Maps of Music

Hybrid Theory (2000)

Where the lyrics of Hybrid Theory take you, and where it was really made.

The band's debut album takes its title from the name the band used before it became Linkin Park.

Key places

Where the sessions were recorded (2000)

Recording site NRG Recording Studios (Hollywood) — Recording began at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood in March 2000 and lasted four months. Most songs were re-recorded from the demo tape at this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hybrid Theory: debut studio album by the American rock band Linkin Park
• Released October 24, 2000 by Warner Bros. Records
• Produced by Don Gilmore, with Andy Wallace hired as mixer
• Lyrics deal with problems lead vocalist Chester Bennington faced in adolescence, including drug abuse and his parents' divorce
• Title comes from the band's previous name and from music theory and the idea of combining different styles
• The band's only album on which bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell does not play, though he was credited as a member and wrote on two tracks

Background

• Band formed as Xero in 1996 by high school friends Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon
• Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and Mark Wakefield were recruited after graduation
• Jeff Blue, a Zomba Music A&R executive, recommended Chester Bennington as vocalist
• After Bennington joined, the band was renamed Hybrid Theory, and later changed its name to Linkin Park
• Signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1999
• The music was first produced in 1999 as a nine-track demo tape

Recording

• Sessions began at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, California in March 2000 and lasted four months
• Most songs were re-recorded from the demo tape
• Shinoda's rap sections were significantly altered from the original, while most choruses stayed largely unchanged
• Scott Koziol and Ian Hornbeck served as stand-in bassists, and Delson also played bass on most of the album
• The Dust Brothers provided additional beats for 'With You'

Cover

• Mike Shinoda, a former graphic designer, illustrated the winged soldier himself
• The art style was largely influenced by stencil graffiti, including early works by Banksy
• Scrambled song lyrics appear in the background, with 'One Step Closer' the most prominent

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Linkin Park was formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996 by high school friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson.
• The band began as Xero, recorded a four-track demo in 1997, and changed its name to Hybrid Theory after Chester Bennington joined in 1999.
• Warner Bros. Records advised another name change, and the band chose Linkin Park.

Members

• The original lineup included vocalist Chester Bennington and drummer Rob Bourdon.
• Bennington died by suicide in July 2017, and the band went on hiatus.
• In September 2024 the reformed lineup was announced, with Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain added to Shinoda, Delson, Joe Hahn, and Dave Farrell.

Career

• Debut album Hybrid Theory (2000) was certified Diamond by the RIAA and sold more than 4.8 million copies in its first year.
• Meteora (2003) followed, and Minutes to Midnight (2007) marked a change in sound.
• A Thousand Suns (2010), Living Things (2012), The Hunting Party (2014), and One More Light (2017) explored electronic, rock, and pop directions.
• The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
• Eighth album From Zero (2024) returned to a heavier sound.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album generally positive reviews upon its release
• Mike Ross of Jam! praised the album as an effective fusion of hip-hop and heavy metal and called Linkin Park one of the finest new rap metal bands
• Stephanie Dickison of PopMatters wrote that the band is a far more complex and talented group than the hard rock boy bands of late
• Dan Silver of Q said the band gave angst-ridden rock an effective electronic spin
• Johan Wippsson of Melodic complimented Don Gilmore's production
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a two-star honorable mention and cited 'Papercut' and 'Points of Authority' as highlights
• William Ruhlmann of AllMusic found the band sounded like a late arrival to an already overdone musical style
• Noel Gardner of NME called it a decent album in need of editing
• Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone felt the album works in spots but panned the lyrics

Reappraisal

• Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic (2006) perceived a lack of musical variety but concluded it stands as a defining mainstream album at the turn of the century
• Ian Cohen of Stylus Magazine (2007) found the album almost completely forgettable outside its singles, yet strangely fresh for mainstream rock radio
• Gabriel Szatan of Pitchfork (2020) wrote that the band's sharpest tendencies meshed on the album
• Luke Morton of Kerrang! argued it is one of the most important rock albums of all time
• Tom Hawking of Flavorwire included the album in his 2014 list of the 50 worst albums ever made

Records

• Debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard 200, selling 50,000 copies in its first week
• Peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA
• Reached the top 10 in 15 other countries
• Won Best Hard Rock Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards for 'Crawling'
• Sold 4.8 million copies in the US in 2001, the best-selling album of that year
• Certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005
• 'In the End' was the highest-charting single, peaking at number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The 'One Step Closer' video was shot in a Los Angeles subway, and stand-in bassist Scott Koziol is shown performing with the band in it.
• The 'In the End' video was shot at various stops along the 2001 Ozzfest tour, and directed by Nathan 'Karma' Cox and Joe Hahn, who later directed many of the band's future videos.
• The 'In the End' video won the Best Rock Video award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.
• Mike Shinoda's rap sections were significantly altered from the demo versions while most choruses stayed largely the same.
• Later in 2002, the band released the remix album Reanimation, with contributions from Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Jonathan Davis, Stephen Carpenter and Aaron Lewis.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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