Hybrid theory is a really middle of the road

[Pat]

Similarly to you, I listened to Reign In Blood for the first time the other day. It's just generic thrash, how did they get so big?!

 

[Emperoff]

One of my favourite albums of all time, and holds a really special place in my heart. Where I was from there was zero alternative music to be exposed to, and internet was in its infancy. I saw their Hybrid Theory commercial playing "Crawling" on TV (something unthinkable now) and I had never heard anything like that, so I got curious... And here I am.

 

[broj15]

In reality they were probably the first band I heard with harsh vocals. Idk, I don't listen to them anymore and I probably wouldn't even put them on my top 100 list, but Chester had crazy control over his vocals, they were probably the only nu metal band where the turntablist actually contributed to the sound, and the only nu metal band that got an *actual* rapper to do the rap parts instead of some white dude who you could easily mistake for some guy selling his Suboxone doses at the bus stop (see every other nu metal vocalist who took a crack at "rapping").

Plus they actually have hooks/could write catchy songs. Not trying to pigeonhole OP, but I'd be willing to bet my pedal budget that you're just dissing cuz it's not some brutal technical death metal/dj0nt/"prog" note salad. That stuff is much more impressive if you view guitar as a sport, but I guarantee even the worst track on hybrid theory is loads more memorable than anything coming from some neck beard writing *insert niche micro genre birthed from the internet here*.

 

[Louis Cypher]

I loved Nu Metal at the time and still do tbh, but at the time I really didn't like LP or Hybrid Theory as it was Nu Metal-pop lite to me, when I was listening to Korn, Deftones or Coal Chamber and the like, wasn't till years later I got in to it and in particular the Reanimation remix album, that's a rare example of a remix/reimagined version of an album being as good as if not better than the original

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

I would rather listen to Hybrid Theory on repeat for a year than 15 minutes of Dream Theater

 

[BenSolace]

it's not some brutal technical death metal/dj0nt/"prog" note salad. That stuff is much more impressive if you view guitar as a sport, but I guarantee even the worst track on hybrid theory is loads more memorable than anything coming from some neck beard writing *insert niche micro genre birthed from the internet here*.

Man, the older I get the more I move in this direction musically.

 

[OmegaSlayer]

Middle of the road...

 

[budda]

I loved Nu Metal at the time and still do tbh, but at the time I really didn't like LP or Hybrid Theory as it was Nu Metal-pop lite to me, when I was listening to Korn, Deftones or Coal Chamber and the like, wasn't till years later I got in to it and in particular the Reanimation remix album, that's a rare example of a remix/reimagined version of an album being as good as if not better than the original

The best part is iirc the reanimation stuff is actually the pre hybrid theory versions of the songs. I say this because i downloaded the songs they put out before HT .

Korn doesnt sound like deftones doesnt sound like linkin park doesnt sound like soad - if you spend time listening to those bands and their albums. My dad would probably say they are all the same band

 

[Musiscience]

You had to be there and in the right demographic to really understand the impact at the time. I still remember tween me going to friends at the end of summer vacation and everyone was talking about that “guy with red hair and white hair” band they just saw on MTV. It was just a single prior to the album so no one knew much about them and the hype was really building. Their sound and vibe was different enough from other Nu Metal acts to retain everyone’s attention for sure.

Hearing them for the first time almost 25 years later as a jaded adult loosing sleep over steep inflation and raise in mortgage rates will undoubtedly be a different experience.

 

[gabito]

Yeah, I was just listening to the first Black Sabbath album the other day and thinking "Man, how'd they get so big, they sound like they ripped off a million other bands!"

The singer even sounds almost exactly like Ozzy Osbourne.

Unbelievable.

 

[Big_taco]

Now this is the kinda thread we need to kick-off 2024!

Hats off to just about every comment here.

 

[Carrion Rocket]

 

[works0fheart]

You had to be there and in the right demographic to really understand the impact at the time. I still remember tween me going to friends at the end of summer vacation and everyone was talking about that “guy with red hair and white hair” band they just saw on MTV. It was just a single prior to the album so no one knew much about them and the hype was really building. Their sound and vibe was different enough from other Nu Metal acts to retain everyone’s attention for sure.

Hearing them for the first time almost 25 years later as a jaded adult loosing sleep over steep inflation and raise in mortgage rates will undoubtedly be a different experience.

