Creating a record that's as good as or even better than 'Hybrid Theory' was a tough sell, and with 'Meteora' there is more emphasis on the dense layers within the songs that once again had a mix of metal and rap. Although nu-metal was ridiculed by the staunch defenders of traditional heavy metal, it still took the early years of the '00s by storm. 'Meteora' debuted at #1 in both the US and the UK, providing a virtual factory of hits for local radio stations while angst-ridden teenagers lapped it up. However, heavily produced as it was, with great catchy riffs and new effects, the lyrics were not as clever this time around, and seemed to actually prey on a teenager's sense of feeling.
The Build Up to the Anti-Climax
The album starts up with Foreward, a thirteen second track that is nothing more than an introduction to Don't Stay, one of the better tracks on the record. Just from this first song, the theme of the album is evident right from the beginning, using words such as not having to "need you any more" and the repetition of no longer being ignored. Indeed, there is a culmination of this later on in Nobody's Listening, where the feeling of pain, anger and self-loathing just comes through like so much vomit, although backed by great bass lines and interesting instruments.
Somewhere I Belong, on the other hand, actually faces the need for rest within a teen's life and finding out where they actually stand in the world, and has one of the more interesting bridge sections in the album. Once again, it screams "radio hit" due to the way it is quite easy on the ear in rock terms. The next track, Lying From You, is a rather ugly song, so the next couple of tracks, Hit The Floor and Easier To Run, are in comparison a pleasure to hear. These two also encompass the best of the lyrics so far on Linkin Park's album, with the band's words bouncing along nicely in their rhymes, and with the lead singer sounding fine with just singing, as opposed to screaming.
Another grandstander comes in the form of Faint, featuring a fast moving riff and great aggressive lyrics, the shortest full song (Session doesn't count here) is also one of the best of the album. Figure .09 kind of keeps the same theme as Faint except that it features a far heavier and slower riff, before it gives way to the interesting Breaking The Habit. With a catchy sound to it and distorted vocals, the song is probably the most hopeful on 'Meteora', but in the end there is a feeling that a lot more could be done with it, especially with the layering of sounds to the song, which have been very dense up until this point.
End of Session
The last few songs are pretty much filler material except for Numb, which has such a definitive start that when turned up, it can send shivers. Once again, it deals with conflicts and tensions, playing on the mood swings of teenagers and controlling parents.
'Meteora' is definitely an album that could have done with a little more watering in order to make it fully grown. The angst stuff gets to be very grating on one's nerves, painting a picture with a very thick brush. In this case, the details are far more lacking than they were in 'Hybrid Theory', and their debut album is still rightly more celebrated, although it doesn't have as many radio hits. Some songs are fine, some are filler and most are in-between, and unfortunately it does feel as if Linkin Park have rested on their laurels a little too much.
James Clapham - After winning his Creative Writing Diploma, James Clapham moved to Slovakia. He currently works as an English teacher there, and is also ...
Join the Conversation