Linkin Park’s official debut album, Hybrid Theory, garnered worldwide attention with the spawning of millions of fans. And though it came out in October of 2000, the debut was already highly anticipated before its release by hundreds of “underground” fans of the LP Street Team, whose primary goal was to promote this new, unheard of band that went by the name of Linkin Park. And while millions of new fans adored Hybrid Theory as an excellent fusion of rap and rock, they, for the most part, had no idea Linkin Park had an EP to that album, which took less of a rock approach and more of a hip hop composition, with the DJ work being more dominant and less blended into the guitar work. Though short, it exhibited Hybrid Theory’s (the band’s name at that time) potential. This potential was seen full force on LP’s Hybrid Theory, but their EP cannot be forgotten, for it stood as the transitional step between their early Xero days of Rhinestone and Fuse and their meteorically platinum present. And this, by the way, is the band that many record companies rejected because they believed “Linkin Park would never be able to make it big”. That is irony in its prime.

Carousel:

She can't hide no matter how hard she tries
Her secret disguise behind the lies
And at night she cries away her pride
With eyes shut tight and staring at her inside
All her friends know why she can't sleep at night
All her family asking if she's all right
All she wants to do is get rid of this hell
Well all she's got to do is stop kidding herself

Lyrically mesmerizing, Carousel is perhaps one of LP’s strongest set of lyrics. In two haunting masterfully rapped verses laid over a chilling beat, Mike Shinoda (the band’s emcee) pulls the listener into the lives of two different people, both with the same problem. Many have claimed that this problem that’s deteriorating the two are drugs, and this seems probable. Chester Bennington (the band’s lead singer) pulls off some solid catchy choruses. The bridge, with, “fly with me under the wings I gave you; try to be closer to me and I'll save you” complement the song’s distressing mood.

Technique:

You must exercise the proper technique

The reason for the short amount of lyrics posted for this song is in the fact that these are the song’s only lyrics. This “song” is a forty-second showcase of the band’s DJ, Joe Hahn (or Mr. Hahn at that time, Chairman Hahn now). While nowhere as masterfully done or appealing as either Cure for the Itch (on Hybrid Theory) or that song’s remix (on LP’s remix album, Reanimation), this short instrumental simply pulls the listener out of the dark mood set by Carousel and prepares them for the strongly hip hop oriented song that is to follow.

Step Up:

I heard that some of you are getting help with your rhymes
You're not an emcee if someone else writes your lines
Rapping over rock doesn't make you a pioneer
Cause rock and hip-hop have collaborated for years

Delivering wonderfully flowed rap verses and a catchy as hell chorus, Step Up is simply fun. And as simple as it may seem, Step Up really is simply a pleasure to listen to. In this song, Mike describes the true meaning of being an emcee and takes shots at those who ail to live up to an emcee’s standards. About three fourths way into this song, Mr. Hahn uses his skills to create a funky miniature version of Technique (though his work is probably more pleasing on Sep Up than Technique). And Chester, who is quite balanced with Mike on the major debut album, is absent in this song, as well as another.

And One:

Spit drips from the jaw of the witless witness
Cryptic colloquialism shifts your midriff
Dark all I do embark the shadows of smog
With my thought catalogue, analog, rap catalogue
Keep my distance and fear resistance
Hurt by persistence

The song begins with Chester (for once) singing a pained verse of an alienation that serves as a barrier between him and the one who was supposedly meant to share his love. Yet, as Chester sings, “it’ too late to love me now, you don’t even know me” and “keep it locked up inside, keep my distance from your lies”, it is clear than this distance being kept cannot be broken. Intertwined with Chester’s verses and choruses is a wonderfully worded two lined verse of Mike, “breaking a part of my heart to find release, taking you out of my blood to bring me peace” that captures the essence of the song’s frustration. About three fourths way into the song, the rock melody falls silent and a hip hop beat begins as Mike raps a smooth flowing rap verse (of which the posted lyrics are taken from) that simply sounds too good for description.

High Voltage:

I’ve been digging into crates ever since I was livin in space
Before the rat race, before monkeys had human traits
Mastered numerology and big bang theology
Preformed lobotomies with telekinetic psychology
Invented the mic so I could start blessin it
And chincheckin kids to make my point like an impressionist

The only fully hip-hop song on this album, High Voltage begins with a voice-altered chorus layered over a bouncy hip-hop beat. Mike then raps an odd verse that almost seems like an abstractionist’s dream. Two choruses and another well-worded verse later, the beat takes a more dominate approach as you simply nod your head to the beat. And throughout this song, there seems to be some woman singing (though not really saying anything).

Part Of Me:

Freedom can be frightening if you've never felt it
Once it's been dealt with
You feel like you've been touched by something angelic
And then melted down into a pool of peace
Cease to be the animal you used to be

Remove the broken parts you know were wrong
And feel the calm when the problem's all gone
And then you start to see
Another piece of yourself that you can't let be

Sorry, but this song’s lyrics were simply too brilliant to only post one set of lyrics. Still, there were many other verses I would have liked to post, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll keep it at two. Anyways, if you couldn’t already tell, this is a landslided lyrical victory. Beginning with some mellow guitar strumming, the guitar playing then transitions into a paranoid frantic as Mike delivers a wonderfully rapped and worded verse. Chester then brings in a harshly sung chorus. After a bit more of this pattern, a bridge of “alive in me, inside of me, a part of me screams away silently” bursts. And then, silence. Then, the music picks up and intensifies as Mike claims “there’s always something wrong with me”. And after another chorus, the song falls to silence. So, the song is over, and this is the last track. The end of the album, right? Well, after about six minutes of silence, a haunting organ tune that seems fit for a funeral plays. I must say, this truly is a haunting melody and is more beautiful than Reanimation’s opening or any of the Cure For the Itches. But once it completes at a little over twelve minutes, this twenty-eight-and-a-half minute long EP closes to an end.

Built upon lyrical excellence and an overall darker mood than any of their major releases, Hybrid Theory EP is far different from any of LP’s major releases. The guitar playing understandably seems relatively unchallenging and the drum work seems almost nonexistent. However, Mike is at his best, providing a lyrical style different than any other of LP’s albums. And though Chester never really pushes himself in the way he did on the major albums, it is still evident that he is a gifted singer with potential. So, even though you won’t be able to buy this rare EP that isn’t sold in stores or online any more, you may still be able to get it burned or downloaded. And I’d advise any LP fan to do so, for it exhibits a side of LP never seen on their other albums – a new emerging band unconfident of success and without a major label to back them up.

If you enjoyed this album, consider the following similar releases:

Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory (Taking on a more rock style and significantly less hip hop)
Linkin Park: Meteora (same reason as Hybrid Theory)
Linkin Park: Reanimation (a hip-hop oriented remix album)

If you have any comments, questions, or just want to talk about this band or album, IM me on AIM at sLilvl 5haDy. Also, leave me some comments on my review or something related to it to keep me from the realization that these hours spent reviewing albums are almost worthless (getting feedback prevents this thought).

~ Mysterious Guy

Recommended: Yes