Hybrid Theory Reviews

• Great and worth all the money!

  
  By A2JT5X557H8JWX on 2002-01-04
  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!
  
  

• Five Stars from a Skeptic...

  
  By A2C5LA07JCDWTN on 2001-09-28
  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.
  
  

• Stunning

  
  By on 2002-02-26
  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*!
  
  

• great cd!

  
  By A31WT74NNIQR93 on 2000-12-03
  While many compare this band to Limp Bizkit, and Korn - let's get real here guys - these guys are actually singing about meaningful stuff - this isn't a Fred Durst that has the same words in all his songs or a Davis who goes I hate life every 5 seconds. The songs are very melodic, the dj is rather impressive, and the lyrics give the band a strong sense of credibility and musical talent. If you go back and look for their demo tape (when the band was called Hybrid Theory), you should listen to the song 'step up' - the "rapper" as we seem to be calling him here, sings about all these rap-rock bands that 'just get a dj for credibility. Basically, all these generic bands that have been popping up when "rock and HIP HOP have been collaborating for years" so no, linkin park is not another band hopping into the bandwagon - they are original, creative, serious artists who have come to give the current rap-rock scene a good name so good bye nookie, and so long mr. f the world - here comes the new scene!!
  
  

• Impressive!

  
  By AOY159B8GHYWO on 2000-11-04
  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.
  
  

• Definitly The Next Big Rising Group
  By APUTM5XW3TMYC on 2000-11-04
  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
  
  

• Hypnotic
  By A25S2GDM4HGVL2 on 2001-10-10
  I first heard Linkin Park on MTV, with their first single, One Step Closer. I loved it. Of course i bought the album which totally raised to the expectations. A great piece of work that i recommend to all real music lovers out there.

  First let me get one thing straight, to a reviewer that said that if you like Limp Bizkit you will also like Linkin Park. Totally false. The only common thing between these two bands is that they both sing "rock music". But rock music is huge and the styles of LP and LB are totally different.

  Unlike Limp Bizkit (a band that i also love), Linkin Park is heavier (when it comes to sound), more original (perfect combination between so many types of music), and, the most important thing, much wiser. Listen to the great lyrics and you'll know what i mean.

  The CD kicks off with Papercut, the band's third single, a rap metal song combining Mike's great passages with Chester's amazing voice. Still this song doesn't materialize completely Chester's talent, he kind of raps himself during the chorus, and the instrumental passages aren't the best. 7/10.

  Then comes One Step Closer - one of the best songs on the CD. A hypnotic song that you can never get bored of, with an inspiring chorus and a perfect passage in which Chester screams "Shut up when i'm talking to you", on the well built rythms of DJ Joseph Hahn - 9.5/10.

  With You, the third song, is also brilliant, check out the lyrics, very cool, and the chorus, which sticks to your brain and you won't ever get bored of it. 9/10

  Points of authority is doubtlessly the worst song on the album, i always skip it because except Mike's short rap passage it doesn't bring anything new or original. 6/10

  Crawling was the band's biggest hit here in Romania, a great song that probably needs no presentation right now, after it spent the whole summer on MTV and the other music channels. 9/10

  Runaway is, just like Pushing Me Away, a song with almost no rapping, just Chester showing his great skills, plus a short passage that reminded me of KoRn. 8.5/10

  By Myself amazes especially by the lyrics, sometimes even poetic. The chorus is pretty dull and boring once you've listened to it a few times. 7.5/10

  In The End is the best song of the album. It already has a video so you should all know it by now... simply awesome. 10/10

  Then comes A Place For My Head, the song that definetely should've been a single. Fast paced, original, full of great guitar riffs and rap passages. All the qualities for a big hit. 9.5/10

  Forgotten surprises by the hardcore chorus and the lyrics, a pleasant song but should've been situated earlier in the album. 8/10

  A Cure For The Itch is an electronic song created by Joseph Hahn, with no voice, just rythms. 8/10

  Pushing Me Away is a great way to end the album, and leaves you wanting more and more..... well maybe next time. 8.5/10

  So go on and buy it!!!!
  
