P.S.: When labeling the album in question, I selected nu-metal, although, in truth, it would be a melodic nu-metal, at times even a pop/rock. A little warning, to avoid confusion...
Three years after the best-selling “Hybrid Theory” (which came out in 2000), “Meteora” is released, the third chapter of Linkin Park, one of the most hated, yet at the same time loved, bands in the rock/metal scene (as I have already mentioned in my review of “A Crow Left On The Murder” by Incubus).
>After the intro FOREWARD, the album starts with DON'T STAY: the riff is interesting, and the electronic elements are quite fitting. SOMEWHERE I BELONG is one of the weaker tracks on the record, while in the following LYING FROM YOU things get better. HIT THE FLOOR is quite aggressive, but with EASIER TO RUN the energy drops: it seems Chester Bennington, the band's leader, wants to imitate Justin Timberlake... fortunately, after comes a great track, FAINT, the best of the album: the voices of the two singers (Bennington and Mike Shinoda) blend excellently and the electronic elements are used superbly. The next track, FIGURE .09, is decent, while BREAKING THE HABIT is quite a unique song: Bennington's "warm" voice accompanies the tight rhythm of the song, which proves to be respectable. FROM THE INSIDE is quite similar to IN THE END from “Hybrid Theory”, whereas in NOBODY’S LISTENING Mike Shinoda takes the lead, as the track is very hip hop. SESSION is a very instrumental track, while in the concluding NUMB you can hear Chester once again attempting to imitate Timberlake... not the best...
How to judge the album? It is undeniable that there are some very interesting tracks, others are quite enjoyable. The major flaw is that in some songs, Chester Bennington, instead of shouting at full throttle (which I believe he is capable of), gets lost trying to sound like a pop singer (the aforementioned Timberlake...). Moreover, the short duration of the CD (36 minutes for 13 songs is quite ridiculous) leaves much to be desired...
An album that could have done better.
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