Meteora [Enhanced]

Linkin Park | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B00008H2LB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,503 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative > Post Grunge
  • #9 in Music > Rock > Rap Rock
  • #13 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Alternative Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Linkin Park’s second studio effort (not counting the 2002 remix album Reanimation) overflows with glossy production values and Big Rock oomph, fully embracing the pop instincts of their Hybrid Theory debut. For many, Theory sounded inexcusably corporate, from its too-timely rap-rock sound to the long list of product endorsements included in the liner notes. Meteora will only amplify those complaints, but this album is actually truer to the band’s nature. It’s still impossible not to hear strains of Limp Bizkit, Korn, Rage Against the Machine, and the like. None of those acts, howeve, would try something as blatantly anthemic as "Easier to Run," which would sound fine to a Def Leppard fan, or as borderline danceable as "Breaking the Habit" and "Session." Linkin Park is what Trent Reznor was always afraid of becoming, but if you ever wished he would drop the pretenses and just make a hair-metal record, you'll find Meteora to your liking. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

185 of 207 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Meteora has arrived, March 26, 2003

By 

Cynthia S. Kornhaber "korndog" (Dana Point, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meteora (Audio CD)

Sure, they may not have the most complex guitar out there and their songs are very structurally similar, but really, Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" was one of the catchiest, most energetic, and innovative cds to come out in quite a while. I loved their first release, loved the remix album just as much, and have been salivating over this new album. So, does it live up to their past two records? Lets go track by track-

1. Foreword- a short intro with speeding up percussion (the sound of a cd burner being beaten up) erupting into the sound of shattering glass and launching you into the next track.
2. Don't Stay- An aggressive guitar driven track with some really awesome dj scratching. Chester Bennington (singer) mixes up the verses with some awesome screaming.
3. Somewhere I Belong- The first single of Meteora sounds like it was constructed from the ground up to be a radio hit in the vein of In The End. That said, the interesting sampling and really beautiful piano part make this track a very memorable in its own right.
4. Lying From You- Heavy, sample laced guitar riffs and thunderous vocals make this one of the most mammoth tracks on the album
5. Hit The Floor- One of my favorites, Hit The Floor features some spectacular samples, skull crushing riffs and screaming, and some real tricky rapping from Mike Shinoda (emcee). I love the bridge, and the chorus has the same sort of weirdly catchy syncopation as By Myself (off Hybrid Theory).
6. Easier To Run- Ugh, my least favorite. Everything about this track smacks of an ill fated attempt to recapture the awesome grandeur off their old single, "Crawling". Though the rapping part is alright, Chester's chorus is revoltingly sappy and boring. Actually, his voice reminds me of Creed in this song (if that's good or bad, you decide).
7. Faint- Fast, furious, slick, and raging, the quick rapping and funky violin samples make this song an instant classic.
8. Figure 9- A straightforward rap-rocker with some clanking sampling and a bridge lifted right off of By Myself, this one is a solid head banger.
9. Breaking The Habit- A really weird sample, featuring Spanish guitar, live orchestra, and -I think- coin chinking sounds from a Mario game plays behind Chester's tortured, magnificent lyrics. A rather large departure from traditional LP (no rap, for one thing), this song really is quite beautiful, though the chorus could be seen as a little corny.
10. From the Inside- A solid ballad with a furious bridge, I think this song is a better Crawling sequel than Easier to Run.
11. Nobody's Listening- A cool hip-hop track with some unique flute samples, clips of High Voltage (another Linkin Park rap song), and some singing in the chorus. Though I'm not a big straight rap fan, I like this track quite a bit.
12. Session- An awesome instrumental, this is actually one of my favorites on the cd. Though its conceptually evocative of Cure for the Itch, the layering of sounds and seriously wicked dj solo make this far better than any of Linkin Park's past instrumentals.
13. Numb- The crowning achievement of the cd, Numb is one of the few tracks on Meteora that not only captures the energy and emotion of Hybrid Theory, it expounds upon it. A beautiful chorus, splendid piano and keyboard parts, and unforgettable lyrics make this my favorite song on the cd.