  

• I'm about to BREAK!
  By A18XUB0HJTKTJD on 2001-05-25
  Going strong with a mix of rock and rap, Linkin Park hits up all the marks. With this excellent mix comes incredibly composed beats. Probably one of the few bands that successfully mixed both elements of hardcore rock and rap.

  One of the BEST highlights about this band in general is that they don't use ANY swear words at ALL. None, zero. Some people think that if an album features "rap" or "hip-hop" it has a reference to drug use... this is NOT true and Linkin Park doesn't mention anything about drugs. Linkin Park decided to go with their own original, creative style, without the use swear words. Unlike some bands out there, like Limpbizkit, in which Fred Durst says the "F" word at least 12 times in the first 2 minutes of his new album.

  I enjoy all the tracks on this Hybrid Theory album. Some of my personal favorites that I could relate to is "Crawling", "One Step Closer", "In The End".

  If you're a Limpbizkit fan, enjoy rap/hip-hop and are into rock, check out Linkin Park. Their different, creative, and talented artists!
  
  

• Linkin Park created a new musiacl genre, "disposable music"
  By AQ1IJ2WXVY5T0 on 2001-04-12
  Words do not describe my contempt for bands like this. They package and market their angst as if it were a t-shirt. Like Limp Bizkit, KoRn (newer KoRn), Papa Roach, they are corporate boys. Designed by a label to sell records and t-shirts, no different than designer clothing. Open your musical horizons, there is a whole world of sound outside radio, and MTV. These two mediums will only show you what is hot and most marketable at the moment. Disposable music is what I call it. They bring nothing new to music, never raise the bar, they leech of the bottom for fifteen minutes, then when their populartiy dwindles, it's off to the used cd bins. If you want angst music or music with a message listen to Hatebreed, or Snapcase, they have not been completely corrupted by corporation. Linkin Park, and the bands I mentioned earlier, have no staying power, in a short amount of time they will be gone. I will not shed a tear.
  
  
• Great CD--Get It If You Love Rap/Metal With An Edge
  By AW3FTPCBPVQNB on 2002-01-24
  Linkin Park have made a striking debut with HYBRID THEORY. It isn't rap/metal in the same way as Limp Bizkit. In fact, they don't sound anything like Limp Bizkit; they have a new, fresh sound all their own. It's so recognizable that, after I had heard "One Step Closer" and "Crawling" a few times each on the radio, I knew that it was Linkin Park when I first heard "In The End". (At that point, enough was enough and I had to buy the CD.) Their sound is recognizable without ever being repetitious, quite a remarkable feat for such a young band.

  I played the entire CD and found not one bad song on it. Most songs are very good, and some of them are great. I still love "In The End" the most, because I love how they interweave Mike Shinoda's fluid rapping and Chester Pennington's emotional, anguished lead singing so seamlessly in it. Also, I feel it makes such important statements about life that I can really relate to it. Of course, I also love the jagged-edged "One Step Closer"; again, I can relate to past feelings of being pushed "one step closer to the edge", and "about to break"! I've also screamed "shut up when I'm talking to you" many times before--but we won't go there. The song "Crawling" is a perfect combination of Linkin Park's edgy metal grind on the choruses with surprisingly soft and lush Savage Garden-sounding vocals and music on the verses. They pull this seemingly impossible feat off with aplomb. Other notable tracks include the opener "Papercut", "By Myself" and "Pushing Me Away", although honestly every song on this CD is good and displays the band's talent for blending sharp guitar-oriented rock with cool, textured beats.

  I think that right now Linkin Park is in the position of being one of the more important bands of the new millennium, and I look forward to hearing them as they grow through the coming years. Of course, I'm sure that the band members have no pretensions at all about the future--in the end, it doesn't even matter! :)
  
  

• ...GOOD! 5 STARS!
  By AHHZ2RYH3KD8O on 2001-01-27
  I must be the only person sick and tired of this ... rap\rock genre... and people conveniently place bands in it that don't belong.. a perfect example would be Linkin Park. Rap? Come on people, get with the program

  This is techno\rock. Don't bother comparing Linkin to Limp, give them a little credit.. Linkin Park, that is. Take any song on "Hybrid Theory" and compare it to any song on any Limp Bizkit album and you will see why the comparison is wasted. This is more listener friendly industrial. Despite the fact that Linkin Park has a DJ, that does not make them rap. DJs are used for sampling too.. yeah, that's right. Not just annoying scratching here and there. So go ahead and compare every band on earth. Don't waste your time. Just judge everything on it's own merits.

