Linkin Park

Reanimation

Not the best.

Review Score:

(6/10)
The remix album is often frowned upon, as most of the time, it's just the same vocals over a new beat which sucks more than the original. This album, however, is a different story.

Like many aspects of their music, Linkin Park went all-out on this 'reanimated' album, breaking down familiar hits and not-so-familiar ones into a different animal. Reanimation truely shows the creative side of the band and their tastes in music.

From orchestrated performances to rock song turned hip-hop, it's all here. Ever wanted to hear In The End turned into a hip-hop song? Done. A redone beat, new lyrics, and collaboration with Motion Man make this mosh song into a hip-hop head nodder. The fast-paced Forgotten gets an interesting twist as everything has slowed down into a less-rash rap song, with a guest appearance from Chali 2na, of Jurassic 5 fame.

But for those who enjoyed LP's rock side, there's no lack of that either. The reanimated Pushing Me Away is a classic song that is even better than the original. The new chorus along with new vocals from Stephen Richards makes this possibly the best remix on the album. However, the last 3 tracks of the album take the cake.

In Hybrid Theory, the song 'Cure For The Itch' was a strange affair, from the very beginning sounding like a showcase of scatching skills and a very laid back beat. The treated version of it is possibly the most changed of the lot; something you might possibly hear in a club. Unlike the first, the reanimated version is danceable/break-able.

One Step Closer and Crawling, two of the most successful songs on LP's debut, have been broken down into two emotional pieces. One Step Closer gets an urban/jungle feel to it, with a new atmospheric intro that sets a whole new tone to the piece. Crawling gets a string orchestra put to it, creating an emotional and climactic end to an already great album. Both tracks blow the rest out of the water in length; both come in at over 5:30 each.

As a whole, Reanimation is not just a remix album. It's a look into the creative minds and outlet of a band once thought to be one of the most "corporate" bands in existence, and prove that, like their debut album title suggests, Linkin Park is truely a hybrid of a different sort.

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