Overall, this album is musically more advanced and distinguished than Linkin Park's past attempts. However, it is not as gripping, powerful, or focused as Hybrid Theory or even Reanimation. Though a number of songs seem attempt to duplicate past successes- Don't Stay and Ones Step Closer, Somewhere I Belong and In The End, Lying From You and With You, Easier to Run and Crawling, Figure 9 and By Myself, Numb and Pushing Me Away- they seldom capture the elements that made Hybrid Theory such an outstanding album. Nowhere is there the frenetic razor beats of Papercut, the infamous "Shut up!"s of One Step Closer, or the emotional meltdown of A Place for My Head. Meteora excels in other ways, however. The tracks are more diverse, from the techno pop of Breaking the Habit to the ingenious hip hop of Nobody's Listening to the grinding elements of Hit the Floor, the songs on the album are on a whole more different from each other than they were on Hybrid Theory. Newcomers to LP won't be disappointed, but I think long time fans will find them selves yearning for the band's former punch. In fact, its probable that Meteora will not commercially match Hybrid Theory- though a lot of the tracks are soft and catchy, not as many just scream to be heard again. Another gripe is that this is one very short cd- though there isn't a lot of filler, you feel like they keep working up to something grand and never quite achieve it (though Numb, the best track, is last, one amazing song tacked on at the end does not make the rest of the cd monumental). Don't get me wrong, this is a good album and is well deserving of your money, I just think that there is something missing that prevents it from being a 5 star album.

64 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this their second album of PERFECTION?, May 8, 2003

By 

waldo (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meteora (Audio CD)

How does linkin park do it. meteora has excelled all my expectations as I could not believe they could match the brilliance of hybrid theory....But they did.
Track overview.
01.This is an awsome start to any album and blends perfectly with track 2.

02.Don't Stay- A great opener, fast and hard. The chourus grows on you but it is the brigde which stands out and you find yourself yelling with chester. 3.5/5

03.Somewhere I Belong- The single. The intro to this song is so addictive i find myself playing it over and over again. Good song, not the best. 4/5

04.Lying from you-Chester's voice in this song is so powerful and it is impossible not to yell with him. The chorus is again awesome but is let down by the rap. 3.5/5

05.Hit the floor- the major dissapointer of the album. The rap is to similar to previous efforts and the chourus offers very little. 2/5

06.Easier to Run- this chorus is one of the best in the album and blends perfectly with the brige at the end. One of my favourites. 4.5/5

07.Faint- The best song on the album. The intro is incredible and the rap blends so well with chester's chorus. A hard song with the best yelling bridge on the album. 5/5

08 Figure .09- Good song. the chorus isn't as catchy as others but the rap is a stand out. Not original enough. 3/5

09 Breaking the habit- An original an unlike any of their other songs. A quiet song in comparison and the opening scratch with the strings is awesome. Good for a change. 4/5

10.From the Inside- A major stand out. I love this chorus. It has awesome lyrics and is easy to sing with. The best mix of rap and singing to date with an awesome brige. 5/5

11.Nobody's Listening-Again very different.the intro with the pipes sounds sweet. Good rap. Good Chorus. 4/5

12.Session- Dissapointing. Nothing compared to track 11 on hybrid theory where Mr Hahn went off. 1/5

13.Numb- Another great song, easy flowing and again good to sing with. Great lyrics, another favourite, good closer. 4.5/5

*** An awsome album...linkin park has created another masterpeice with every intro being different from the next but being so effective.

Best songs- 03,06,07,10,13

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Meteora sounds the way it does., November 19, 2004

By 

Adam R. Foskey "ARF" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meteora (Audio CD)

A lot of people have asked me what I thought about Linkin Park's 2003 Sophmore Release 'Meteora' and the first thing I would tell them was that it was a nice follow up with some songs that can push them in a newer direction. Now, a lot of you Linkin Park 'haters' who think this album was terrible won't agree with what I am about to say, and that's fine. Linkin Park has a style that, whether you 'love em' or 'hate em', is catchy and it works. They succesfully have combined hip-hop, rock, and electronica to make something that most of us enjoy hearing and they ACTUALLY care about their fans, unlike most bands out there. Now, back to what I was saying before about a 'newer direction'. Meteora was a necessity in Linkin Park's career because they hadn't finished experimenting with their style to a point where they could go into a 'new direction'. Sure 'Meteora' had its moments where it seemed that it was trying to repeat some of the songs from 'Hyrbid Theory' like (Easier to Run=Crawling, and Somewhere I Belong=In the End), but there were other songs such as 'Faint' and 'Breaking the Habit' that helped push thier style to a new point. 'Breaking the Habit' especially is the key song that was the most diverse of all the songs from any of their albums, and because of it they plan to head the way 'Breaking the Habit' helped push them for their next album. I am a Linkin Park fan, yes, but I'm not gonna lie; I like their music and I liked all their albums so far, but I really hope they bring something different forward for their third album, because that is where true artists make/break it. But Meteora is worth buying; it's short, sweet and to the point. No filler songs and a very nice expansion upon Hyrbid Theory. Even if you're skeptical about buying it because you have heard it was bad, buy it anyway because why base your decision off of someone elses OPINION. You won't know for sure until you have heard it yourself.