Meteora: Linkin Park

Meteora is Linkin Park's second studio album (not counting Reanimation). It was released in March of 2003 and is considered their best album by fans and critics alike and I have to agree. If you have read any of my previous album reviews, you know that I rank this as their best album and often call it their perfect album. While some song final scores might not reflect (perfection), I think that it is as close as one can get to perfection... especially when looking at the end of the Nu-Metal genre.


To start off, here is some back round on Linkin Park:
They released 2 studio albums called Hybrid Theory and Meteora (arguably their best music to many) in the years of 2000 and 2004. They also released a remix album called Reanimation in between, in which Mike Shinoda (band's rapper/singer/guitarist/keyboard/producer... he pretty much does everything) collaborated with many other artists, remixing the bands first album and some of their unreleased songs such as High Voltage and My December. Linkin Park was known and labelled under the genre "Nu-metal" which was very popular at the time... think of the 90's grunge rock era. Linkin Park and the rest of the industry knew that Nu Metal was dying. Meteora was their last Nu Metal album (2003). Meteora is their best work overall, if you listen to the album front to back you can feel the music flow through you.

Introduction:
Just as Meteora left a giant void to fill for the bands next album, their first studio album Hybrid Theory was a massive success as well and left fans and critics with unrealistically high expectations. Linkin Park stepped up and gave the industry and the fans what they wanted... their most polished album alongside A Thousand Suns. At the time it was 2004 and the Nu-Metal genre was on its way out... everyone knew it. Linkin Park created an ambitious nu-metal album that flowed flawlessly from front to back, and gave nu-metal an incredible, memorable sendoff. This, is music people. Lets break it down.

1. Foreward
As a shot of thunder breaks the sky and rain downpours, we hear a hammer (we can assume) hitting an anvil... faster... faster...faster... and then we hear the sound of glass shattering. What an intro, 13 seconds of pure buildup.
Foreward gets no score because it's not a song.

2. Don't Stay
This is how you start an album. A steady rhythm, powerful guitar chords, a display of skill put on by Mr. Hahn on the turntables. Chester comes in somewhat soft, then goes berserk! "Forget our memories! Forget our possibilities! What you were changing me into, Just give me myself back and DON'T STAY!" Incredible. The drum work isn't anything special, but it works with the song. The guitar work stays steady throughout the song with deep power chords. Chester kills this song, one of his best performances. We don't hear Mike in this song, but live he will be on guitar. The song slows down and kicks it back into overdrive with aggressive screams and guitar. A fantastic, easy song.
Don't Stay gets a 9.5 out of 10. This is how you start an album.

3. Somewhere I Belong
Flows effortlessly into this next song, which is slower by nature. Steady power chords and drums, with some ominous turntable work from Mr. Hahn. Mike takes over the song with Chester kicking in the chorus. "Just stuck, hollow and alone and the fault is my own, the fault is my own." "Erase all the pain 'till its gone!" It is a fairly sad song, it shows a lot of negativity and uncertainty... something I feel that Linkin Park knew that they would be going through after this album with the death of nu-metal. "I wanna heal, I wanna feel, like im close to something real." A really solid song, something I wish they would play more live as Chester really does an excellent job during the chorus and latter part of the song, and Mike is solid as always. This song really shows how Mike and Chester can trade lines and verses so well together. Great job guys.
Somewhere I Belong gets a 9 out of 10.

4. Lying From You
Flowing from a sadder song right back to an angry one. Mike kills it, and Mr. Hahn has some great turntable work once again. Guitar and drums work very well together here, and we can hear Phoenix's bass here too. "The more I push the more I'm pulling away because I'm lying my way from you!" "The very worst part of you, is me!" Chester has some outstanding screams near the latter part, and Mike takes over during that... it sounds great. A technically sound song, and something that LP fans of old will adore.
Lying From You gets an 8.5 out of 10.

5. Hit the Floor
SUCH A GOOD SONG! Chugging guitar pattern, with lighter drums. Mike absolutely destroys this song... and it's pretty mellow until the chorus kicks in. Chester screams in with Mike interfering. Fantastic effort from both. "MAKING YOUR HEART STOP! You think you won, then its all gone!" The pacing in this song is something very well done as well, slower but still angry, then super aggressive, then back to slower. Repeat repeat repeat. Fantastic
Hit the Floor gets a 9 out of 10.

6. Easier to Run
From two angrier songs flows a very depressing, sad song. Chester does an excellent job with the soft and hard vocals, and Mike interjects very well here. Mr. Hahn keeps the mood mellow, Phoenix's bass is very present in this song, drums and guitar work very well again. "Its so much easier to go than to take all this pain here all alone" "Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back, and never moving forward so there would never be a past." A very moving song, but it's not too weak. Linkin Park did an excellent job balancing soft and hard with this song, something bands either do too much of or too little all too often. This song is one of their best, ever. The lyrics are some of the best I have ever heard.
Easier to Run gets a 9.5 out of 10. 

