10 Perfect Debut Albums In Rock Music History
9. Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park
Most of the mature side of rock and roll have seemed to wipe their hands of anything associated with nu metal these days. Although there were many bands that had some novel ideas associated with the nu metal scene like Rage Against the Machine, the likes of bands like Limp Bizkit just made the whole thing seem like a parody of itself, with bands that were more into their JNCO jeans than the guitar riffs. Nu metal always came from inner torment though, and Hybrid Theory was when the genre got its last great band.
While Linkin Park never really fit into one genre to begin with, their brand of aggression in the early ‘00s gave them one leg up on the rest of their nu metal counterparts, talking about the pain and loneliness that they felt within themselves rather than directing it out towards someone else. There are definitely a few rage fueled songs on here like A Place for My Head, but the real shining moments come on tracks like In The End, which paints a grim picture of what it’s like dealing with those negative voices in your head that never truly go away.
Even though nu metal didn’t have a prayer after the carnage of Woodstock ‘99, Linkin Park found a way forward and kept the genre going for a little while longer. It may have been a more gentle form of nu metal, but it might also be the record that got most curious kids into the genre.