California alt-metal hit-makers Linkin Park followed up their monumental 2000 debut with more (and a little bit less) of the same. Released in the spring of 2003, Meteora is a lean, mean breakdown of their then-trademark sound: aggressive guitars, hip-hop beats, turntable scratches and the dual vocals/aesthetics of frontmen Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda.
At a little over 36 minutes, the album was both shorter and (arguably) better than Hybrid Theory, boasting tighter grooves, better melodies and (most noticeably) more adventurous sampling from the group's secret weapon, DJ Joe Hahn. Though its 2007 follow-up Minutes To Midnight would more or less ditch the rap-metal sound, Meteora remains a major favorite among Linkin Park fans and, well, just about everyone else who listened to rock radio in the early '00s.
"Foreward"
A pointlessly brief introduction to…
"Don't Stay"
"Sometimes I need you to stay away from me!" Chester roars over a hard/fast surge of Brad's thick guitar riffs and Hahn's frenetic turntable scratching. The aggressive, feverishly lurching bridge sounds very Hybrid Theory, don't you think?
"Somewhere I Belong"
Love that processed reverse guitar sample, juxtaposed with Brad Delson's clean, ringing guitar arpeggios. Shinoda and Bennington reportedly wrote upwards of 30 different choruses for the song, eventually sticking with this one. "I will never be anything 'til I break away from me…" Meta commentary on the band's evolving sound? Mm, maybe.
"Lying From You"
Another cool intro sample (and collage of glitchy Joe Hahn beats) collides with a coarse, rugged collection of guitar riffs and intricate vocal interplay between Mike and Cheseter. Another thrashing, Hybrid Theory-esque riff-o-rama during the bridge, complete with scratches and Chester's battered howls.
"Hit The Floor"
There's some cool, vaguely Asian-sounding percussion toward the beginning of this one. They get a bit lost beneath Brad's extra-tight riffs and Chester's blood-curdling chorus shriek.
"Easier To Run"
Love the sprawling, airy electronics paired with that soaring, anthemic chorus, boasting maybe Chester's best vocal on the entire album. "Something has been taken from deep inside of me…" Mike's at his emotional best too, rhyming gracefully over a soft bed of chilly keyboards.
"Faint"
Come on, who can't get pumped up once that synth loop kicks in? Good memories of blasting this out the car radio all summer. Easily one of the band's leanest, tightest and best songs to date—love Mark Romanek's stylish performance video, too.
"Figure.09"
Great opening riffs, starting-stopping beneath Mike's loose rhymes and drummer Rob Bourdon's back and forth groove. Classic LP riff-scream breakdown after the second chorus—boy, they really loved doing those back in the day, didn't they?
"Breaking The Habit"
Hahn's vaguely eerie, robotic electronics and Brad's clean guitar plucks billow up beneath another classic Chester vocal ("I don't want to be the one the battles always choose…") Love the layered harmonies on the second verse and how it builds to an emotional peak without a single power chord. Still sounds great almost 10 years on.
"From The Inside"
Sluggish, slow-burning fume of guitars and drums that spills into another sweeping, effervescent verse… thick and melodic… that builds up into yet another powerful, roaring chorus. Nice juxtaposition of sounds on this one.
"Nobody's Listening"
Another long time favorite. Love… I mean, love… the Japanese flute loop and "High Voltage" sample. Shinoda more or less steals the show, with Chester's chorus vocal and Brad's ominous guitar riffs just barely creeping in around the edges.
"Session"
Wouldn't be a proper Linkin Park album without a sweeping, cinematic instrumental towards the end, right? Gorgeously bleak keyboards swirl up and around a collage of crunchy drum patches, punctuated by that minimal, ghost-like piano refrain and Hahn's trademark turntable acrobatics.
"Numb"
Another huge hit you couldn't escape back in the day—classically huge chorus, heavy-as-hell guitars and a tender, emotional verse you couldn't help but sing along with. The perfect end to a painfully-short rock classic that manages to sound better with each passing summer.
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