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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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."

RIP Chester.

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.

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.

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.

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.

IN THE END NOTHING EVEN MATTERS

Already an album I've known and enjoyed for years

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

Shut up and clean your room, dude.

Shit

Why is this on the list

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.

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

Youth in an album

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...

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.

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

Neck workout

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.

Hell yeah

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 )))

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

"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.

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

my adolescence

Love this album.So many good songs.Best nu-metal band.Chester’s voice is so good and yeah the rapping might seem a bit dated now but it’s still amazing.

Major sentimental throwback to my youth here and very happy that even 20 years later I still rate the album as high as back then

What a proper album. The production is absolutely perfect. Not too polished, but tight and the songs carry the same sound giving the songs a cohesive belonging. Chester’s voice carries the album while the unique blend of hip hop and hardcore create something so tough but vulnerable. In the end, pun intended, you have a masterpiece in a genre that very few achieve such recognition and success in.

Bold and unpredictable. This album doesn't fall into any one category. Lyrically powerful and musically frenetic and energetic. Definitely listenable to again and again.

Big time nostalgia album here. Alex put us all on to Linkin Park, including Dad. I do think this was my favorite of their albums, it's got a constant flow of banger tracks. Undeniably heavy-hitting riffs and power chords, great melodies throughout. They're dipping their toes into nu-metal I'd say, but they're a more accessible rock band for a lot of people. I think that's due to the clarity of the vocals, even at the points where Chester is screaming or Mike Shinoda is rapping. And the lyrics are simple, but strong and contemplative. The messages are all pretty good, helping emo kids come to grips with negative emotions and the unfairness of the world around them. "I tried so hard, and got so far. But in the end, it doesn't even matter." How do you make that sentiment into a catchy, heavy rock chorus? I would love to know how many fathers connected with their kids through this music. Wikipedia says it's the best selling rock album of the 21st century, and I'm not surprised. I was going to give this a 4.5, knowing that nostalgia is elevating it perhaps undeservedly, but then "Place for My Head" came on. "I watch how the moon sits in the sky on a dark night, shining with the light from the sun. But the sun doesn't give the light to the moon assuming the moon's gonna owe it one." KILLER track. That's enough to tip the scales. This is a fiver. Favorite tracks: Place for My Head, Crawling, Papercut, By Myself, Runaway, One Step Closer, almost all of it. Album art: Time has made this one iconic, even though it's maybe not that strong on its own. A graffiti figure on a concret wall with dragonfly wings. Has never meant much to me, but it has aged gracefully. 5/5

Love this album, have it on vinly

Love Linkin Park!

Had listened before. Very nostalgic, but very bitter sweet considering Chester's decision to take his life in 2017. Will listen again, 5/5

Love it

Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex That said, it's still a favourite of mine. I'd listen to this all the time back then... and still often do now!

Love love love

Holds up. Still goes H A R D.

Van sortir en el moment precís, enmig del sorgiment del nu metal, per portar el génere a unes cotes de creativitat que els seus col.legues de génere no havien assolit ni assolirien posteriorment. Un disc fora de sèrie, marcant un hite en els àlbums que tractaven la barreja de géneres, i compilant gran part de les millors cançons del rock d'aquells anys en un sol disc

The first thing I brought with my first pay-cheque in 2001. An incredible album that I loved then, and love now - with the lyrics hitting even harder. Superb

