Cons: "This is the last smile that I’ll fake for the sake of being with you."
The Bottom Line: There have been debut albums from good bands in the past that neither impressed you or indicated the band's future. LP deserve another chance.
echo-denver's Full Review: Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
Formerly known as Hybrid Theory among alumni of Rap-Rock University, Linkin Park bring the hard-n-heavy sound, nicely wrapped in radio-friendly production. They take the dark parts of Tool (minus the pensive lyrics) and add it to the likes of N*Sync (without the bright smiles and synchronized monkey dance). Then, they add the in-your-face guitar effects Survivor used successfully on a few Rocky soundtracks. The guitar playing of Brad Delson does indeed rock at times, but is never allowed to challenge even the most skittish listener. This (and the absence of a Parental Advisory sticker) guarantees that they will be included on the play lists of popular rock formats on rock radio and music television. The Linkin Park members, featured prominently on MTV with perfectly moussed hair and trimmed-to-perfection facial hair, present on Hybrid Theory characters that are currently going through some rough times.
If you’re not familiar with and/or are curious about the radio hits of Korn, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Incubus, and Papa Roach, then this CD might whet your appetite. As others have suspected, but what I am unsure of, a puppeteer may exist behind the scenes to ensure that they look and sound the part. Aren’t we supposed to believe that Linkin Park is real for our sake anyway? I don’t want to be the one who runs through the mall yanking the beards off of all the Santa Clauses screaming, “They’re all fakes! Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m so real!”. The truth, in this situation, would do more harm than good.
The album begins with ‘Papercut’. Musically, it is a unique blend of the danceability of “New Kids on the Block” and the dangerous playability of “Guns-n-Roses”. Then, to make this song their own, LP mix in well-mannered guitar work and risk-free record scratching. Lyrically, it may seem that “Weird Al” is doing a parody of rap-rock. (Aren’t you waiting for a corny-yet-clever rewrite of a popular Staind song?) However, this is no laughing matter. “It’s a whirlwind inside of my head”, but it’s very easy to sing along to after the first few seconds of the very first listen. The pain is easy to forget when the bouncy beat from Rob Bourdon’s drums plays nicely among comfortable low-pitched guitar playing. The chorus dances on the fine line of good rockin’ fun and AM radio cheese despite the creative lyric: “The sun goes down – I feel the light betray me”.
The next track begins with “I can’t take this anymore”. (And this is only the second song. Hang in there, Chester. This album is going to make you very happy.) Then: “I’m saying everything that I’ve said before – All these words they make no sense – I find bliss in ignorance” These words serve as the doctrine for the relationship between the band and its fans: What you don’t know about LP is harmless, just listen to the catchy music. “One Step Closer” uses synthesizers and clean guitar sounds to create a music that’s welcome on the soundtrack of your favorite buddy flick while simultaneously rocking the popular crowd in high school. I envision Kirk or Tricia driving Daddy’s SUV through the McDonald’s drive-thru shouting along, “Shut up while I’m talking to you!”. Although Chester may not convincingly sing, “I’m one step closer to the edge and I’m about to break”, it’s a great way for a teenager to vent when Mom doesn’t rent the movie he or she wanted to see or brings home the wrong flavor of Doritos.
On “With You”, the guitar parts again don’t soar above the familiar, friendly roar, but DJ Joseph does mix in squeaks here and there. The song rocks from the get go and features a White Zombiesque guitar snarl that’s been sanded and smoothed to perfection. When MC Michael is rapping, the guitars disappear to emphasize the lyrics, and pretty bell-like tones from his keyboard are used to indicate frustration and sadness.
The hardcore “Points of Authority” begins with a rhythm of heavy breathing that borrows from Doug E. Fresh circa 1986. Then, the guitars are let loose, sounding very digital and synthesized, very sampled. The boybandesque vocalizations start out pretty enough, but unfortunately, it eventually turns into a Zack De La Rocha imitation gone wrong. The effects pedal remains on the Popular Rock position throughout. A vocalist keeps chanting “Forfeit the Game” in the background, owing to Donnie Walberg of ‘New Kids’ fame. “Points of Authority” does succeed in offering their fans a sing-a-long Bizkit-style rap:
“Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the frame -
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 when they sing “What do I do to ignore them behind me – Do I follow my instincts blindly?” on “By Myself”, you try to forget that this sounds like a song cheerleaders would use for their dance routine. Eventually, Hetfield-inspired vocals kick in while guitars fill the empty spaces at a low volume. Unfortunately, the production doesn’t allow the band members’ feelings to show, but it will allow the bedroom entertainer to dance and lip-sync along while dreaming of being the next Trent Reznor or at least Fred Durst. It is on “Forgotten” that they borrow from Layne Stayley’s vocal styling. But, by the time you reach this track, it tends to sound like a few of the sing-rap-scratch-then-sing-again-rock-songs that preceded it. “Cure for the Itch” is an instrumental that showcases the more experimental sound of DJ Joseph. The synthesizer parts and scratching segments are no doubt inspired by the likes of DJ Shadow and Q-Bert, but it comes off one-dimensional in scope. It does succeed, however, in that its purpose is to give this album some breathing room.
Even with the over-saturation of the rap-rock genre-hybrid, the concept of hip-hop meeting metal still sounds like a good idea to me. But, I discovered that Linkin Park weren’t listening to the hip-hop of Wu-Tang or the black metal of Amorphis when they decided to write for this album. (It’s no more metal than Garbage and no more hip-hop than N*Sync.) In fact, Puff Daddy featuring Jimmy Page rocked harder than this. It’s more probable that Linkin Park were inspired by current acts of the genre. As Nirvana and Pearl Jam inspired “Bush”, the originality is immediately questionable. On the plus side, the lyrics do feed the fire of teenagers that think their parents are just so lame. And unlike Fred Durst or P-Diddy, these guys don’t seem as desperate to try to gain your acceptance. They are a cool rock band, although they’ve come from the same side of the street as Creed (or Matchbox 20). (Remember Days of the New?) It is important to remember that Hybrid Theory is only the debut. The future of Linkin Park is yet to unfold.
A very nicely done fan-site dedicated to Linkin Park:
http://www.linkinparkinside.com/
Lyrics, photos, interviews, screensavers, and a few handpicked reviews.
When the first track from a band s debut album gets added to major rock stations four weeks before its official release, it must be something very spe...More at Buy.com
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