10 Rock "Sellout" Albums That Are Actually Really Good

At the turn of the millennium, you could hardly do much better than Linkin Park. Complete with a Diamond certified debut on Hybrid Theory and a stellar follow up in Meteora, these kings of nu metal seemed to be poised for the musical big leagues down the road. This was the mid '00s though...it was time to grow up and go alt-rock.

Across Minutes to Midnight, it's hard to really see the more radio-friendly songs like Shadow of the Day as just a way of LP compromising their initial heavy sound. Including a tie in with a Transformers movie for What I've Done, it was clear that the focus on heavier breakdowns was not really the order of the day anymore. On the other hand, this is one of the few records that is just a touch misunderstood in the band's catalog.

While the radio-friendly songs can be a big turnoff, other tracks like Given Up feature some of Chester Bennington's greatest screams to date. At the same time, the more earnest songwriting on the back half does end up saving this record, like the political indictments of the Bush administration on the Little Things Give You Away and Hands Held High. If anything, Linkin Park's transition into more pop-friendly alternative rock music is pretty commendable considering how many of their nu metal colleagues ended up falling by the wayside.