Linkin Park's highly anticipated debut album has finally arrived and most certainly lives up to the hype surrounding it. The group invigorate the aging rapcore sound with a feverish dosage of ambient electronics and raw melody to create a biting effort that is both soft and callused at the same time. Comparisons don't fit well with this band as they shy away from any of the typical influences so predominant in the scene today, which makes them something of a pioneer of a fresh new sound.

Vocally the album is mixed between heart felt verses that take shape with an edgy ragged voice, lock tight flows, aggressive outbursts and even tranquil crooning. The band features two vocalists who effortlessly pass off parts, blurring into each other seamlessly as their voices comment each other superbly, varying between alternative rock styled harmony to a straight forward rapmetal charge. There's also the added touch of a few vocal effects and the well written lyrics which are easily related to and will no doubt hit home with many of the youth of today. Guitars are snarling and create epic riffs that ring out with huge sounding tones that envelope the tracks in one colossal gulp. There's ample distortion used to convey the point and some catchy crunchy numbers that give the band a slight new metal edge, but overall the restrained nature and smoothly crafted chords tend to play keenly on the sonic side of things and leave an abundance of breathing room to draw the listener in. Bass wise this album is somewhat odd due to the fact that the band don't have a dedicated bassist. There's a variety of different sounding tones with what sounds to be both organic and programmed playing, steeped within driving rhythms and ringing notes rather than clever experimentation or various styles. Drums are keenly laid out with an almost mechanical precision, although they by no means sound electronic as they batter out snare heavy rhythms with bombastic overtones and a solid usage of the kit as a whole. Electronic programming highlights this album with cunningly layered ambiance that makes the music glimmer with a warm glow and thunder with monstrous bass hits. The subtle nature in which it is incorporated make this CD a prime candidate to be listened to on headphones and the elaborate color they construct show off an uncanny knowledge of programming and as such make this album perhaps one of the most mature showcases of electronic elements being mixed into a hard rock environment made to date.

Musically this album has an almost pop sensibility to it and feels like it was unknowingly tailor made to make huge waves at rock radio. The material is incredibly strong and there are little to no flaws as the group progress through the albums dozen tracks, fearlessly tackling a variety of styles and song formulas that can range anywhere from slow and brooding to in your face rapcore. The electronic aspect of this CD is equally amazing and gives the band a shimmering aura of easily digested white noise. Perhaps the only downfall of the album is that it seems to wear off rather quickly and after multiple listens, for whatever reason the songs seem to loose their punch. But as it stands it still comes highly recommended and is a worthy addition to anyone's collection. Linkin Park must have been studying hard to create such a timeless debut album, as their "Hybrid Theory" will be hard to top from any of this years crop of up and comers. In fact the lessons laid out on this CD are done with such talent that it will only be so long before we experience a wave of second rate clones trying to capitalize on the bands sophisticated new sound. But as the past has shown us, none of the pupils can ever master it as good as the teacher and judging by the strength of this debut, we can expect to see Linkin Park giving out lessons for a long time to come.
(4.5 / 5)