All in all, Hybrid Theory is brimming with single-worthy songs. Any track on here would represent the record’s prominence admirably, but the historic choices are obvious ones.
Unlike the lavish box design suggests, this isn’t all gold, but that’s not the point. It’s as much about the journey as the destination, and this is a 20 year celebration and exploration of how Linkin Park worked their way from lo-fi 1998 demos to flame-haired world-conquerers just two years later.
The California band’s blend of rapping, screaming, and circuit-bending defied easy categorization. Their sharpest tendencies meshed on Hybrid Theory, the most popular rock music of the 21st century.
The Hybrid Theory/Reanimation double bill was, in my opinion, peak Linkin Park. The 1999-2002 era found the boys still balancing their rock/hip hop sound, before fully shedding the hip hop in subsequent releases. The songs back then weren´t as tight and chorus oriented as they became and some may fault them on that. But I personally engage with the looseness of these songs, especially Reanimation´s disregard for accessibility.
So getting about 2h40 of unreleased material from that ... read more
Like I said on the Meteora boxset review, this kind of boxset with unreleased material, and specially with all the love and respect that is made. Thanks to Linkin Park for keeping the band's and Chester's legacy alive nowadays.
Hybrid Theory
Reanimation
Hybrid Theory EP
B-Side Rarities
LPU Rarities
Forgotten Demos