  Linkin Park is definitely the best new band I've heard in a couple years. I think the strongest point of the album are it's lyrics (something often overlooked). Chester Bennington can actually write meaningful, evocative, thought provoking lyrics...which is a nice break from neaderthalic misery rock that bands like Staind represent. The guitars and the programming are balanced really well, and the rapping does not overshadow - yeah, something you don't see a lot of in rock these days - MELODY! Linkin Park uses melody! These guys are good, no doubt about it. Go buy this CD, you will not be disappointed.
  
  

• Intelligent, powerful rock music for the 21st Century
  By A4ZJA6U0PO5WK on 2003-05-20
  First things first - this is not a nu-metal album. Rather, it's a collection of fine rock songs, refracted through classic pop, hip-hop, alt-metal, emocore and almost any other genre of popular music that you could think of.

  Linkin Park are clearly better than most of the other bands they get compared to. Unlike too many of the current US bands, they operate using both melody and emotion. That's REAL emotion, by the way, not the synthetic anger manufactured by cynical record companies wanting to sell records to alienated teenagers. You see, while Fred Durst likes singing about rolling and trying to cram 46 f-words into one song, Linkin Park are interested in your fears and insecurities, your broken relationships, your darkness, the things that keep you awake at night. And, for the most part, they deal with these things in a mature, genuinely emotive way.

  The storming opener Papercut starts with a syncopated drumbeat and breaks into a swirl of guitars, with Mike Shinoda rapping about paranoia over the top. There's no denying the power of the bridge section when Chester Bennington sings, "The sun goes down/I feel the light betray me."

  First single One Step Closer highlights LP's best weapon - the way in which the double-barrelled vocal assault of Shinoda and Bennington makes a song scream with tension and passion; they complement each other perfectly.

  With You contains the album's first real melody of note, as well as the first example of the band's ability to create a genuinely atmospheric soundscape over which Shinoda raps in a more chilled-out way than in other songs. The chorus soars beautifully, and Bennington injects the line "I'm with you" with much more conviction than Avril Lavigne could possibly manage.

  Crawling was the single that made me buy the album two years ago. The way Chester Bennington sang about his insecurity had a monumental impact on me, almost as if it was about my own insecurities. It still sounds fantastic, with its stark, haunting verse breaking into a chorus so blistering yet melodic that it could rip paint off walls. Turn it up very, very loud and scream/cry along.

  Runaway is really atmospheric, with one of the best lyrics on the album, "Paper bags and angry voices/Under a sky of dust". Bennington is, however, prone to some awful metal-screaming moments, where he actually sounds like he could be in one of those horrific bands like Disturbed or Murderdolls that you see on Kerrang TV. He has one on Runaway and one on By Myself (and in fact he has one on new single Faint from Meteora). Someone ought to tell him how damn off-putting it is.

  Even the massive radio/TV overplaying of UK top ten hit In The End can't hide its sheer gorgeousness. Shinoda's rapping sounds more fluent than anywhere else, the piano line is simply beautiful, the lyrics are as good as any on the album ("Watch it count down to the end of the day/The clock ticks life away/It's so unreal"), and the guitar harmonies are brilliant.

  A small handful of tracks (Points of Authority, the slightly Eastern-sounding A Place For My Head and the slightly lame hip-hop of Cure For The Itch) fail to engage in the same way that the others do, but that may be more a reflection on the quality of the other songs.

  On the whole, LP do a really good job of conveying the turmoil of adolescence, and even if they do get a bit angsty at times (By Myself) and the lyrics are incessantly dark and gloomy, at least it feels real.

