Hybrid Theory
Hybrid Theory EP

THE REVIEW

Before becoming actual clowns, champions of the most fake and commercial nu-metal, Linkin Park were called Hybrid Theory (conveniently the name of their first real album), and they were a decent group somewhere between crossover and hip-hop. Nothing to do with masterpieces like "Rage Against the Machine," "Angel Dust," or "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (of course, heaven forbid), but there was at least a minimum of artistic depth. The group was formed by the union of Xero with singer Chester Bennington. The only testimony under the name Hybrid Theory will be this very EP, released in 1999.

The lineup is almost identical to the LP sextet, with the only difference being that the role of the bassist is still vacant (Phoenix will join in 2000), and thus the bass is played on some tracks by guitarist Brad Delson and, on others, by a friend of the group, Kyle Christener. The rest of the band consists of rapper Mike Shinoda, drummer Rob Bourdon, and DJ Joseph Hahn, plus the aforementioned Chester.

The task of opening the work is entrusted to " Carousel," which presents everything that characterizes the LP sound: verses dominated by electronic inserts and rapping and choruses with prominent guitar riffs and scream-like growls (Is that all, you might think? Well, yes, what did you expect?). Practically every song that Linkin Park will write in the future will be a (small) variation on this theme. After a mini instrumental of 40 seconds played by Mr. Hahn, "Technique," we come to the best track of the EP, "Step Up." The psychedelic-like verses, thanks to guitar and piano arpeggios and never-so-varied drumming, contrast with the typical chorus, which is quite enjoyable. Maybe it's because there’s no sign of Bennington (except for a few seconds of background chorus), but I quite like this track. "And One," on the other hand, is entirely entrusted to Chester, apart from some pressing and satisfying rap parts, and the sound returns to the typical LP coordinates, although the central melodic interlude and the electronic finale make it quite varied.

The only track that will be picked up later is "High Voltage," a 100% hip-hop track, made interesting by the chorus sung by a robotic voice, and by the effects used by Mr. Hahn, which make the overall atmosphere of the track somewhat eerie. The last track, "Part of Me," is another engaging track full of rhythm changes (from rapped verses to the hard chorus that stops for a hypnotic guitar arpeggio) that extends beyond the 4 minutes of the actual song, into another 4 unnecessary minutes where a single electronic sound is reiterated and, striking the tenth minute, launches into an instrumental dominated by electronic drums and keyboards.

In short, it may not be a perfect work, but neither is it rubbish like the 2 albums released so far by Linkin Park.

RATING = 6.5