Flashback Friday: Linkin Park

Flashback Friday: Linkin Park:


James Minchin

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Countless bands have come and gone since Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory, their iconic 2000 debut album that would go on to hit Number Two on the Billboard 200 and sell over 10 million copies. But it’s the band’s relentless pursuit of change and an unnerving desire to push the boundaries of rock, rap, and most recently, electronica, that have allowed them to remain a vital force in the music business. This past week Linkin Park released their fifth studio album, Living Things, and this Friday June 29th, the band will be plying a live gig at the X Games in Los Angeles that we’re proud to be livestreaming in its entirety which you can watch on your computer, smarphone or tablet. So with all the Linkin Park madness in our midst, we felt it was only right that we dedicate this week’s edition of Flashback Friday to the one and only Linkin Park.
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“In The End” (2000)

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The combination of rap and rock was certainly not new when Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory in 2000; bands like Limp Bizkit had emerged as big players in the “nu-metal” genre a few years prior. But quite simply, Linkin Park were able to bring this sound to new, more groundbreaking heights. While “One Step Closer” and “Crawling” would be the first two singles released off the album, it was the angst-ridden aggression of “In The End” that catapulted the LA crew to mainstream success. Combining singer Chester Bennington’s madman wail with Mike Shinoda’s whiplash rhymes, “In The End” would quickly scale the Hot 100 and go on to cement itself as not only that year’s, but one of the decade’s most memorable rock tunes.

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“Numb/Encore” (2004)

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The best musicians are undoubtedly the ones who don’t settle for mediocrity. And a major tenant of this mindset is the willingness to push yourself or your band into new creative territory. For Mike Shinoda, this was second-nature; before joining Linkin Park, Shinoda would regularly combine songs by Jay-Z with tracks by the Smashing Pumpkins. So when Jay himself called on Linkin Park to cut some tracks together, it was a no-brainer. The result of the collaboration was a set of six tracks that would make up the 2004 release Collision Course. The undisputed highlight however, was “Numb/Encore,” a mammoth track that combined the rock crew’s “Numb” with the rapper’s “Encore.”

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“New Divide” (2009)

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As Linkin Park’s success grew, a slew of opportunities were being thrown their way. But one in particular that the band capitalized upon was the chance to contribute to the first Tranformers film in 2007 with “What I’ve Done.” But it was their second effort, for the film’s sequel, with “New Divide” that stood out. Built upon heavy synths and a manic heartbeat courtesy of drummer Rob Bourdon, as well as production help from legendary composer Hans Zimmer, the already massive-sounding band became even more audibly epic.

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“Burn It Down” (2012)

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After experimenting with new sounds and aural themes for their 2010 album, A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park returned this week with Living Things — a highly personal album that successfully was able to meld the band’s early grit with their more contemporary knack for experimentation. The first glimpse of the record for the public was its lead single, “Burn It Down.” And the track finds Bennington at his most tender, harmonizing amidst the chaos of thumping guitar grooves beneath him. It’s also a song that the band may not have been able to have written at an earlier point in its career; as Shinoda recently stated in an interview, the song can be interpreted as an examination of how our culture builds people up only to tear them down. It’s a mature statement from an artist, and a band that refuses to stop evolving.

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