  And, to finish on a positive, there couldn't be a better last track than Pushing Me Away. It's a pure rock anthem (with hardly any rapping), and if it is radio rock, then radio rock has never sounded so fresh and exciting.

  I haven't heard Meteora yet, but I think LP are so much more than just another alternative boyband. They WILL last the course, of that you can be certain.
  
  

• sweet stuff
  By A17U3HDG5X4F9C on 2000-12-11
  i had heard 'one step closer' once or twice and happened to see this cd in the store when i was in the mood for something harder so i bought it and i'm so pleased that i did. i really think this is one of the best rap-core type albums to come out in a while. limp bizkit has long over stayed their welcome as far as i'm concerned, crazy town is pretty weak, and pod just doesn't have the right edge for me. but linkin park has what i was looking for, a good mix of rap and rock lyrics and music. there are times when the vocals are almost metal like screaming and they might switch to nearly straight rap the next minute, and the music is varied as well. another thing i really appreciated about this album is how clean the language is. it is really refreshing to find a bunch of guys who can rock hard without needing to use foul language just for the sake of putting curses in. for that alone, i would give them five stars. but they earn it anyway as far as i'm concered by taking elements that they've obviously taken from others and using them well as their own music.
  
  
• A must have
  By AM37NBDS1QLCT on 2001-01-04
  This album is soooo amazing. I got for under ten dollers at my local music store and I can't get it out of my cd player.

  1)Papercut-10/10- At first it was my favorite untill I listen to the whole cd. It's so cool with the lyrics and the riffs and the dj in the back.

  2)One step closer-10/10-I still like this song but I uselly skip through it because I hear it on the radio all the time. "Shut up when I'm talkin' to you!" :)

  3)With you-10/10- I love how they blend Cheaster Bennington's vocals with Mike Shinado's and then the riffs are amazing.

  4)Points of authority-10/10- A very catchy chorus and once again Brad Delson has amazing riffs in it. A very cool song.

  5)crawling-10/10- At first I would skip through it but then I started listening to it and I found it was really cool. It starts out like I don't know sort of a rap-rock balled but it has cheaster screaming it at some piont.

  6)Runaway-10/10- A deep song about him wanting to runaway. and how everyone blames him for everything but still a good song.

  7)By myself-10/10- It starts out really fast but it slows down when cheaster sings. But when he says by myself mike shinado steps up to but it back into the *Linkin Park Mood* and starts screaming Myself I ask why, but in my mind I can't rely... awesome song.

  8)In the end-10/10- This is a little diffrent it starts out with piano in the beginning and ends with piano. It has a very catchy chorus and you would thing you have heard it somewhere else.

  9)Place for my head-10/10-tied for my #2 favorite song with #11. It starts with Brad playing and then Joe Hahn and rob Bourdon *drummer* join him it really cool kinda dancable I would say. I love the chorus.

  10)Forgotten-11/10- The best song on here and my favorite it starts right after #9 stops with "From the top to the bottom...." It is so awesome and the instruments blend togather in a way the leave you hanging 4 more and the lyrics are so cool.It gets stuck in my head all day. This Diffently has to be there next single.

  11)cure for the itch-10/10-Like I said before it is tied for 2nd favorite with 9. but it doesn't have anyone talkin in at after the first part it's just Dj Joe hahn doing some stuff but it is really awesome I could diffently see this in a club and everyone dancing to it.

  12)Push me away-10/10-A great song with a cool chorus. The chorus gets stuck in your head. It's on some sound track I forget which one.

  This is a MUST have cd all the songs on here are awesome! I always listen to it straight through I can't get enough of the cd. personally its too short. These guys have amazing talent. And I couldn't see them going away any time soon.
  
  

• POLL, ONLY IF YOU HAVE THIS ALBUM
  By A10IDVD9INU6FP on 2005-10-15
  iF YOU REGRET BUYING THIS ALBUM AND THROWING YOUR PRECIOUS MONEY AWAY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER SPENT PRESS YES. IF YOU FIND THIS ALBUM A GREAT INVESTMENT AND SOMEDAY THIS WILL BE A CLASSICAL ALBUM THAT WILL GO TO BE AN ALLTIME GREAT PRESS NO.
  
