Customer Reviews

Hybrid Theory

5 star:		(1,226)
4 star:		(220)
3 star:		(100)
2 star:		(65)
1 star:		(180)

 

 

Whether rock-rap or rapcore is going to live on for awhile or die off and fly into history next to other music genres that were short-lived remains speculated over constantly. I, personally, think that rock-rap will live on as long as it wants if talented artists like Linkin Park stay behind the wheel of it's driving force. Before anyone dares to stereotype this and throw it on the shelf next to their dust-growing albums of the same type, or their "got way too old, way too fast" Limp Bizkit CD's, this album DEFINITELY deserves several listens, although just one spin should get you hooked. How, you might ask? It's as simple as the fact that this is one of those rare albums where there simply is not a bad song on the entire thing. One can spin the entire CD without coming across a skippable track or a gut-wretching, space-filling interlude, which can't be said about too many groups in this style of music. Strictly no-BS here.

Leading the front of the group are Chester Bennington, with an amazing voice that would make Maynard James Keenan of Tool jealous, but with enough ferocity to scream his heart out on the level of some of today's loudest metal bands. Such a contrast is rare. Putting forth just as much contribution, and an equal frontman along Chester, is Mike Shinoda, strictly in charge of rap lyrics, who has the flowing ability, if not better, of most hip-hop artists. The crunching guitars of Brad Delson bring the rock part of the album to life, while Rob Bourdon's steady and fast-paced drums keep the beats so in check and so hip-hop oriented that one would swear it is a drum machine at points. However, the most bragging rights go to Joseph Hahn, the band's DJ. He can mix sound effects, cut records, and tear into his turntables with the same level of skill as DJ Lethal, among numerous others, all of which is gloriously reflected in the song "Cure For The Itch", performed only by Mr. Hahn. Strangely, the band didn't even have a permanent bass player during the recording, and had to hire a bassist for each song, but now, thankfully, a permanent bassist by the name of Phoenix has solved those problems.

But that's just where the band lies. The music itself is no typical rapcore. The emotionally charged lyrics on all the songs take the music to a level that Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst can't even dream of achieving. Adrenaline-pumping hard rock songs such as "Papercut", "With You", "One Step Closer", "Crawling" and "Runaway" will silence the skeptical on the heavy metal matter. Mike Shinoda gets a chance to show off his flowing skills on "Points Of Authority", "By Myself", and co-operates on the rock vocals on "Forgotten". More melodic, but by no means quieter or calmer songs include "In The End", "A Place For My Head", and the album's finale "Pushing Me Away". The band's sound itself has influences from A Perfect Circle, Deftones, House Of Pain, Nine Inch Nails, Papa Roach, Videodrone, and numerous others.

Fortunately, this version of the album has two added tracks attached to it. "My December" and "High Voltage", which were originally released on the band's no-longer-available EP, are gracefully added onto here for some extra touch. Although "High Voltage" doesn't exactly fit the mood of the rest of the album, "My December" should have made it onto "Hybrid Theory"'s final cut, ranging as one of the groups best songs, amazingly moving and talented. The implemation of the keyboards in the tune are something not seen very often in Linkin Park's work, aside from "In The End". This is not to mention that Chester Bennington's voice is absolutely beautiful and amazing on "My December". "High Voltage" in itself is a decent song, although it is completely hip-hop and un-parallelled with the rest of the album. Definitely deserves a listen though, especially for the added DJ effects and whatnot.

In my opinion, the best songs on the album are "In The End", "Papercut", "My December", and "Pushing Me Away", although it's next to impossible to choose favorites, as every track is equally amazing. Don't stereotype this album with the rest of it's genre and forget about it. This is a must-have.

Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. I think that putting High Voltage and My December on Hybrid Theory and adding 20 dollars, is not a waste of money,(especially if you have the original album, you should) but I think your money could be better spent. I have attended a concert of theirs and seen exactly what they're capable of. Not only have I heard Hybrid Theory about a thousand times, I have searched for other songs of theirs. When I saw they released Hybrid Theory with two bonus tracks, I was a little amazed. High Voltage and My December are great songs, but the greatest was left out. "And One," a song that they played at the concert I attended, is a GREAT song by them; I believe this song should have been on the original album. The band played this song when they were called Hybrid Theory, not yet Linkin Park. I believe that other songs like Part of Me, Step Up, High Voltage, My December, Carousel, and And One, should be all on a seperate import. Since this hasn't been released yet, these songs can be found and downloaded. I suggest that if you're a TRUE Linkin Park fan, you should track down these songs. If you're someone who just likes the song Crawling and wants the cd, these two bonus tracks won't do much for you! I would give a 5+ for the original Hybrid Theory album, and their other unreleased songs, but for the two bonus tracks for 20 more dollars, I will give an overall rating of 4.

I am 27 years old. I grew up with metal like Black Sabbath, Napalm Death, Megadeth, (early)Metallica, TOOL, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. I avoided Linkin Park like the plague thinking that their all too friendly MTV image would not satisfy my most primal metal urges. I was wrong. It is indeed rare to find a debut album of such complexity and richness. Hybrid Theory plays as a complete album, there are no throw away tracks here. I wasn't sure I liked Chester Bennington's voice at first but after hearing "Crawling" a few times I came to realize that he's got a great voice. He's no Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson but he's up there amongst today's vocalists (except for Serj from System of a Down). This cd is a true "hybrid" of metal and hip-hop influences. Linkin Park uses two vocalists, one singing and one rapping along with a dj and the results are spectacular. The best two tracks are A Place for My Head and Forgotten but all of the other tracks are way above average. So if you've shown slight interest into this band but have shyed away because of their link to commercial interests, I say take the plunge it's well worth it. Hybrid Theory will be the first of many important releases from this band. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I was expecting an extremely angry experience with this album. And in many ways I got it, but the rap aspect of it really surprised me. With the trite-ness of Limp Bizkit, Korn, and a handful of other Metal-Rap bands, I wasn't expecting much.

(01) Papercut - With coool guitars to start this track out joined by the rapper (not clear on the names) who has a very decent flow to his music, this is a GOOD song. The rhymes are pretty good throughout as well. {5}

(02) One Step Closer - You all know this song don't you? I LOVE this song. It has a good guitar riff with a pretty decent set of lyrics. The first half of the song is somewhat stereotypical "Generation X Noise" but at the halfway point when he starts screaming "SHUTUP!" it's very intense and easy to spaz out to. {4}

(03) With You - The rapper starts out this song kinda slow, then it picks up with another good riff on the guitars, and the other singer still has a good scream throughout this song. I love the dub on their voices, too. {4}

(04) Points Of Authority - The rapper starts out this song kinda dumb-ly with an awkward rhyme, but the loud singer has a good melodic part while screaming throughout as well. {3}

(05) Crawling - The song starts with a loud explosion of guitars with the other singer yelling, and then it slows down so he can sing some soft, melodic verses, before the rapper jumps in with a quick line or two (he seems to have a back seat on this song), before the guitars explode again. The other singer screams, and then it slows down again for some truly beautiful singing. Impressive. {5}

(06) Runaway - Another good melodic part by singer #2 and the rapper has a back seat on this song as well. The melody is carried through until the 2 minute mark, where he just starts yelling, with an explosively angry part. {5}

(07) By Myself - The rapper takes the forefront on this track with some mediocre rapping, although it progressively gets better over the course of the track. The second singer really knows what he's doing here. He holds the melody together through the mid-Loud parts and joins the noise of the guitars through the LOUD parts with a tortured scream. {4}

(08) In The End - The second singer has a really great voice, he starts this track out with a quiet, melody, and gradually progresses a little bit louder (he never really screams in this song, and he still sounds awesome!), and he still has a great melody. The rapper has a really good flow in this song. The dub on the rappers voice is awesome too. One of my favorite tracks on the album. {5}

(09) A Place For My Head - This song starts out with the rapper doing a great job! The chorus is kinda awkward. The rapper has SKILLZ! He compares with Eminem's speed in this song. And then it gets loud with the second singer going crazy. Good song. {4}

(10) Forgotten - Uh oh. Limp Bizkit flashback. Fortunately, the song gets somewhat better. The rapper does an overall good job in this song, despite sounding like Fred (retch!). It's an ok song. {3}

(11) Cure For The Itch - Hm. This song starts wierd, with a wierd sample, and some other wierd samples. The instrumental part is very, very cool though. (It reminds me a lil bit of Aphex Twin.) {4}

(12) Pushing Me Away - The second singer has a good melodic part of this song. He really has a great voice. The lyrics are surprisingly well written as well. The rapper has a back seat on this one again, but when he is there, he does a pretty good job. {5}

This is a great CD. If you like loud stuff, or if you like melodic stuff and can tolerate loud stuff, you should definitely get this CD. NOW.

