A few years before the dawn of a new century, the legendary Linkin Park made music under a couple of different names and with a different lead vocalist. But, in a year shrouded by uncertainty of a new millennium, the previously Mike Shinoda-led rap-rock collective from Los Angeles pinpointed the visceral Chester Bennington as their lifeblood, which would lead them to becoming one of the most iconic brands and bands on the planet. And on this very day in October 2000, the thrilling era of nu-metal, for better or worse, reached its most pivotal moment, as Linkin Park released their debut album, launching themselves as one of the most influential bands of the 21st century. In the process, they cemented their reputation as not only the band that took nu-metal to tremendous popularity – but also the ones who killed it. Hybrid Theory was the record behind this seismic shift.
If you find yourself within that awkward cross-over between being a millennial and a zoomer, it’s highly likely Linkin Park’s monumental debut is one of the first records you remember. And, if you’re like me, Hybrid Theory was probably the first album that made you consciously say, “I like this whole music thing.”
With the recently rediscovered love for nu-metal, there has been a change of heart—critically—when it comes to bands like Korn, Slipnot, and dare I say it, Limp Bizkit. And yet those bands, as divisive as they are, seem to have received a more favorable revisit than Linkin Park. Even after the pain in Bennington’s lyrics and voice resurfaced under a new light in the wake of his untimely death, it still seemed hard to look at Linkin Park under a different microscope, considering this spotlight came far after the initial nu-metal fad ran its course. But, with 20 years gone now to reflect on, it’s time to give Linkin Park, and the album that birthed their influence, the deserved credit and critical recognition.
The commercial success of Hybrid Theory is a long-running story that continues to become more impressive as time goes by. In fact, just last month, the already-diamond record reached 12-times platinum (i.e. it sold 12 million copies) in the USA; an incredible feat for any artist, let alone a rock band in the 21st century. But alas, Hybrid Theory would be the last “rock” album to see this sort of success.
Hybrid Theory put Linkin Park on the map because it transcended the divisive genre it occupied. Though Mike Shinoda’s rapping would become the biggest detractor to the band’s critical viability for the next decade, Linkin Park were unafraid to collide worlds, and for the moment in time, Hybrid Theory‘s take on rap-rock was a thrillingly fresh combination that reached far past the genre’s initial demographic. Before its release, nu-metal was a scene that helped frame the truck-lifted, Metal-Militia-wearing, Monster-drinking archetype of the music I loved. Then Linkin Park came along and changed that, which Shinoda recently attributed metal being “too white” before Hybrid Theory. Fresh and on the cutting edge, this combination was somehow also accessible and utterly familiar for angsty teens of every walk of life who enjoyed any genre—a clear explanation of why so many copies of the record have sold.
You see, Linkin Park was never one to mince words or create confusion about what kind of band they wanted to sound like – save for their muddled 2017 album One More Light, the last before Bennington passed. Their rendering of nu-metal was them, and their debut made it clear as day from the drop of the needle. As Joe Hahn’s record scratches and drum programming quickly give way to Shinoda’s rapid-fire raps, shortly followed by Bennington’s snarling voice, opening track “Papercut” provided an instant taste of Linkin Park’s rap-rock-electronic style. The crazy part? All this happens within the very first minute! What would soon be established as their inescapable sound, this dynamic vocal interplay between Shinoda and Bennington is experienced through the remainder of the record. Unfortunately, Hybrid Theory struggles to maintain the same level of cross-genre fireworks of the opener through all its 12 tracks, mainly due to the label’s and producer Don Gilmore’s hesitancy to completely embrace the intersecting point between hip-hop and metal. Thankfully, that would be rectified to perfection on their masterful sophomore album Meteora.
Though Hybrid Theory is far from a perfect fusion of styles, it is a compelling mix made more exhilarating by the agonizing quality of Bennington’s fiery vocals. His performances across this record are so powerful, in fact, he outshines Shinoda every step of the way, which leads to this rather uneven mingling of hip-hop and rock. This is not a dig at Shinoda’s rapping; more times than not, he does hold his own, slicing his way through Hahn’s DJ Shadow-inspired beats, especially on the vicious “Point of Authority” and, of course, the cultural touchstone that was and always will be “In The End”, which features one of the most iconic rap verses—ever. But even with the latter track, Bennington winds up stealing the limelight with an impassioned chorus that is woven within the DNA of late millennials and early Gen Zs. Here, try reading it without singing it in your head: “I tried so hard / And got so far / But in the end / It doesn’t even matter / I had to fall / To lose it all / But in the end / It doesn’t even matter.” You sang it, didn’t you?” As irritatingly recognizable “In The End” can be, Bennington’s voice transcends this mere moment. One may point to Bennington’s performances on the record’s other singles, “One Step Closer” and “Crawling”, when admiring his ability to wrench out every ounce of anger dwelling within, but that’s too easy and a disservice to other far more superior moments on the album.
Whether it’s a turbulent growl that detonates into a roar during the bridge of “Runaway”, or melodic screams that run the scale between unhinged and desperate on “A Place For My Head”, Bennington leaves no listener unscathed from what he is feeling. Before Bennington, Deftones’ Chino Moreno was arguably the benchmark of nu-metal vocalists, but what Bennington was able to accomplish with his voice alone—painting the formulaic genre with diverse strokes yet to be heard at that point—was nothing short of impressive. One of the most recognizable voices of rock music this century, Bennington was the band’s soul. While if his pained barks and howls can be a bit overbearing, it is almost impossible to deny its power. Even if you cannot buy into Hybrid Theory‘s youthful and becoming nature, Bennington’s gutteral fierceness will stand the test of time as the record’s and band’s most redeeming quality.
With Bennington wearing his pain, trauma, and fears on his sleeve across every moment, and Shinoda providing the perfectly safe foil to the late frontman – all against metallic drum beats, scratching records, watery synthesizers, and sinister guitar riffs – what Hybrid Theory accomplished was refreshing, above anything. Imperfect, yes, but nothing like anyone had heard at that point. Though it threw the entire music industry into a tailspin, churning out empty shells of Linkin Park copies, leading to the demise of nu-metal itself (and rock-and-roll as the most popular genre), Hybrid Theory helped plant the seeds to a future of genreless music, one that is being experienced at this very moment. Hybrid Theory is most definitely a relic of its time – cheesy even – but, at the very least, it can be appreciated for the foundation it instantly established and eventually destroyed.
