10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The 2000s
1. Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park (2000)
Although this list was not intended to be a countdown of perfect albums, the number one spot was nevertheless going to be a place of honour, and really there was only one album that could go here.
Hybrid Theory personified the noughties. It kicked off the start of the decade with a bang, encapsulating everything that was loved about the 1990s and repackaging it in refined and exciting ways. There had been rap-rock before, but this was a whole new beast.
Linkin Park really were a bizarre mix. Rob Bourdon's unrelenting drumming, the unmistakable turntable scratching of DJ Joe Hahn, Brad Delson's heavily distorted guitar, and Mike Shinoda intermittently rapping between Chester Bennington’s impassioned lead vocals. But it all came together, with their debut album ultimately selling 27 million records to date.
This was an essential album for any teenager in need of a soundtrack to their 'kicking against the pr*cks' phase. Singling out tracks almost feels like a wasted effort. In the End and One Step Closer are obvious choices, but Point of Authority was something else, and that’s what they opened the record with!
No matter what kind of music you’re into, you’ve heard a Linkin Park track, you liked it, and it's most likely a track off this album.
Since the sad loss of Chester Bennington in 2017, the album has become the perfect monument to his legacy.