10 Underrated Linkin Park Songs
Turning On the Angst.
At the turn of the century, the latest wave of nu metal was starting to get just a tad bit goofy. As much as a band like Limp Bizkit may have been fun to mosh to at the Family Values tour, there was a lot of anger that felt more in line with frat bros than some legitimate anger. Even though the genre seemed to be on the way out, Linkin Park managed to give the entire movement a second wind the minute they emerged on the scene.
Looking through their catalog though, there are still some amazing songs that don't seem to get mentioned in the same breath as In The End. Yes, I know that we all love screaming along to songs like Crawling or Numb whenever they come up on a playlist, but there's a lot more to the band outside of the normal internal angst.
From their debut all the way to Chester's passing, Linkin Park always tried to push the boundaries for what they could do with their sound, from something that could tear your head off to a song that could hit you right in the heart. While nothing's going to be able to replace the magic of something like Hybrid Theory, let's take a look under the hood at the inner workings of nu metal's poster children.
10. When They Come For Me - A Thousand Suns
The early 2010's marked somewhat of a turning point for Linkin Park as a collective. After Minutes to Midnight seemed to divide the fanbase who wanted the more classic nu metal sound, the band decided to double down on the experimentation and walked away with the concept album A Thousand Suns. And while there are some blemishes to be found on their grand vision, the highlights are more than worth the price of admission.
Coming right in the first third of the record, When They Come For Me feels like it's coming from the perspective of a rebel who's looking to flee the scene right before the bombs drop. With Mike Shinoda stepping up to the plate first, you can hear him getting some real anger behind his delivery, even going so far as to reference Public Enemy's Bring the Noise in his verse before it gives way to Chester's tribal chanting vocals.
The unsung hero behind this song though has got to be Joe Hahn, who's turntable skills and attention to detail with the electronics just makes you feel like the walls are about to close in around you. By the time you reach the end, you really need the more mellow sounds of Robot Boy to bring you back to life. Considering this was just the midpoint of the record, you knew that the trouble was just getting started.