I heard "One Step Closer" on the radio after i bought this CD. I actually had never played it, but now I play it so much that the bottom is scratched all over! It still plays. Well anyway, the album is very very good for nu-metal fans. The songs are rated below:

#1: Papercut: Intense start, emotional finish, rapped throughout. A great song, powerful intro. (9/10)

#2: One Step Closer: The hardest song on the CD. Free of rapping. Very intense; the second best on the CD. (10/10)

#3: With You: Very rythmatic, with a lot of beats and scratching in the background. Nice song. (8/10)

#4: Points of Authority: No raps except the beginning and the 2:15 mark. Great work. (9/10)

#5: Crawling: Awesome work, I think its about some mental patient. 3rd best. (10/10)

#6: Runaway: Not very good for their standard, but still a good song; all about betrayal. Nice. (7/10)

#7: By Myself: A sleepy rap, nice job, with what seems like a crash in the background (9/10)

#8: In the End: DEFINITELY THE BEST!!! One of the best nu-metal songs ever. Rapped and rocked in various spots. (10/10)

#9: A Place For My Head: Mostly rapped, very rapid fire style, about being used by people. (8/10)

#10: Forgotten: A hard rap about tough times. (9/10)

#11: Cure for the Itch: Record sampling all about rythyms and beats. No singing, just the DJ at work. (8/10)

#12: Pushing Me Away: Lighter rock, only a little rapping.
This is the 4th best. (10/10)

This was an awesome CD that you just don't want to stop playing. If you even remotely like to listen to rock or nu-metal, this is the Cd that will get you listening all the time. It is a great album and worth every last penny you pay for it!

This is by far the best CD I've ever owned in my life, and probably will ever own until their second album comes out and its better. Linkin Park is not a certain genre - it is not rap, rock, hip hop, or metal. It is truly its own genre. I've decided this because I've never heard anything like them before.
I don't see how some people consider them so terrible, or "one step closer" to becoming a boy band. Honestly, do you really imagine Justin Timberlake screaming "Shut up when I'm talking to you" at the top of his lungs? I don't think so...
Before hearing this album, I was a total pop-crazed idiot. I owned almost all the Now CD's, 2 Britney Spears CD's, 2 'NSync CD's, and pretty much all the other pop artists that I curse now. Linkin Park completely changed my music taste - their lyrics and melodies are beautiful, the screaming doesn't go over the top, and amazingly - THERE ARE NO SWEAR WORDS. That is rare in this music world these days, since it seems like it's painful for Limp Bizkit and DMX, among others, to not throw in an "F" word every two minutes.

1. Papercut 8/10 - This one really get your attention, a great opener. The lyrics are powerful and smart (my favourite line being "The sun goes down, I feel the light betray me" - I dare Fred Durst to sing something like that), and even the video is awesome. Mike's rapping is excellent here.

2. One Step Closer 8.5/10 - Shocking. If I could use one word to describe this song, that would be it, but not at all in a bad way. Over time it has become my second favourite track - at times I can really relate to the lyrics. I even enjoy Chester's screaming at the end - haha, call me crazy.

3. With You 6/10 - Honestly, not my favourite, though I still love it. The lyrics are wonderful and the chorus great, but I just can't to seem to keep my attention on it. It's still great, though.

4. Points of Authority 10+/10 - By far my favourite track on the CD. It confuses me that it isn't being played on the radio as much as "In the End" is, the lyrics are fabulous and the opening verse is completely original. Not to mention it's also fun to sing along to... *grin*.

