Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory
On Sale Now
For $13.75

Hitting new ground in an over saturated music market is no easy task. Sometimes it takes the raw fusion of various sounds and styles to create something unique. That's the mantra and mission of Southern California's latest musical offering, Linkin Park.

On the band's major label debut, Hybrid Theory, the boys start out by going trigger happy with the distortion pedals. Sure, it's a staple of the modern rock aesthetic. But it doesn't stop at overdriven guitars, shattered vocal imagery and cranked up beats. Linkin Park also sneaks in hip hop vocal phrasing, hi noise production techniques, big rock beats and subtle, sophisticated electronics. It's a blinding blend that draws from influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin and The Roots.

While several of these songs could use a bit more time in the pressure cooker, tracks like "Crawling" and "Papercut" glue disparate sonic pieces together into stunning sound sculptures that seem to breathe a life of their own. With sparse electro beats, the big rock howl and plenty of urban aggression, Linkin Park is a sonic shock wave come to life.

Of course, there is a flip side. Although it doesn't exactly mellow out, "Runaway" goes hypnotic as it falls into a nightmare groove that's half transparent, half impenetrable. Songs like "By Myself" also take this approach. "Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams/ And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening/ Do I sit here and try to stand it/ Or do I try to catch them red handed?"

This track is one of the record's best, and it's one of the most poignant. The words not only mirror the inner life of singer Chester Bennington, but the split between the quiet, introspective grooves and the skull crushing wall of noise both reveals and armors the delicate heart of the singer.

Unlike many bands with bold titles, Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory actually lives up to its name. The sound is explosive yet delicate, sharp yet smooth, dangerous yet vulnerable. It's all about the anger and the frailty that's all too prevalent in the modern world. And it rocks.

Check out Linkin Park's web site at linkinpark.com

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