15 Best Hard Rock Singers Of All Time

Once rock made its way into the 2000's, the nu metal movement was still in full-swing. While other bands were coming out of the woodwork, the order of the day was still about tough guys in baggie shorts talking about how tortured they were. When Linkin Park burst onto the scene with Hybrid Theory though, the nu metal landscape was drastically changed.

Whereas most singers in nu metal bands were pulling double duty as rapper and singer, the trade-off between Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington was incredibly refreshing to see. As Shinoda gave you food for thought on one side, Bennington would show up and absolutely tear the roof off the place once the hook came in.

Bennington was one of those few vocalists who understood the balance between clean and unclean vocals. Though he had more than his fair share of great screams on songs like "A Place For My Head," his actual singing voice gave the rock world some of the greatest hooks of the era on songs like "Numb" and "Breaking the Habit." At a time when most bands were sacrificing melody for heaviness, Chester Bennington was the ideal sonic foil that gave nu metal fans an even keel of melody and intensity.