#2: One Step Closer: The hardest song on the CD. Free of rapping. Very intense; the second best on the CD. (10/10)

#3: With You: Very rythmatic, with a lot of beats and scratching in the background. Nice song. (8/10)

#4: Points of Authority: No raps except the beginning and the 2:15 mark. Great work. (9/10)

#5: Crawling: Awesome work, I think its about some mental patient. 3rd best. (10/10)

#6: Runaway: Not very good for their standard, but still a good song; all about betrayal. Nice. (7/10)

#7: By Myself: A sleepy rap, nice job, with what seems like a crash in the background (9/10)

#8: In the End: DEFINITELY THE BEST!!! One of the best nu-metal songs ever. Rapped and rocked in various spots. (10/10)

#9: A Place For My Head: Mostly rapped, very rapid fire style, about being used by people. (8/10)

#10: Forgotten: A hard rap about tough times. (9/10)

#11: Cure for the Itch: Record sampling all about rythyms and beats. No singing, just the DJ at work. (8/10)

#12: Pushing Me Away: Lighter rock, only a little rapping.
This is the 4th best. (10/10)

This was an awesome CD that you just don't want to stop playing. If you even remotely like to listen to rock or nu-metal, this is the Cd that will get you listening all the time. It is a great album and worth every last penny you pay for it!


Five Stars from a Skeptic...   September 28, 2001
 70 out of 84 found this review helpful

I am 27 years old. I grew up with metal like Black Sabbath, Napalm Death, Megadeth, (early)Metallica, TOOL, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. I avoided Linkin Park like the plague thinking that their all too friendly MTV image would not satisfy my most primal metal urges. I was wrong. It is indeed rare to find a debut album of such complexity and richness. Hybrid Theory plays as a complete album, there are no throw away tracks here. I wasn't sure I liked Chester Bennington's voice at first but after hearing "Crawling" a few times I came to realize that he's got a great voice. He's no Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson but he's up there amongst today's vocalists (except for Serj from System of a Down). This cd is a true "hybrid" of metal and hip-hop influences. Linkin Park uses two vocalists, one singing and one rapping along with a dj and the results are spectacular. The best two tracks are A Place for My Head and Forgotten but all of the other tracks are way above average. So if you've shown slight interest into this band but have shyed away because of their link to commercial interests, I say take the plunge it's well worth it. Hybrid Theory will be the first of many important releases from this band. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


Stunning   February 25, 2002
 54 out of 65 found this review helpful

This is by far the best CD I've ever owned in my life, and probably will ever own until their second album comes out and its better. Linkin Park is not a certain genre - it is not rap, rock, hip hop, or metal. It is truly its own genre. I've decided this because I've never heard anything like them before.
I don't see how some people consider them so terrible, or "one step closer" to becoming a boy band. Honestly, do you really imagine Justin Timberlake screaming "Shut up when I'm talking to you" at the top of his lungs? I don't think so...
Before hearing this album, I was a total pop-crazed idiot. I owned almost all the Now CD's, 2 Britney Spears CD's, 2 'NSync CD's, and pretty much all the other pop artists that I curse now. Linkin Park completely changed my music taste - their lyrics and melodies are beautiful, the screaming doesn't go over the top, and amazingly - THERE ARE NO SWEAR WORDS. That is rare in this music world these days, since it seems like it's painful for Limp Bizkit and DMX, among others, to not throw in an "F" word every two minutes.

1. Papercut 8/10 - This one really get your attention, a great opener. The lyrics are powerful and smart (my favourite line being "The sun goes down, I feel the light betray me" - I dare Fred Durst to sing something like that), and even the video is awesome. Mike's rapping is excellent here.

2. One Step Closer 8.5/10 - Shocking. If I could use one word to describe this song, that would be it, but not at all in a bad way. Over time it has become my second favourite track - at times I can really relate to the lyrics. I even enjoy Chester's screaming at the end - haha, call me crazy.

3. With You 6/10 - Honestly, not my favourite, though I still love it. The lyrics are wonderful and the chorus great, but I just can't to seem to keep my attention on it. It's still great, though.