  
• THEY'LL BE GONE IN 15 MINUTES
  By AGUYAI9CL8AYO on 2001-01-24
  God, i am so sick of all these bands trying to be rap rock. It just sucks! Everyone knows this music has no lasting power. Hell, even fred durst said this is just a fad. Linkin park are just rippin' off all the other rap rock bands out there, and they fail at it too! and whats up with the 2 vocalists?? couldn't they just get one who was actually good????

  And now to reply to a few of the other reviews. First, to the person up here who called this heavy metal...uh no its not idiot! True metal is bands like slayer, nile, kataklysm, morbid angel, cannibal corpse etc. oops, sorry, i bet all u little 12 year old rap rock fans dont even know who i'm talking about. Anyway this is not metal, hell it aint even hard!!!!! Its nsync with screaming!

  And to the guy who said metallica fans will like this...have u even heard old metallica?? probobly not. u probably only know from the black album up, which just pisses me off...idiot!

  Well, these guys suck, rap rock sucks, and if you'll excuse me, im gonna go listen to real music, by bands you losers have never heard of.
  
  

• what the hell IS linkin park~???
  By A193CRMSWGS2V0 on 2001-04-08
  Linkin Park: LP is an odd combination of different kinds of music that truly presents a great question for the music know-it-all: what IS Linkin Park~? It has a decidedly Papa Roach sound, with the emcee Mike Shinoda but also the rock-guitar sound pulled off completely without a bassist. But most of their songs are more meaningful, heartfelt, and well-written than many of the other foul-mouthed bands that are coming out nowadays. Linkin Park doesn't use one bit of offensive language; instead, they resort to imagery and vocabulary - surprise, surprise: intelligence in music. Songs like "Papercut" are following the suit of "Last Resort," but they make up a surprisingly small portion of the CD. "Papercut," "One Step Closer," "With You," and "Forgotten" are the only hardcore-throughout songs, and even they have some moments of softness. "With You" sounds like an unrequited love song. Others like "Points Of Authority" and "Crawling" have an odd softened-Korn sound (listen closely: imagine a rougher, angst-filled voice singing them) with a bit of Papa Roach/Limp Bizkit rap style thrown in. Chester Bennington's voice sound likes something that belongs in a band like Blink-182, but he has just enough edge and harshness to make him suitable for this band's oddball sound. Mike Shinoda has the attitude and raspy voice to suit his part, but the raps the band wrote are slightly confusing. Some seem to have no pattern at all ("Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the frame and puts your name to shame. Cover up your face, you can't run the race. The pace is too fast, you just won't last") and some leave with unfinished rhymes ("Why does it feel like night today~? Something's just not right today. Why am I so uptight today~? Paranoia's all I got left") but his rhythm, voice, and the backing music just make it work. "By Myself" starts off sounding just like a Limp Bizkit song but in ten seconds changes into something with meaning and thoughtfulness. "A Place For My Head" is reminiscent of Lit because of its very different chorus. While the rest of the CD features angry but well-sung choruses, "A Place For My Head" sounds more like a singsong chant. And then there are songs that are singularly Linkin Park: "In The End," "Runaway," "Cure For The Itch," and "Pushing Me Away." Then you've got the turntable skills of Joseph Hahn, who injects just the right amount of samples and scratches into the songs, producing an awesome sound like that of Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, both bands that feature DJs. Linkin Park isn't, by any means, copying the bands their music reminds me of. They have so much individuality and flair that you are instantly drawn into their CD - which, in itself, is a curiosity. These artists are overflowing with talent that they packed into a 12-song, thirty-seven minute CD. However, its substance and quality leaves you feeling like you've listened to an hour of real music. The CD doesn't get repetitive even after three or four repeats in the player. I'm dying to see the next Linkin Park CD: if this is consistent work from them, they're sure to be a huge hit for a long time to come.
  
