Review Summary: Mainstream Nu-Metal's final stand turns out to be a pretty solid one that is enjoyable on the most basic level.
I remember when I was 13 and I popped in
Meteora for the first time (when it came out) into my CD player. I was sucked in with their simple yet really catchy sound. From this, I was basically convinced that Linkin Park's Meteora was one of the greatest albums of our time. Times have changed and several years later my tastes have massively matured and I can definitely say Meteora is not one of the greatest albums of our time.
Despite the loss in such recognition: this album still rocks and retains a catchiness at least on the most basic level. Sure some of Mike Shinoda's MCing is absolute cheese, and the musicians (aside from DJ Hahn for some moments) stick to the same formula/chords and don't precisely branch out: but in terms of Meteora as an album-they make the formula work. It kinda functions like a Hybrid Theory Pt.2 but (ever so slightly) darkens the sound and (slightly) puts maturity into some of the lyrics. It almost is kinda sad because the moments they do slightly push themselves: the results are remarkable (such as the lyrically introspective Lying From You, The Old School bop of Hit The Floor, and the downright gorgeous Breaking The Habit).
Linkin Park's Meteora will be a hit (for its simple catchiness) or a miss (for the simple radio-blandness). But let it be known that even if isn't the best: Linkin Park massively refreshed the deadpan genre of Nu Metal remarkably well on Meteora-and even stood their own ground at the time of its release, and in terms of mainstream music, had a refreshing sound like no other. This is probably why for many kids Linkin Park was their first "heavy" band because they did provide a starting point for many of us. So ultimately even if Linkin Park's Meteora (or Hybrid Theory) are not the greatest albums of it's decade, they provided a huge landmark (and sometimes even an interesting listen) with their artsy-yet-safe sound.
