Nu Album, Same Sound

Perched atop the nu-metal throne sits Linkin Park, the anointed ‘kings’ of the genre, after their 2001 debut album, “Hybrid Theory,” became the number-one selling album of the year. Two years later, however, came the inevitably daunting task of breaking through the “sophomore slump” that consumes and quickly digests many rock groups. Instead of expanding on the techniques and methods that made “Hybrid Theory” such a success, however, Linkin Park choose to meagerly follow the same manufactured, overproduced song structure that made them an industry staple.That’s not to say ‘Meteora’ isn’t without its merits. Linkin Park earned their crown by blending hip hop and rock with a sort of neo-frustrated lyrical content that sent teenagers across the globe sprawling, and for the most part, the bands successful qualities are carried over. Namely DJ Joseph Hahn’s characteristic effects, which manage to create a cathartic, yet textured mood to each song, giving a little more structure and integrity to something that is generally lacking, especially when it comes to the albums simplistic guitar work. Lyrically identical to ‘Hybrid,’ Linkin Park still manage to create catchy, easily accessible songs which the eager public will enjoy for now… but for how much longer?