  
• I've heard this before, and heard it better
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2002-06-20
  Can you say Faith No More? Or Biohazard? They were two of the bands who pioneered combining rap music with heavy metal, while they mixed it with a meaningful message (in Biohazard's case, it was a political agenda). Now enter Linkin Park, one of the more recent bands that it seems everyone is jumping on. First off, nearly every song sounds the exact same, not to mention it sounds like there is virtually no thought process to writing music; the same old downtuned guitars on every track. Not to mention repetitive choruses, contradictory lyrics, and the same harmonies on every song as well. Chester Bennington has an interesting voice however, and he could do a lot better than with this band or this music. This is nothing more than Faith No More for the new generation with downtuned guitars, inconsistent drumming, and annoying rapping. Do yourself a favor, check out Faith No More or Biohazard, they're the real deal.
  
  
• Look for the light
  By AQ27Y5X2GFTQI on 2004-05-03
  I admit it. I own this CD. I listened to it. In fact, I used to worship these guys as gods. Oh how clueless and uninformed I was...
  Linkin Park and the many MTV clones running around serve no purpose at all, other than to sell as many records as possible. 'Whats wrong with that?' you might ask? Well, I and many other people, musicians and fans alike consider music to be more about emotions and talent than money. Linkin Park and their many clones (this current period in music should be called 'Attack of the Clones', after a similarly crappy movie) serve no purpose emotionally. They try to sound angry, but they can't really pull it off. Sure, they scream, but as so many people have forgotten, music isn't all about vocals. Their guitars, 'bass' (no bass player during the recording of this album) and drumming are so simplistic and repetitive they serve no purpose at all. They aren't brutal, they aren't crunchy, they only seem to be there to fill in between vocals. Which leads me to the formula to this album. Every song is exactly the same; Dj intro, short guitar riff, followed by vocals. The combination of rap and rock is done very poorly, as in most bands. Either listen to metal or rap. Don't try to mix them, it sounds horrible.
  To put it simply, if you want metal, listen to Slayer, Cryptopsy or Opeth
  If you want to listen to rap, then go back to your MTV worshipping
  and if you want Rap/Rock, then listen to Rage Against The Machine, the only band to pull this off sucessfully
  The only good thing that can come from this CD is that it may be able to start some people down the path to real metal. Go ahead and hit the "review unhelpful button, you little brainwashed 12 year olds, I don't care. This America, and my opinion.
  And no I'm not some 50 year old classic rock fan, I'm a F*cking 16 year old metalhead, so stop B*tching.
  
  
• great debut
  By A3B08DCVOC1BDI on 2001-01-20
  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.
  
  
• Addicted to the Theory
  By A10NFIBYZO52F5 on 2001-12-13
  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!
  
  
• Linkin Park is Superb
  By on 2000-11-07
  Linkin Park is a great band. They have a little of everything. They rap sometimes. Then all of a sudden they start to sing. They mix their singing very well. Having 2 singers is a very cool thing in any rock band. All the songs are good on this album. Number 11 is even good, and it's not even a real song. It sounds like a song that should be from some incredible movie. Linkin Park is not just another band. These guys are for real. They sing about everyday things. Not the crap Limp Bizquit sings about. It's finally good to see a band come out that doesn't have a parental advisory sticker on it. Not that I don't like to hear cusswords, but sometimes it just gets old.The only negative thing about the album is that it's only about 38 minutes long. I played it so many times but I haven't gotten sick of it yet. I can't wait till their next CD.
  
  
• incredible blend of styles
  By A3O4G529MI01ZM on 2001-07-14
  Linkin Park is rap-metal. This is a fact. Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit are also rap-metal. However, the assumption that linkin park is the same style as those two bands is an incredible mistake, and one that far too many people are making. Linkin Park are geniuses in their genre. Unlike most other rap-metal bands out there, they create a harmonic combination of aggro-rock, hip-hop and electronic. Each song of theirs is beautfully written with deep, meaningful lyrics that stay in your mind. Here's a look at the songs that grace [hybrid theory]:

  Papercut-This song is an impressive start, and although it might not be the most intelligently written on the disc, it definitely catches your attention. 7/10

  One Step Closer-Here's their first single...you've probably heard it by now, and you might agree that the bridge is incredibly annoying and pointless. Oh well...still catchy. 5/10

