10 Masterpiece Albums From Supposedly "Terrible" Bands

10. Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park

The Album

There's no doubting that Chester Bennington was a powerhouse lead singer who had the ability to channel raw emotion and loud wails against the backdrop of some club-thumping riffs. But oh boy are Linkin Park bad, a band that struck big with this debut only to dull with every LP that followed.

Nevertheless, Bennington's abilities were never channelled better than in Linkin Park's debut album, a mega-million dollar-selling collection that wasn't shy of a nu metal banger or two. This was an album released in at a time when the world was sobering up from a Brit pop invasion and gave something teens to edgier to relate to than the masturbation-joking melodies of pop punk. From Crawling's spine-scratching ferocity to the stadium-bound melodies of In The End, this was an album bound for greatness.

What followed, though, was a lacking follow up in Mereora, a ropey mash up album with Jay-Z and a clutch of forgettable studio albums before Bennington's sad demise in 2017.

Best Track

Nothing captures this band better than One Step Closer, a very literal journey to the edge of danger, powered by a screeching, catchy chorus. Raw and brilliant.