lt goes without saying that Hybrid Theory is one of the most prolific and defining albums of modern music, having inspired bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men and many more while still holding the title of best selling debut album of the 21st century with over 32 million sales to date. Now, almost two decades after its release, we at LPFCW will be exploring just why Hybrid Theory is as influential as it was and will undoubtedly continue to be.
The history of the band is one that is well known among many Linkin Park fans, but helped shape the foundation of the record. The built up frustrations of rejections from record labels with 45 failed showcases to get a deal, deadlines for the record and having A&R try to sway them to get a gimmick allowed the band to vent their unabashed resentment and anger on the record, giving the tracks heart and authenticity. Hybrid Theory is truly a revolutionary album in the sense that it was unapologetically sincere, showing not only their angst, but also their vulnerability.
The opening track of the album is Papercut, which is arguably one of the band's most iconic songs and has not only an instantly recognisable intro of steady percussion and a distorted synth hook that provides the base melody, but contorted and warped effects on vocals layered over drop-tuned riffs which make this track so unique and captivating. Joe Hahn's DJ capabilities are exceptionally showcased over the bridge of the song while Chester's doubled vocals add depth and add to the overall theme of the track. It gives listeners an insight on what would be to come on the record: a distinctive blend of genres, complimentary vocal styles and intense musical ability and help set the standard for Linkin Park's music for years to come.
In an interview, Mike Shinoda once said, “Papercut is one of those songs that pairs up some of my favourite kinds of rock music and some of my favourite kinds of dance music. Chester and I are both rapping, both singing, and it really sums up what our band was all about. That’s why we put it at the start of the record because it was such a great introduction to who we were and who we are. I still love it to this day.”
One Step Closer followed suit, being the first single of the album to be released and exposing the band to their audience. Heavy, distorted guitar riffs dominate the track while Chester's voice demands its presence be known. The bridge of the track became one of the most anticipated part of their live shows, with the crowd euphorically screaming "Shut up" back at the band.
In an interview with Kerrang, guitarist Brad Delson said, "All of it was just so aggressive. It was letting loose all that anger over the feeling of not being listened to. I honestly couldn't tell you what it is about that riff that connects with so many people, but I know when we play it live it's always one of our strongest songs."
Chester later told Kerrang!, "When we were recording it, [producer] Don Gilmore was really drilling me and Mike about lyrics, and it had gotten to the point where we had rewritten some songs 30 times! I remember walking into the control room, handing Don the lyrics and he grabbed them, passed them in front of his face without even looking, handed them back to me, and told me to do it again. I lost my fucking mind, thinking, 'This guy's a fucking maniac!' But that kind of inspired the lyrics, it all came from that frustration. So I guess in the end he inspired me the way he wanted to."
Don would go on to say, "I would push these guys to do things and they would do them. I'd push them even more and they'd do 'em. Then I'd push them harder... That was the thing that was different about these guys to a lot of other bands I'd worked with: they would think, 'Okay, asshole, we're gonna make it better.' And they actually would deliver. That's what made the record amazing."
Following this is With You, one of the more pensive tracks of the album. Mike's rap vocals sit above the mix and add the feeling of isolation and separation to the track with some modulated doubled vocals sitting lower at the end of each line, reinforcing the subject matter and allowing the listener to truly engage with the lyrics. Fuzzy distorted guitars blare under Chester's screaming vocals for the chorus while Mike cuts in to compliment the tone of the song.
During a live chat with fans, Mike discussed how the song was created. "We met the Dust Brothers when we were looking for somebody to produce the album, and we decided after meeting that we'd try a song together." He continues, "They gave us a track with drum loops and different Moog and synth sounds, and we ended up mostly centering in on those Moog and synth sounds, coupling them with guitar and live drum."
With the next track, Points Of Authority, drummer Rob Bourdon said of the song in an interview with Rolling Stone, "Brad wrote this riff, then went home. Mike decided to cut it up into different pieces and rearranged them on the computer. [Shinoda rewrote Delson's riff so completely] that Brad had to learn his own part from the computer. Mike is a genius,Trent Reznor-talented."
Then comes Crawling, the second of the singles to be released from the album. Driven predominantly by synth and Chester's dynamic vocals, Crawling is one of the more melancholic of the tracks and feels like more of a ballad than a single with sonorous vocals over stripped-back instrumental before the band kicks in with distorted PRS guitars and driving drumbeats.
In an interview with Madison.com, Brad said of the track, "What happened when Chester joined the group, we moved from 'Hey, these are the kind of singing parts we want,' to 'Wow, these are singing parts that we never even thought of,' because his range and versatility are such that, like 'Crawling,' who would think to write that melody? You couldn't because there are very few people in the world that could probably sing that. So that's an example of when I say he really expanded our writing ability in the sense that he has such a range vocally. He really was kind of the final piece of the puzzle, and he brings vocal talent that, when we were looking for a second vocalist, we didn't see anything close to his talent in anybody else."