4. Points of Authority 10+/10 - By far my favourite track on the CD. It confuses me that it isn't being played on the radio as much as "In the End" is, the lyrics are fabulous and the opening verse is completely original. Not to mention it's also fun to sing along to... *grin*.

5. Crawling 8.5/10 - This one grows on you. Some people may think "Oh, it's genius" and I'm slowly realizing that it is, though not as genius as other songs. The lyrics are powerful, Chester's voice is at his best, even the shock of jumping from soft singing to intense screaming adds flavour. The video is beautiful as well, the story is somewhat moving. This song deserves praise.

6. Runaway 5.5/10 - I catagorize this one with "With You." Great song, but not as grabbing. It's actually a good song to hear if you're new to the band, next to "In the End," since it isn't as shocking and the lyrics are great.

7. By Myself 8/10 - One of my favourites. It is similar to "Crawling," with Chester singing softly during the verses, and then it jumps to the shock of his screaming during the chorus. I love the lyrics, and everything else.

8. In the End 8/10 - I know, I know. Am I expected to write endless praise for this song? I admit, it's great, but a little on the overrated side. Great lyrics, great singing from Chester, great rapping from Mike - simply great. It stands out. The piano is beautiful, as is the video. But for some reason it doesn't rank highest on my favourite list... I'm not sure why yet.

9. A Place For My Head 8/10 - Another one of my favourites. I love the lyrics and the singing, its fantastic... and again, I love when Chester does his screaming at the end: "You try to take the best of me, go away!"

10. Forgotten 7/10 - Great, but not as great as others. I love it, but I wouldn't call it a favourite. I love how it jumps right into the singing instead of having a instrumental intro, I thought that was cool.

11. Cure For the Itch 7/10 - Great addition to the CD. Different, clever, and fun to listen to. Mr. Hahn is a great DJ, and I'm very pleased that they decided to put this track on the CD. It's nice rest from all the powerful songs.

12. Pushing Me Away 8/10 - Wonderful song! I'm a little disappointed that they put it on the end of the CD, because by the time I get to it I'm a little worn out. But it's still excellent. Great lyrics, and beautiful music!

I recommend this CD to everyone who wants a fabulous break from the songs that are nothing but screaming, swearing, and all the [stuff] that popular music these days are. Linkin Park is a truly great new addition to the music world. Their concerts rock, too *smile*!


great cd!   December 3, 2000
 40 out of 49 found this review helpful

While many compare this band to Limp Bizkit, and Korn - let's get real here guys - these guys are actually singing about meaningful stuff - this isn't a Fred Durst that has the same words in all his songs or a Davis who goes I hate life every 5 seconds. The songs are very melodic, the dj is rather impressive, and the lyrics give the band a strong sense of credibility and musical talent. If you go back and look for their demo tape (when the band was called Hybrid Theory), you should listen to the song 'step up' - the "rapper" as we seem to be calling him here, sings about all these rap-rock bands that 'just get a dj for credibility. Basically, all these generic bands that have been popping up when "rock and HIP HOP have been collaborating for years" so no, linkin park is not another band hopping into the bandwagon - they are original, creative, serious artists who have come to give the current rap-rock scene a good name so good bye nookie, and so long mr. f the world - here comes the new scene!!


Definitly The Next Big Rising Group   November 4, 2000
 33 out of 39 found this review helpful

This is one of the best CD's ever. Linkin Park has pretty much created their own unique blend of music. With two vocalists, you would think things would be kind of weird, not so. With one person rapping, and the other singing it creates a unique blend that few groups can pull off. With the Samplers and DJ's it makes some pretty cool sounds that tend to unite other parts of the song. The powerful guitars are used extremely well to shape songs impression.

Now the Break Down of the CD.

Songs 1, 2, 3, 4 are all awesome. There isn't a note I would change in any of the songs.

Songs 5 and 6 are pretty good too, but there not much of a comparison to other songs on the CD.

Songs 7, 8, and 9 have more rapping than the other songs, which is great if your into that type of thang. But me, I like the heavier stuff, so these songs didn't really appeal to me as much as the others, even though they are still great songs.

Song 10. My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!

Song 11. It's not really much of a song just a thing the group threw in there for fun.

Song 12. Great song, read what I said for 5 and 6.

Overall I love this CD, and for the price, It's an great buy