  With You-Here's where the album kicks off. Enter the beautifully orchestrated blend of Hahn's sampling and Bennington's vocals, especially on the last chorus. 8/10

  Points of Authority-This song isn't quite as thoughtful as the others, but it definitely gets your heart pumping. 7/10

  Crawling-This is a beautiful song...what a pity it had to become a single. I can't stand it anymore because it's so overplayed, but before it was released it blew me away. 9/10

  Runaway-Enter the lame bridge factor. This song is incredible, don't get me wrong, but once the bridge starts playing and you just want to turn it off. LP really need to work on their bridges...6/10

  By Myself-Well, you can't win them all. This song is a rap-metal song, but it's a papa roach-ish song that just does some rhyming, screaming, rhyming, screaming. 4/10

  In the End-This is their new single, and I'm depressed about that. This song is so beautiful with it's melodic piano behind the drums and hip-hop...I change the station when it comes on, so it will never be over-played for me. 10/10

  A Place For My Head-Here's a really catchy tune that you'll be humming for centuries! Pretty impressive vocals, and great chorus. 8/10

  Forgotten-This song is pretty impressive, and definitely needs to be listened to. Nothing special compared to the rest of the record, but still pretty mind-blowing. 8/10

  Cure For The Itch-Even if you don't like techno and electronic, listen to this anyways. It's got a vibrant tune that's pleasant to listen to. 7/10

  Pushing Me Away-This is their final mind-blower, and it succeeds in a big way. Shinoda doesn't get enough lines in this song, but it's still a great rock song. 9/10

  Overall, Linkin Park is definitely a band worth checking into. They're completely different from other rap-metal bands, and I'm pretty sure that you won't be dissapointed.
  
  

• Yawn
  By A3WIOO9L0DNGZ on 2002-05-07
  This band, while solid, is nothing special. They take the overdone formula of rock-rap and streamline it, but add nothing to it.

  The lead singer sounds like an angry reject from a boy band. He can sing well, but sounds too high pitched and nasily to be anything but whiney. The rapper is solid, yet nothing special.

  Lyrically, Linkin Park aims at the lowest common denominator by whining about relationships. It's nothing new, and has been done better by other bands (early Tool, The Cure, Stabbing Westward, and others).

  Musically, it's power chords for the chorus, unoriginal hip-hop for the verses. They know that, for the most part, playing it safe ensures good record sales, so they play it incredibly safe. Everything's trinary (AABA), and everything's formulaic. The songs grow loud when expected, quiet when expected...it's paint-by-numbers.

  Linkin Park isn't horrible. They're just typical of the way mainstream rock has become. Catchy, simple, but adding nothing to the art. The fact that they won the Grammy for Best Metal Album does not bode well for the genre. It was a notice to the world that rock is on life support.
  
  

• I Like It....I Like It Alot
  By AWFDFLR1DA23A on 2001-05-01
  Hybrid Theory is one of the best albums that i have heard this year. The main reason that i bought the album is that i liked the track Crawling. There are plenty of tracks on this album that meet the standard of Crawling like One Step Closer, Papercut, Runaway and Forgotten. Thsi is a must have album for any lover of great music
  
  
• A Mediocre Effort
  By A1E0WMYGR11B6U on 2001-06-16
  Yeah, by now I'm pretty sure everyone has heard Linkin Park. I even remember them before they were famous; vague commercials showing clips of "One Step Closer." This thrashing, heavy outfit with two lead singers seemed like quite a... promising (?) band. They also looked like quite an angry band. Before I went out and bought the album I was prepared for a swearing metal band. It may surprise some, and please others, to find that Linkin Park does not swear once on their cd. This is quite refreshing as a break from the mainstream obscenity that airs on MTV and the radio. And also, despite the obvious lack of originality in Linkin Park's sound, they have definitely perfected the rap/metal sound. They have perfected it to the point where it becomes monotonous. You're going to buy this album and you're going to listen to it once, maybe twice, and you will say; that is amazing. There is not a song on the album I don't like. And it is true. However, you're going to listen to the album once, maybe twice more, and you are going to get absolutely, gut-wrenchingly SICK of it. I now cannot listen to the album without having spent two months NOT listening to it.