For the creation of Runaway, Don Gilmore stated, "Joe was camped out in one of the side rooms. He headed off for weeks and we'd check on him like, 'What are you doing in there, dude?' He had this weird little riff going - we put that into [album cut] Runaway, it's the intro that goes through the whole song."
It's in these tracks as well as By Myself that the amalgamation of genres is extremely prominent, with Joe's scratching and sampling become an integral part of the structure of the songs. The new techniques that the band implemented into their songs helped them become one of the defining voices for the nu metal genre and allowed Hybrid Theory to become such an influential body of work.
In The End was the last single from the debut and showcased the more melodic side of the band that the world hadn't yet been exposed to, with an iconic piano hook that opens the track and repeats throughout to the dual vocals that gave the track a truly unique and distinct sound, it became a true staple of not just rock, but 2000s music as a whole.
A Place For My Head is one of the very first demos Linkin Park created and was on the demo tape that Chester received to audition for the band.
When the 1999 version of the song was released as part of Linkin Park Underground 11, Mike wrote, "This was one of the first demos the band had ever written. When Chester joined the band, we finally put together enough money to do a proper recording of it (this one) in a "professional studio." These were the original lyrics and performance."
With Chester and Mike instantly jumping onto the track, Forgotten is fast-tempo and uses vivid imagery reminiscent of LPU demo Dedicated. The guitars fall back during the verses to a softer sound before kicking back in for the verse. The bridge of the track combines the feel of the verses and chorus of the song with the two frontmen trading lines and transitions back seamlessly to the chorus to end the song.
When the demo for the song was released as part of Linkin Park Underground 12, Brad wrote alongside the track, "One of our earliest songs. Definitely a fan favorite. The spirit of this song is intimately interwoven into the formative identity of the band."
Cure For The Itch is the only instrumental track of the album and is a platform for Joe to fully demonstrate his skills and is an indulgent song that allows the listener to digest the album so far. Listened to in the context of the album, it allows the audience to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the less traditional aspects of the band.
In an interview with Rock Rage, Mike said, "That particular song is something that our DJ, Mr. Hahn, and I came up with. It came from a beat that he did with the drums that he did and the strings that I arranged. From there we just kind of went off in an electronic direction that I thought was cool. And I think it turned out really well. We’re totally happy with that. The band was totally stoked about it."
Pushing Me Away closes the album and seems to be a reflection of the record as a whole. the lines "This is the last smile/time" seem apt in the context of the album and leave the listener wanting more. Chester's vocals in this track give the song a downcast and harrowing feel, similar to Crawling.
In an online chat, when asked about inspiration for the song, Mike said, "In general, when we write a song we write it from the inspiration of whatever emotion we're trying to capture and put it in a way that somebody else can take it and relate their own story to it. I definitely wanted to give somebody a starting point that was descriptive but not overwhelming."
Hybrid Theory would go on to be completely turned on its head for 2002's remix album, Reanimation. Every track on the record had been completely reworked, with some songs requiring the rerecording of vocals to fit the new styles of the songs. The album hosts a plethora of guest artists, including Staind's Aaron Lewis, Korn's Jonathan Davis and Cheapshot, who Mike would later work with as part of his Fort Minor side project. The album would only release one official single, Pts.Of.Athrty with Enth E Nd, Frgt/10 and My<Dsmbr released as radio promotional singles.
The band would go on to play the entirety of Hybrid Theory at Download Festival in the UK in 2014, marking the first time that they had played the whole album from start to finish in order. In a video for Download, Mike and Chester discuss how Hybrid Theory came to be and what trials they had to face other than just ensuring that their album would sell.
Hybrid Theory was and continues to shape the world, with many citing it as their initial exposure to rock. The themes explored within the tracks allowed the band to truly connect with listeners all over the world and gave the band a way to keep making the music they wanted to make. Chester once said in an interview with Kerrang!, "For a heavy rock record, for that to be one of the biggest debuts all time is insane. It was all because we made the music we wanted to hear. It's really special to be a part of something that has been that important to people."
"We built a lot of faith based on the music once it was there. We can talk for hours about the little stories of making the record, moments of uncertainty, or how things could have gone wrong, or did go wrong. But that record is probably the most that way because there was so much on the line," Mike reflected. There is no doubt that this album is revered as a classic, defining body of work for not just the band but many musicians and fans globally and is still as relevant today as it was when it was released almost two decades ago and despite the band's evolution in style, the impact they made on the world is indisputable.