5. Crawling 8.5/10 - This one grows on you. Some people may think "Oh, it's genius" and I'm slowly realizing that it is, though not as genius as other songs. The lyrics are powerful, Chester's voice is at his best, even the shock of jumping from soft singing to intense screaming adds flavour. The video is beautiful as well, the story is somewhat moving. This song deserves praise.

6. Runaway 5.5/10 - I catagorize this one with "With You." Great song, but not as grabbing. It's actually a good song to hear if you're new to the band, next to "In the End," since it isn't as shocking and the lyrics are great.

7. By Myself 8/10 - One of my favourites. It is similar to "Crawling," with Chester singing softly during the verses, and then it jumps to the shock of his screaming during the chorus. I love the lyrics, and everything else.

8. In the End 8/10 - I know, I know. Am I expected to write endless praise for this song? I admit, it's great, but a little on the overrated side. Great lyrics, great singing from Chester, great rapping from Mike - simply great. It stands out. The piano is beautiful, as is the video. But for some reason it doesn't rank highest on my favourite list... I'm not sure why yet.

9. A Place For My Head 8/10 - Another one of my favourites. I love the lyrics and the singing, its fantastic... and again, I love when Chester does his screaming at the end: "You try to take the best of me, go away!"

10. Forgotten 7/10 - Great, but not as great as others. I love it, but I wouldn't call it a favourite. I love how it jumps right into the singing instead of having a instrumental intro, I thought that was cool.

11. Cure For the Itch 7/10 - Great addition to the CD. Different, clever, and fun to listen to. Mr. Hahn is a great DJ, and I'm very pleased that they decided to put this track on the CD. It's nice rest from all the powerful songs.

12. Pushing Me Away 8/10 - Wonderful song! I'm a little disappointed that they put it on the end of the CD, because by the time I get to it I'm a little worn out. But it's still excellent. Great lyrics, and beautiful music!

I recommend this CD to everyone who wants a fabulous break from the songs that are nothing but screaming, swearing, and all the [stuff] that popular music these days are. Linkin Park is a truly great new addition to the music world. Their concerts rock, too *smile*!

If you're interested in buying a hard rock CD with decent lyrics, I strongly suggest you buy this one!
The first time I heard One Step Closer, one of the albums singles, I was imeadiately hooked! The lyrics are worth taking the time to listen to. Unlike most rock songs they are understandable, and the writer clearly was not afraid to reveal his true emotions.
At first I was a little thrown off by the screaming that goes on in most of their songs, but after listening to the CD a few times, it's pretty obvious that the whole shouting thing contributes to a major part of the music.
If you're looking for a mix of hard rock/rap, order Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, I guarentee you'll love it!

If you're pondering whether to get this or Chocolate Starfish, I suggest you check this out before you purchase that one. This is a better album, in my opinion, and they don't use the "F" word nearly as many times as Fred Durst does (I don't think any band uses the F word as many times). Actually, I don't think I heard that word a single time on the whole disc. As far as the music goes, there's a great balance between metal and hip-hop. That's probably because Linkin Park has one thing Limp doesn't: two singers. They didn't let it get too much rap or too much metal, unlike Limp Bizkit, where it's one way or the other. They've got an excellent DJ who shows his stuff off on the lone, but awesome, instrumental Cure For The Itch. One Step Closer is a great song, as is the opener Papercut. Other good ones are By Myself, Crawling, A Place For My Head, and With You. The one song I didn't like is the current single, Points of Authority. I don't think the lyrics were their best ones. This is one CD you'll definately have to check out. I can't wait for more.

This is one of the best CD's ever. Linkin Park has pretty much created their own unique blend of music. With two vocalists, you would think things would be kind of weird, not so. With one person rapping, and the other singing it creates a unique blend that few groups can pull off. With the Samplers and DJ's it makes some pretty cool sounds that tend to unite other parts of the song. The powerful guitars are used extremely well to shape songs impression.

Now the Break Down of the CD.

Songs 1, 2, 3, 4 are all awesome. There isn't a note I would change in any of the songs.

Songs 5 and 6 are pretty good too, but there not much of a comparison to other songs on the CD.

Songs 7, 8, and 9 have more rapping than the other songs, which is great if your into that type of thang. But me, I like the heavier stuff, so these songs didn't really appeal to me as much as the others, even though they are still great songs.