  Synopsis: Do not buy this album. Reviews should be clear-cut right? I don't want you to be confused by this review. Many reviews give pros and cons and you cannot decide. Well, do not buy this album. It displays an obvious lack of effort. It is like pop. They took a certain sound, manufactured and marketed and packaged and replayed and spat it out over and over again to fill the cd. And it's good. But it doesn't last. You will regret it. Burn it from someone else. Download it. Don't buy it.
  
  

• Wow!
  By A2IF5C0I5BH11F on 2001-12-25
  Excellent record! I love when I buy a CD and actually like every song on it. After I heard "In the End" I went and bought Hybrid Theory. I started on track 1 and loved the entire CD. "One Step Closer" is great, as well as "Crawling." "Cure for the Itch" is a great diversion from the rock/rap songs that make up the rest of the CD (it's a DJ mix done by one of the guys in the band). My favorite song on the CD is "Pushing Me AWay." The lyrics are really moving.

  My only qualm with the CD is the fact that it's so short. I think the entire run time of the CD is something like 40 minutes. Maybe it just seems short to me because I can't get enough of it. ;)

  I listen to this CD all the time in my car and can't wait to see Linkin Park live. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is a Limp Bizkit fan and/or in to the rock/rap genre of music.
  
  

• I'll Tell You A Little Something About These Reviews
  By A3UJKWL31KDZ2D on 2004-07-21
  There are a bunch of 1's, and there are a bunch of 5's. The people that have given this CD a 1 most likely would have given it a ZERO if it were an option.

  The people who gave it a 5 are one of two things, or a combination of both:

  a) a teenager, without any clue about what good music is all about (ive been there, and im not holding it against you...it's just that, when you get older, you also get some taste)

  b) very very immature intellectually (if you find anything pleasing in this music, you have the mind of a 15 year old...even if you happen to be 30 years old physically).

  The lyrics are non-existent...
  The music is uncomfortably bad...
  The singing is nothing to talk about...especially that really bad rapper, and the horrible parts where the guy sings like he's a Backstreet Boy...

  If you have any sense of what good music is, you wont be listening to this. If you are mentally stuck in high school (unaware of what is going on in the world around you), then youll find this really pleasing, and probably post a review right after mine, giving this CD a 5 and spouting off a bunch of garbage about how cool the music is, and it's so hardcore.
  
  

• Rock-rap at it's finest hour
  By on 2001-04-18
  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 KoRn albums, 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. 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 metal part of the album to life, while Roub 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.

  In my opinion, the best songs on the album are "In The End", "Papercut", 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.
  
  

• What has happened to good ol' music ?
  By A21K4EYCHG4H5M on 2001-05-05
  Just looking through reviews here, I find a lot of 5 stars for this album, now how can that be possible still riddles my mind. Probably because ppl that like real music don't even bother to look at this band, even less to acctualy listen to it. Well, I had a major bad luck, with a friend of mine, coming to me all worked up about this new, excellent, beautiful "new" band and music that they make. After having to sit through an hour of painful scratching and alt-wanna-be-noise, I had to take some painkillers. Two prozac pills did well after I showed them in my ears, reducing sonic pain to a manegable level. I am so sad that I had to see this kind of evolving of music, with boy-rock-bands that can't make a decent tune. It's not heavy, it's not hard, it's not well-played nor well sung. It is, by all means, the NEW nothing, and I am not sure that music can sink any lower than this. Oh, maybe by adding a female-singer ala Aguilera, or something like that and call it metal-rap-pop-over-the-top-fussion (with a slight touch of R&B). I dread that we shall see that coming soon. In the mean time, I'm going to put something more originall in my cd-player, like Primus, or Alice, or Kyuss, or Faith, or Davis. You do get the picture ? And to reduce my vomiting reflexes, and to try to pull myself out of this lack of good music misery, I'll go and check out new sleeve for upcoming Tool album. I feel sick, I feel sick, I.....
  
  

• Meteora
• Minutes to Midnight
• Reanimation
• Fallen
• Collision Course (with DVD)