This album changed my life

classic

Well well well. I think we had meteora on here and I had mentioned that was my first Linkin Park album. This one came shortly after and solidified this band as one of the greats. A new sound at the dawn of the millennium that was a beautiful mashup of rap, metal, punk, and rock. Beyond the regular instruments you had Mr Hahn on the synths and dj-ing on top of Mike Shinoda’s hip hop dance and the late Chester B’s howls. Side note, it was foolish of anyone to assume that man wasn’t hurting as almost every single song on all the albums references pain and sadness to one degree or another. But what truly makes me love this album (beyond its sister album Reanimation) are the lyrics. I’d argue this album against almost any other of any genre for its biting and timely lyrics. Every single word and rap is perfectly placed and not only tells a story, but flows like water. Whether it’s through screams or raps. This was an album I often sang while running or just in general so all the lyrics are second nature. So since I love every song on here I’ll call out some choice lyrics from each. Papercut: it’s like I’m paranoid, looking over my back. Like a whirlwind inside of my head, I can’t stop what I’m hearing within. It’s like the face inside is right beneath my skin. One Step Closer: All these words they make no sense, I find bliss in ignorance. Less I hear the less you’ll say. With You: when things go wrong I pretend the past isn’t real. Now I’m trapped in this memory and I’m left in the wake of the mistake. (Also excellent Hahn track at the end) Points of Authority: forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the frame, puts your name to shame. Cover up your face, you can’t run the race the pace is too fast you just won’t last. Crawling: my walls are closing in. Without a sense of confidence and I’m convinced that’s there’s just too much pressure to take Runaway: graffiti decorations under a sky of dust, a constant wave of tension on top of broken trust. By Myself: do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness, or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness. In The End: I kept everything inside and even thought I tried it all fell apart. What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard and got so far but in the end it doesn’t even matter. (This song really hits hard losing Chester) A Place For My Head: The sun doesn’t give life to the moon assuming the moons gonna owe it one. Makes me think of how you act to me you do favors then rapidly turn around and start asking me about things that you want back from me (what a metaphor) Forgotten: the memory is now like the picture was then, when the papers crumpled up it can’t be perfect again (I like the Reanimation version better) Cure for the Itch: ladies and gentleman, Mr Hahn Pushing Me Away: even the people who never frown eventually breakdown (so true, also prefer the Reanimation version) So yeah this is a five star. Needed this one today…RIP Chester.

Awesome album from a awesome band.

RIP to the goat. In the end, it does matter!!!

God

Directo en la nostalgia adolescente. Jovencitos gritones que muy a la moda combinan la música pesada con la lírica rapeada y sin saberlo se convierten en algunos de los precursores de todo un movimiento. Poquito repetitivo pero ayuda mucho aún recordar muchas de las letras. 4.5 estrellas que voy a subir a 5 porque sí, directito en la nostalgia y me hizo agitar la cabeza con singular alegría.

This is unironically really good. Makes me feel like I'm 14 again. THIS OS WHERE YHR CRAWLING IN MY SKIN AONG IS GROM

Absolute fucking banger. If this is the genre of music you like, there's not a bad track on the whole album. 8 of the 12 are in my "liked songs" list in Spotify, and even the other 4 are still totally listenable. RIP, Chester. You are definitely missed.

Another one for the memories! I was always more of a Meteora fan, but Hybrid Theory has a really big place in my heart. Song 'In The End' is extremely catchy, and I know the lyrics still after twenty-ish years. Album starts on a high note with 'Papercut' and it actually just gets better. All around, it's a very even record. With this debut album, Linkin Park position themselves on the Mount Olymp of the Nu Metal wave, and for some (like me), on the very top of it.

Zalige plaat! De diepte van de nummers is zeker een meerwaarde

A revelation of an album that still endures today. "In the end, it doesn't even matter." I beg to differ. RIP, Chester. RIP.

What can I say other than this album is everything I want from emo-type rock. It’s not perfect, but it’s one of the best

I was 17 when these guys exploded onto the scene, and I couldn't have been MORE the target audience. Those were some formative years and these guys were part of my identity almost. I played this CD so much it's permanently engraved on my brain, to the extent I could probably not listen to it for another 50 years but still somehow remember all the lyrics. I'm aware that the nostalgia factor has woven its way firmly into my rating, but I think if I heard it for the first time today... I think I'd still be on-board. I'd definitely have some heavy eyerolls at some of the overly-dramatic lyrics. I can't go on! The face inside! Paranoia! Pain! However, I think I'd still massively appreciate how many brilliant hooks and singalong choruses are in here. You can't deny how great some of these songs are. To me these guys hitting when they did, it was lightning in a bottle. Everything came together, riding the nu-metal wave, Chester's raw vocals, Mike Shinoda's rapping, the heavy riffs, the soaring choruses. I love it. What a debut.