Song 10. My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!

Song 11. It's not really much of a song just a thing the group threw in there for fun.

Song 12. Great song, read what I said for 5 and 6.

Overall I love this CD, and for the price, It's an great buy

Whether rock-rap or rapcore is going to live on for awhile or die off and fly into history next to other music genres that were short-lived remains speculated over constantly. I, personally, think that rock-rap will live on as long as it wants if talented artists like Linkin Park stay behind the wheel of it's driving force. Before anyone dares to stereotype this and throw it on the shelf next to their dust-growing albums of the same type, or their "got way too old, way too fast" Limp Bizkit CD's, this album DEFINITELY deserves several listens, although just one spin should get you hooked. How, you might ask? It's as simple as the fact that this is one of those rare albums where there simply is not a bad song on the entire thing. One can spin the entire CD without coming across a skippable track or a gut-wretching, space-filling interlude, which can't be said about too many groups in this style of music. Strictly no-BS here. Leading the front of the group are Chester Bennington, with an amazing voice that would make Maynard James Keenan of Tool jealous, but with enough ferocity to scream his heart out on the level of some of today's loudest metal bands. Such a contrast is rare. Putting forth just as much contribution, and an equal frontman along Chester, is Mike Shinoda, strictly in charge of rap lyrics, who has the flowing ability, if not better, of most hip-hop artists. The crunching guitars of Brad Delson bring the rock part of the album to life, while Rob Bourdon's steady and fast-paced drums keep the beats so in check and so hip-hop oriented that one would swear it is a drum machine at points. However, the most bragging rights go to Joseph Hahn, the band's DJ. He can mix sound effects, cut records, and tear into his turntables with the same level of skill as DJ Lethal, among numerous others, all of which is gloriously reflected in the song "Cure For The Itch", performed only by Mr. Hahn. Strangely, the band didn't even have a permanent bass player during the recording, and had to hire a bassist for each song, but now, thankfully, a permanent bassist by the name of Phoenix has solved those problems. But that's just where the band lies. The music itself is no typical rapcore. The emotionally charged lyrics on all the songs take the music to a level that Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst can't even dream of achieving. Adrenaline-pumping hard rock songs such as "Papercut", "With You", "One Step Closer", "Crawling" and "Runaway" will silence the skeptical on the heavy metal matter. Mike Shinoda gets a chance to show off his flowing skills on "Points Of Authority", "By Myself", and co-operates on the rock vocals on "Forgotten". More melodic, but by no means quieter or calmer songs include "In The End", "A Place For My Head", and the album's finale "Pushing Me Away". The band's sound itself has influences from A Perfect Circle, Deftones, House Of Pain, Nine Inch Nails, Papa Roach, Videodrone, and numerous others. Fortunately, this version of the album has two added tracks attached to it. "My December" and "High Voltage", which were originally released on the band's no-longer-available EP, are gracefully added onto here for some extra touch. Although "High Voltage" doesn't exactly fit the mood of the rest of the album, "My December" should have made it onto "Hybrid Theory"'s final cut, ranging as one of the groups best songs, amazingly moving and talented. The implemation of the keyboards in the tune are something not seen very often in Linkin Park's work, aside from "In The End". This is not to mention that Chester Bennington's voice is absolutely beautiful and amazing on "My December". "High Voltage" in itself is a decent song, although it is completely hip-hop and un-parallelled with the rest of the album. Definitely deserves a listen though, especially for the added DJ effects and whatnot. Also, this version contains the video for "One Step Closer", the band's first radio/MTV (God have mercy) single. The video in itself is pretty interesting, having a dark and bizarre theme that's somewhat unexpected. In essence, it's two kids watching the band play in a dark sewer with strange, costumed individuals floating in the air. While not as thrilling as videos by such names as Tool, it definitely gets your attention. In my opinion, the best songs on the album are "In The End", "Papercut", "My December", and "Pushing Me Away", although it's next to impossible to choose favorites, as every track is equally amazing. Don't stereotype this album with the rest of it's genre and forget about it. This is a must-have. However, if you're going to get charged a high price for two extra tracks and a video, don't bother and simply get the original version.