I think it also had a lot to do with it being the first exposure to harsh vocals or aggressive styles of music. For some people if they were already familiar with and/or listening to heavy music then the band was very hit or miss, even then. I had grown up around parents who listened to all of your typical metal benchmarks from the 80s and 90s (Metallica, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Megadave, etc) as well as some of the more niche stuff (Deicide, Obituary, Death, etc). For me, Metallica grabbed me the most as a kid upon hearing Load or ReLoad and as I got older and went through middle school and high school when Nu Metal was blowing up, I went backwards through Metallica's catalog. By the time LP was making waves I was fully immersed for the first time in Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning so, to me, the aggression and angst just wasn't comparable. It just didn't feel as exciting to me despite the fact that I was in that age range that Linkin Park typically appealed to and even though most of my friends in school were into it.

At that edgy teenage stage I was just looking for heavier stuff, and back then I didn't really know about death metal as much more than some background noise I'd heard here and there that didn't make sense to me. I had a lot of skater friends that listened to punk and ska too and those also, while not my favorite, were significantly more interesting to my ears. Even the first few albums by The Offspring were super influential to me and I still adore them today.

I imagine that for a lot of people here that Linkin Park were that introductory band to heavy music, or that gateway to other heavier stuff, but for me it just missed me completely. The next heavy thing that I found I could relate to back then was self-titled Slipknot and Iowa. Those 2 albums blew my mind and opened my eyes to heavier music in a very short amount of time. From them I went down the rabbit hole of the proto-metalcore bands of the time: Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, etc.

So, no disrespect to anyone, but even as an angsty teen at the time I found no interest in Linkin Park. There was just always something more interesting going on and bands in that vein didn't really have the level of aggression that I wanted. At the end of the day though, I will still say I appreciate them for being an introduction to a lot of people for less formulaic music and helping a ton of people get into metal, so that's always a win in my book.

 

[BlackMastodon]

I think it also had a lot to do with it being the first exposure to harsh vocals or aggressive styles of music. For some people if they were already familiar with and/or listening to heavy music then the band was very hit or miss, even then. I had grown up around parents who listened to all of your typical metal benchmarks from the 80s and 90s (Metallica, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Megadave, etc) as well as some of the more niche stuff (Deicide, Obituary, Death, etc). For me, Metallica grabbed me the most as a kid upon hearing Load or ReLoad and as I got older and went through middle school and high school when Nu Metal was blowing up, I went backwards through Metallica's catalog. By the time LP was making waves I was fully immersed for the first time in Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning so, to me, the aggression and angst just wasn't comparable. It just didn't feel as exciting to me despite the fact that I was in that age range that Linkin Park typically appealed to and even though most of my friends in school were into it.

At that edgy teenage stage I was just looking for heavier stuff, and back then I didn't really know about death metal as much more than some background noise I'd heard here and there that didn't make sense to me. I had a lot of skater friends that listened to punk and ska too and those also, while not my favorite, were significantly more interesting to my ears. Even the first few albums by The Offspring were super influential to me and I still adore them today.

I imagine that for a lot of people here that Linkin Park were that introductory band to heavy music, or that gateway to other heavier stuff, but for me it just missed me completely. The next heavy thing that I found I could relate to back then was self-titled Slipknot and Iowa. Those 2 albums blew my mind and opened my eyes to heavier music in a very short amount of time. From them I went down the rabbit hole of the proto-metalcore bands of the time: Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, etc.

So, no disrespect to anyone, but even as an angsty teen at the time I found no interest in Linkin Park. There was just always something more interesting going on and bands in that vein didn't really have the level of aggression that I wanted. At the end of the day though, I will still say I appreciate them for being an introduction to a lot of people for less formulaic music and helping a ton of people get into metal, so that's always a win in my book.

Wow, look: a well thought out, insightful, and useful post!








Get outta here, nerd!

 

[Lozek]

I had the same opinion at the time, bought it on CD about a week after it came out and then sold it a few days later.

WorksofHeart nailed it, there was just so much more interesting music around in that time period if you already knew other artists.

 

[Thesius]

Hybrid Theory and Meteora are two of my favorite albums. Hold up to this day

 

[CanserDYI]

Semi related, Mike Shinoda's remix of Passenger by Deftones is fuckin S tier. I'd say arguably better than the original, my hot take.

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

there was just so much more interesting music around in that time period if you already knew other artists.

Like for example, Creed

 

[MetalDestroyer]

Semi related, Mike Shinoda's remix of Passenger by Deftones is fuckin S tier. I'd say arguably better than the original, my hot take.

Mike Shinoda's remix of Enjoy the Silence is the best version of that song IMO

 

[prlgmnr]

Semi related, Mike Shinoda's remix of Passenger by Deftones is fuckin S tier. I'd say arguably better than the original, my hot take.

oh god I didn't know this existed, I'm almost certain I'm about to be real mad