Park. What does this band mean to me? Well, everything and beyond. LP wasn’t just one of my first exposures to alternative rock; it’s a band, whose music's been tattooed under my skin ever since. It articulates pain—a feeling that isn’t limited to adolescence but resonates with simply being a human. I used to scream my lungs out with Chester, rap along with Mike, scratch with Mr. Hahn, and bang my head to Brad’s riffs. I'm not even mentioning graffiti (there's still one on the wall of my parent's basement), haircuts, outfits (those Chester's shirts though!), and posters all over my room... That’s what Linkin Park means to me. And, beyond the personal connection, this is just incredibly well-crafted music. Smartly produced, catchy, and emotionally charged. Now, Hybrid Theory... Funnily, I’ve always considered myself more of a Meteora guy (although it’s not directly related, I’m also a huge fan of Fort Minor, which came onto the stage two years after). My first exposure to Linkin Park around 2004-2005 was via a mixed CD-R that combined both albums, plus a Hybrid Theory EP. So, for the longest time, I didn’t quite know which songs belonged to which album! And over the years, I've grown into being very much an album person. It wasn’t until I got my first PC and internet access a few years later (and finally got to watch Live in Texas) that I might have started to understand the distinction. One thing I do know for sure, though, is that Minutes to Midnight was the first album I consciously remember looking forward to. Still, some songs from Hybrid Theory send shivers down my spine to this very day. With You, Crawling, Runaway, In the End, A Place For My Head, and, of course, Pushing Me Away—these are the moments that not only define this album for me but are among Linkin Park's many timeless pieces. Yes, this is the one to check out before you die, hands down. A solid 5 out of 5. Looking forward to... well, wow, #day100.

a fantastic blast from the past - angsty fun

My brother and I grew up liking the same music and bands for years and this album was the first one I bought where it was a differing of tastes. I even remember being at the mall (I think FYE at the Garden State Plaza?) and having this CD in my hand and looking at eachother and realizing for the first time that we weren't twins or the same exact person. He didn't really ever get into the band but I am so happy that I gave them a chance. This album is really a force of a debut and was so refreshing for me to hear as a young teenager. At the time I was a young kid listening to old heavy metal music- Pantera, Iron Maiden, Metallica... bands that were active but already had established sounds and discographies and were acts that felt a bit distant and out of reach for me. A bunch of older guys playing stadiums you know? Then Linkin Park comes around and it's young heavy metal riffs through mesa amps, incredibly tight and compressed to hell drum grooves, catchy EVERYTHING- then a hip hop verse from Mike Shinoda and you are like "what the hell is going on" and then you get slapped with Chester Bennington's raw screams and chilling clean singing voice. Wow. My favorites have always been "Points of Authority" & "A Place for My Head"; both tracks that weren't huge hits but I think that's because I listened to the album so much and the singles were so ubiquitous that I found enjoyment elsewhere once I exhausted the big ones. Looking at the track list, there are so many modern classics on here- "Papercut", "One Step Closer", "Crawling", "In the End". Those three are on the same album- is that ridiculous or what? I didn't remember that those 3 are all on this album, I'm really blown away by that. Is there a better metal album in this century? Putting on my thinking cap for metal subgenres, when I think of the greatest metal albums that fit in this category and also released after 2000, I think of the following: Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake Mastodon - Blood Mountain Mastodon - Leviathan Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf Between the Buried and Me - Colors Between the Buried and Me - Alaska Gojira - From Mars to Sirius Gojira - The Way of All Flesh Meshuggah - obZen Slipknot - Iowa Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings Converge - Jane Doe Pantera - Reinventing the Steel Necrophagist - Epitaph All of these are amazing, amazing records and each have some special place in my heart. Does Hybrid Theory deserve a place on that list? I think so- maybe even at the top (note: that list is in no order). I love all of those albums listed for many reasons but none of them had the reach that this one had, or even as dynamic of a sound as this. It's at least a debate. A funny subcutural phenomena occurred with this album around the time when Chester passed away in 2017. For years this band became a bit of a meme in the "true diehard" heavy metal community, where they were thought of as kind of "soft" in the years prior. They were never really a true heavy heavy metal band, but they became a bit of a guilty pleasure for metalheads until Chester passed away, and then the milieu shifted and everyone was more openly accepting of the band and guilty pleasure became just a pleasure. Almost like a switch was flipped and everyone started saying "idgaf what you think i fucking love Linkin Park". It's a solid 5/5 for me, and one of my favorite albums of all time. In referencing my always-in-flux favorite albums list, it's around #12. On the right day it's a top 10. I've thought a lot about this album the past year, with the band announcing Chester's replacement. I don't like the choice. I thought a lot about the album and what it meant to me the year that Chester passed away, in 2017. It's a real time capsule / period-of-time record for me. My old best friend Matt from middle school loved this album and recommended it to me when we were kids, and listening to it while playing video games with him, his brother, and my brother are some of my favorite memories in my entire life. Whenever I hear this band or album I think of him and it brings me a lot of happiness. Matt's no longer with us and I imagine that he held onto our shared memories of listening to this album just as close to his heart as I have.

I was going to write a long review of this album. I tried so hard and got so far. But in the end it doesn't even matter.

If Linkin Park is a 5/5 band, this must be a 5/5 record. It's just iconic.

man hybrid theory gets a five sure whatever

The pinnacle of nu-metal. The death of Chester Bennington still stings 7yrs on - similar to that of Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Anthony Bourdain, Philip Seymour Hoffman…. Hug your friends.

Consumed this album when it first came out.

RIP Chester, after re-listening to this album I'm standing by my belief that he's up there with the greatest rock/metal vocalists of all time. The beginning of each song gets you so hyped for the chorus, and then when the chorus finally comes I feel like that one levitating SpongeBob meme. 5/5

16/10/24 One of the few albums I didn't need to listen to, but listened to anyway.

神中神

Man oh man was i excited to get to this one. Hybrid Theory is my favorite album of all time and after this listen, i have stuck with that opinion. You really can't go wrong with songs like Papercut, One Step Closer, With You, Points Of Authority, Crawling, Runaway, By Myself, In The End, A Place For My Head, Forgotten, Cure For The Itch and Pushing Me Away. That sounds like a lot of songs huh? Well, that's because i listed every song off the album, they are all amazing with sublime instrumentals, incredible vocals from Mike and Chester and lyrics that may sound like typical teenage angst at first but are actually really mature once you look deeper into them. This is probably gonna be the last time i will say this is the best album i have done on this project because i don't think there is an album better than this one. Best Song: In The End Worst Song: Cure For The Itch (Side note: I wish Meteora was here too but i am still happy this one is on this list, also rest in peace Chester)

Goes Hard

Funnily enough, I've been procrastinating from listening to the albums on this list recently by listening to Linkin Park loads. Lots of nostalgia with the classics, but I'm also starting to love some of their less famous songs now. Have also been loving their live videos, incredible stuff, and feel like I didn't fully appreciate them when I saw them live. This album is a classic and just amazing.

Des pièces courtes et incisives, comme les papercuts du premier titre. À la fois lyrique et saccadé, la voix prend son envol malgré la lourdeur rythmique.

Sehr sehr geil

Ton of memories with this one

Takes me back to being a teenager and playing RuneScape, used to listen to this all the time. Great album.