12 '00s Hard Rock Albums All Fans Should Own

One of the great debuts of the ‘00s, when Hybrid Theory hit the shelves and became a smash hit, it seemed that there was nowhere left for Linkin Park to go. It’s a testament to their talent and work ethic that they only got bigger from here, but as a mission statement, it may remain their best release.

They wear their influences on their sleeve - there’s a lot of Faith No More in there - but Linkin Park evolve the nu metal sound from the hyper masculine aggression of Limp Bizkit et al to something much more thoughtful and inclusive. Lyrically they speak directly to their audience, with well aimed, hard hitting songs about mental health struggles and substance abuse.

It’s simply crammed with hits. “Forgotten”, a late album track, could have been a single, but they’re happy to relegate it, which you can do when you have the likes of “Crawling” and “One Step Closer”. It’s of its time in a big way, but no one mastered this kind of DJ led rap rock like Linkin Park did, though many gave it a whirl.