This album is like a teleportation device that instantly brought me back to middle school. I don't think I can separate my nostalgia from an honest music review on this one. Linkin Park were one of the bands that I would consider the soundtrack to my youth. I can clearly remember the first time I heard Linkin Park. I was sitting in the basement listening to Much Music, as a kid in Canada would do in those days. This song came on that was heavy, with screamed vocals, and hip hop mixing going on in the background. I was just starting to dip my toe into the "hard rock/metal" scene at the time, and was also hard into listening to hip hop, so this was a blend of the two music genres I was fond of, so it immediately grabbed my interest. The music video had a super industrial feel to it. Then came Chester's hook in the middle of One Step Closer, where he yells "Shut Up" several times with increasing intensity, and I was hooked. These lyrics immediately spoke to me as I was in my "rebellious youth" phase of life. From the song One Step Closer: "Everything you say to me, Takes me one step closer to the edge, And I'm about to break! I need a little room to breathe, Cause in one step closer to the edge, And I'm about to break!" Chester was saying what I wished I could, so I immediately went to the store "Records on Wheels", bought this album, and proceeded to fan boy everything they put out until into my high school years. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times in those years. Nu metal has always held this stigma that it is an "introduction to metal" which I would agree with. For Someone just trying to get into the metal scene, I was finding that bands like Slayer or Sepultura scared the shit out of me. Bands like Linkin Park or Korn were firmly rooted in the same metal style, but wasn't so abrasive, so it was almost like a stepping stone to the heavier and darker bands of true metal. Chester Bennington's voice was absolutely stellar! I simply love the live video that accompanied the song Given Up, where he held a scream for 17 seconds. Amazing. That powerful voice, coupled with Mike Shinoda's turntable work created this softer, more welcoming metal/hop hop hybrid that just immediately hit with me. Overall, an amazing trip down memory lane to some great times in my life, when things were simpler, and time ran slower. I have a soft spot for this music, this band, and specifically this album that will always be there. RIP Chester, you were a hell of a frontman, and were gone too soon! Favourite songs: In The End, One Step Closer, Papercut, Crawling, Points of Authority, Runaway, A Place For My Head, Forgotten Least favourite song: if forced to pick: Cure for the Itch 5/5

Blinded by nostalgia here. More proof as to why Linkin Park is my favorite band of all-time. These songs carry such emotional significance for me, as they introduced me to music, and are probably the foundation of my taste in punk rock today. To be totally fair, the lyrics here are very surface-level. I never felt like Chester was a brilliant lyricist, but he always wrote with raw unfiltered emotion. Which ultimately led to plain and derivative lines that Chester sold incredibly well with some of the best vocal control I've ever heard. The hooks are catchy, the screams are cathartic and it feels like every song could have been a single. Hybrid Theory is one of the most iconic albums of the 2000s. It's not LP's best record (forever a Thousand Suns superfan), but it is their most important. RIP Chester. Favorite songs: With You, Papercut, By Myself, Points of Authority, One Step Closer, Crawling, A Place For My Head, Forgotten Least favorite songs: N/A (In The End, I guess?) P.S. when I hear any song on this album, I think of Club Penguin, because I discovered LP in 2006 when I was five years old and spending every day playing the Club Penguin pizza game and watching LP/Club Penguin music videos on YouTube, like this: https://youtu.be/vCbY-9hZxwE

I remember when I first saw them on MTV. It was crazy to see Rap and Metal together. Even if they didn't invent it, they helped popularize a new genre. Also, the album is great from A to Z.

Amazing album, amazing band

Not a bad song on this album. When I was a freshman in college, "One Step Closer" was a big MTV hit. I bought the cd because back in 2000, I bought the CD of any album that had a song I loved. Upon the first listen, I realized that was a band that was much more than they appeared on the surface. Nu metal is often criticized as mimicking other genres but comes off like it's trying to hard. This album has elements of metal/screaming, hip hop, and melodic rock and it does all of it exceptionally well. This might be one of my favorite albums we've had yet.

Mind

There arent many albums I can point to that really set off my love for music but this is one of them. There probably isn't an album I've listened to more in my life than this. RIP Chester and thanks for everything you did for me and music as a whole.

Childhood/teenage memories unlocked! It's a all killer no filler record after all this years.

Since this is one of the first CDs I bought with "my" own money, and it also contained some of the first songs I downloaded as illegal .mp3 files. My emotional memory already ensures a 5-star rating. However, besides my good memories, this album also represents the synthesis of the 2000 rock songs. It represents the feeling of these lost years, with all the remaining angry and revolutionary mindset from the 90s, while also being a preview of all the following musical tendencies of that time: the rap-rock ascension, the emocore feeling that would dominate all the charts of the decade and even a kind of prediction of what would become trap/hip-hop for the next decade, incorporating all the angry (and sadness) of the 90s and 2000s accumulated. Meteora is a better Linkin Park album, but this one absolutely is a hors concours for me.

5 stars for my favorite so far. Biased maybe but it's still a solid 5 star

On nostalgia alone I would give this 5 stars. However I can’t do that so I give it 5 stars for Chester’s haunting vocals and defining a generation of alternative rockers.