Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park (CD, Oct-2000, Warner Bros.)

This may be the best cd I ever bought. Linkin Park is very talented, and they use that talent well. This is really the album that started Linkin Park world-wide fame. Chester Bennington's screams, rasps, and some much softer vocals are perfectly coupled with Mike Shinoda's skillful raping. (its so hard to find skilled rap vocalist now days) The heavy guitar riffs only add to the great overall sound of this album, and I can hardly think of a way to make it better.

Here is a quick rateing and description of this albums tracks.

1.Papercut
10/10 A great start to the album. Papercut is a upbeat song about paranoia, full of lots of Mike's raping combined with some raping from Chester in the chorus. And a great harmony at the end.

2.One Step Closer
10/10 Who doen't love this song. This is a heavy, Chester-led song, with heavy guitar riffs, and the poetic screaming of SHUT UP!!!, SHUT UP!! SHUT UP WHEN IM TALKING TO YOU!!!. (the best part of the song)

3.With You
9/10 Not as hard as one step closer, but an overall strong song. This is another great combo. of Mikes raping, and some mostly more relaxed vocals from chester.

4. Points of Authority
10/10 A deeply rap-hip hop title, howwever chesters vocals are still present. The intrumentals are very techno-electronica in nature, combined with fast guitar sounds.

5. Crawling
10/10 This grammy winning song is one of the best on the album. This song perfectly combines hard and softer vocals from chester, creating a feel i havn't experienced in any other song.

6. Runaway
9/10 A song about wanting to run away, one line states, "I wanna run away, and open up my eyes". Another great overall song.

7. By Myself
8/10 A great song full of chesters sometimes unrecegonizable screams. (gotta love those).

8. In the End
10/10 Probably the best song on the album. This is one off the songs that really put Linkin Park on the map.

9. A Place for My Head
10/10 Probably the heavyest song on the album, as stated in the unrelenting screaming of "YOU TRY TO TAKE THE BEST OF ME, GO AWAY!!!! Which is repeted several times.

10. Forgotten
10/10 A great combo of some slower raping, with chesters great emotion filled vocals. I cant help but listening to this over and over again.

11. Cure For The Itch
7/10 Starts out a little different, with a voice saying, something about a very special guest, Mr. Hahn. (Mr. Hahn is Joe Hahn, a member of the band) Then, its mostly instrumental wiht only a few words,

12. Pushing Me Away
10/10 A great ending to the album. This has some of chesters softer vocals, with som raping from Mike. Its as the title says, is about being pushed away from those you love.

Overall Rateing, 10/10. Definitely worth buying, And I would get the special version, wich includes My December, 10/10, and High Voltage, 9/10, along with a live version of Papercut, 10/10, (papercut is always better live) trust me.

Linkin Park is a band which hit nearly instant success in 2000. Having one previous EP that they never released in stores, although was sent to various labels as a demo, and was later sent out to fan club members at a certain point.. Linkin Park jumped right on the success train. With an album perfectly fitting for today's youth: Whining, depressed about nothing at all, and repetitious. Just like most kids hitting puberty happen to be. There are very few points on this album which show any level of songwriting ability above that of your typical high-school band which doesn't get outside of the garage.. Except Linkin Park had more money. The only real skill in this band lies between two people. DJ Hahn is actually quite talented, although they don't let him accomplish a bloody thing in this band. And secondly, Mike Shinoda is actually somewhat talented with rapping, at least with scripted rap. No clue if he can freestyle or not, and I quite frankly don't care. But he's decent. More talent there than the rest of the band. Regardless, the music is extremely repetitious and dull. There are no lyrics in this whole forty minute disaster that show any sign of anyone in the band being above the age of ten. These are worse than what I wrote when I was eleven. The guitar is power chords in drop D throughout the whole CD, that anyone with an amp, effects box, and a tuner can play. Terrible music for a future generation of kids who are embracing the worst popular music of any generation.

Singles: Papercut, One Step Closer, Points of Authority, Crawling, In The End. Released in 2000. Mix of rock, screamo, techno/dj, rap, and more giving linkin park their unique sound.

when this cd hit stores, linkin park was just starting as a band. i believe it was one of the best first cds a band can have. every song is great, with a rock/rap mix from the two vocalists, awesome rythms from the distorted guitar, and great beats on the drums. it is no more than a rock album, but i believe it has created a new genre, and i also believe it has strongly influenced current bands. this is a must.

Linkin Park gives a great performance in their Hybrid Theory cd. Especially in their loud, hard rock style in Runaway, By Myself, & A Place for my Head. This cd is Linkin Park's best cd, even beats Meteora!