Linkin Park

Hybrid Theory

This is what got me into rock!

Review Score:

(10/10)
Let me start out by saying I own cds of all genres: cookie cutter pop, chirstian rock/pop, pop country, classical, rock, and soft rock. All except rap. I hate rap; in fact, I DETEST rap. I find I don't like rock that much either. And yet Hybrid Theory gets more time in my cd player than any other cd. Why? Because many of these critics are right: this isnt pure rap/rock. And that's the way I like it; simply, I like Linkin Park for what they are. You can't categorize Linkin Park under one genre and expect thier music to fit in seamlessly.

So with that said, what amuses me to no end about this cd is that there is a lot of screaming, enough that it verges on being vulgar, yet there is no swearing (shut up would literally be the extent of it). They're rageful, but WHAT they have to say and HOW they have to say it is enough to express themselves; they don't need the cheap effect of cuss words to make their point. My hats off to LP for managing that. (In reality, I don't care whether a band swears or not, as long as they sounds earnest.) But this lyrical cleanliness just works out with Linkin Park, which is admirable, considering the fact that they're music is most associated with "rap/rock", two genres riddled with the f-word.

But lyrical cleanliness aside, the greatest part of HT is the meat of the cd, as it should be; in other words, the music. They're lyrics are dead-on; a lot of teenagers will relate to them. The songs can be about anything the listener wants them to be about--the effects of conforming with the rest of society, expectations from friends and family, a lose-lose relationship, and peer pressure. It all works.

And those lyrics are delivered in the form of disgustingly addictive choruses, raps and screams by two artists who know what they are doing. Chester can sing his heart out. Even his screaming, while angry, is harmonized. And you can actually understand Mike's raps, which never, ever stoop to the "bling-bling kind of rhymes with f--ing" trend rampant in today's hip-hop world. Not only can you understand them, but his smooth raps complement Chester's angry, tortured vocals flawlessly.

With that in mind, I won't hesitate to give Hybrid Theory a five out of five.

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