10 Hard Rock Bands That Completely Changed Their Sound

Any kid in their 20's nowadays could safely say that Linkin Park has touched their lives in some way. The band's gritty nu metal style on their early records really struck a nerve with tons of kids in the early 2000's and remains pertinent to this day. No one could have predicted what would come around the corner though.

Linkin Park were always known for their sharp mix of metal, electronic, and rap, but the band's flirtations with pop music yielded great success on Minutes to Midnight. Inspired by the new experience, the band released an electronica based concept album on A Thousand Suns, which made them cross over into the mainstream even further.

That didn't necessarily mean the band had lost their way, with 2014's The Hunting Party showing the band back in full form as a hard rock juggernaut. Even up until Chester Bennington's tragic suicide in 2017, the band were still taking new musical directions on their later material, with songs that catered more towards pop music than to their nu metal early years. You could easily call these change in styles "selling out," but the band's genuine love for their craft taught fellow hard rock acts that you could do whatever you want as long as you stay true to yourself.