Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory

THE REVIEW

It was the year 2000 when Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon released their first LP under the name Linkin Park. The album's title is "Hybrid Theory," just like the band's previous name. Just when the Nu Metal wave was slowly fading, the Los Angeles quartet decided to produce this CD. It has very little Metal or Nu Metal. "Hybrid Theory" is not completely to be discarded, but it cannot be considered a Metal album. The 12 tracks of the album have nothing original and do not innovate the music genre in any way, remaining anchored to a rocking Hip-Hop without any pretense except to sell music to those under 15 years old.

The work opens with "Papercut". The song is already a bad omen for the listener. Not because it is unlistenable, in fact, we can define it as quite catchy, but there is a noticeable lack of inventiveness from the group. The banal and stereotyped guitar riffs and Bennington's voice, too similar to that of any Boy-Band singer, are a stab in the chest compared to Shinoda's good flow and the decent lyrics. In "One Step Closer" Chester dedicates himself entirely to singing in one of the best pieces of the album. Nothing new under the sun with "With You" and "Points Of Authority." The latter is noteworthy for a peculiarity: the riff of the verses, great though not very original. Then we arrive at the very famous "Crawling". The track also won a Grammy, and in my opinion, the video was very important for the award, touching in some ways but pathetic in others, and the text's connection to Chester's past. But the song is one of the least valid of the entire CD. We started with a Pseudo Pop-Metal from the previous tracks to arrive at an unprecedented Pop-Commercial verve. The singing of the verses is tailor-made for 12-13-year-old girls who want sweet nothings and want to move on from the Backstreet Boys. "Runaway" is not very different from the previous track; if anything, it is less valuable than it.

From the seventh track onwards, fortunately, we have an improvement, starting with "By Myself". All the merit of the track lies in its excellent chorus, certainly not very original or innovative, but the track is still pleasantly listenable. In my opinion, the best track on the album. The next, "In The End", unfortunately, follows in the wake of "Crawling." The track is still worth listening for the enchanting piano intro composed by Shinoda and for his rap in the verses, but the chorus seems like a package ready to be shipped on MTV. Chester's voice, especially in the bridge, becomes too syrupy and Teen-Oriented to be vaguely interesting. This last piece also pays for its celebrity with a lack of originality. Then we have "A Place For My Head" equipped with a pressing main riff. Mike Shinoda is appreciated for the excellent verse, a bit less Chester for the overly catchy but still fitting chorus. "Forgotten" perfectly embodies Linkin Park's style. Adrenaline start, slow rapped verses, and ultra-catchy chorus. Despite these characteristics, the track is decent. "Cure For The Itch" is simply a way to make the album longer since, frankly, I don't see any other reason for the existence of this useless track. "Hybrid Theory" closes with "Pushing Me Away", where unfortunately there's too little Shinoda, making the track even more banal than the others. It is still a listenable and appreciable song but without any notable artistic flair.

The whole "Hybrid Theory" does not present any noteworthy artistic flair. It's an album that can be listened to without being horrified, but it doesn't leave a mark in music history or even in the smaller world of Nu-Metal. Catchy but lacking in originality.

Personal judgment: 6/10.