7. Faint
Right from a slower song, and into a very fast paced, aggressive song. Guitar and drums dominate this song, and Mike does an excellent job rapping fairly fast but still keeping the beat. Chester does a great job in the chorus, in a half-scream, half-singing voice. Great. "But it's like no matter what I do I can't convince you for once just to hear me out. So I let go watching you turn your back like you always do, face away and pretend that I'm not, but I'll be here cause you're all that I got." This is just a really solid song, everything works very well together and the lyrics are killer.
Faint gets an 8.5 out of 10.

8. Figure.09
A great guitar sound, solid drums, and bass that amplifies everything. Fantastic fast rapping from Mike and great singing from Chester during the chorus. Another brilliant lyrical effort from Linkin Park. It's about becoming something that you hate, "I've let myself become you!" The best part is when it slows right down and Mike repeats over and over, louder and louder "Never goes away." Then a sort of solo/outro thing where Mike and Chester coordinate screaming and rapping with a chugging guitar patten to create a very intense atmosphere. Fades out and you want to hit the replay button.
Figure.09 gets an 8.5 out of 10.

9. Breaking the Habit
"Memories consume." One of their best lyrical efforts ever, and a fairly soft song overall. It sounds nothing like anything they have done before which is nice. Chester does an incredible job singing this song. While there is some drum, guitar, and bass work, the turntables and Chester really take over this song until after the second chorus. I am sure you have heard this song somewhere before, as it was one of their big songs off this album to hit radio's. This is how it is done people, a moving, easy listening, but not too light of a song. One of my personal favourites off this album.
Breaking the Habit gets a 9.5 out of 10.

10. From the Inside
My favourite song off this album, and their best song on this album as well. Masterfully paced, technically sound, great singing and screaming from Chester and very well timed rapping from Mike. And because it is Linkin Park, you all know that it is lyrically sound. If you want to listen to any song on this album... though the entire thing is a work of art, this is the song to listen to. Like I said, this song is just incredibly well-paced. It was a collective effort from every band member, each having their own role trying to illustrate through sound the soul of this song.
From the Inside gets a 10 out of 10.

11. Nobody's Listening
A very eastern/Asia themed style of music, when you listen you will know what I mean. This is a personal favourite of mine, as Mike really kills this song. Chester does a good job during the chorus as well. "And everything left is a waste of time I hate my rhymes, I hate everyone else's more!" Just a really good song, we don't really see the bass or guitar, or drums making a big presence and this song is really focused on Mike. "Told you everything loud and clear but nobody's listening!" Mike and Chester do a great job trading lines during the choruses. Just a really different and fun song to listen to. Seeing more drums would be nice for this style though.
Nobody's Listening gets an 8.5 out of 10.

12. Session
Then we get this instrumental work of art called Session. Starting off with an ominous tone, then an attack on the drums, followed by distortion and turntables by Mr. Hahn. It's really great to just listen to, as the tone is very mellow and chill. No words, but for me this song speaks thousands. This song serves as a break from the intensity of the album. Mr. Hahn does some great turntable work at the end as well. It serves as an intro for Linkin Park's most famous and popular song from this time.
Session gets an 8 out of 10.

13. Numb
We have all heard it before. The song sounds incredible, that's what it comes down to. Chester does an incredible job, Mike has a great supporting role, we hear piano, steady drums, solid guitar and bass work throughout, and a fantastic tone throughout the entire song. Lyrically their best song besides Burning in the Skies but at this time this was their best. "Every step that I take is another mistake to you, and every second I waste is more than I can take!" It really finishes the album on their highest note ever. This is how you close an album, with this work of art. This song squeezed the last bit of life nu-metal had left in it, right out and created an incredible song. There's nothing I can say that can do this song justice, and that's the truth.
Numb gets a 10 out of 10.

In conclusion, this album marked the high point for Linkin Park. They left nu-metal with the biggest bang of the genre. Each song flowed effortlessly from start to finish, you can listen to this album from to back and you can interpret it as just one collective song, each telling a different part of the story that is Meteora... something that many bands cannot do or have trouble doing. Linkin Park created something extremely special here. This album is as polished and as technically sound as it gets. It's creative, it pushed boundaries, and marked the highest point of an entire genre... how many bands can say that about themselves? Not many, not many. Everything felt like it belonged, everything worked, everything was beautiful. This is how you make a complete album.

Final rating for Meteora:
9.9 out of 10
- As close to perfect as any album can get
- Closed a genre
- Marked the best of that genre
- Extremely well polished
- Technically sound
- Lyrically beautiful
- Some truly amazing songs
- Flows effortlessly from start to finish

As a fan: This is their best album, and many other fans would agree. Buy it, listen to it, love it.
As a critic: This is their bets album, and many other critics would agree. Buy it, listen to it, love it.

How it ranks compared to their other albums:
1st place. Meteora (9.9 out of 10)
- still overall best album in every area
2nd place. A Thousand Suns (9.5 out of 10)
- completely different, but beautifully crafted and a complete album like Meteora.
3rd place. Hybrid Theory
- the bands origins. Some really great songs that were groundbreaking back in the day.
4th place.  Living Things (8 out of 10)
- using elements of all other albums, this album is a great entry.
5th place. Minutes to Midnight (7.5 out of 10)
- a good entry, but this was completely new territory for LP. Some good songs, but still uncertain feel.

Buy it!