Review Summary: For me--and possibly for me alone--sentimentality overrides technicality when it comes to Linkin Park's Meteora.
It is in my own biased and unprofessional opinion that I believe there are two types of classic albums in relation to this site and the users that use it. The first type is one that is considered by nearly every fan and critic--excluding outliers--as a landmark album in music history. These albums are often the first of their kind or the perfection of the genre in which they are created. Such examples of universally classic albums are those like Radiohead’s
Ok Computer, The Beatles’s
Sgt Pepper’s, or Metallica’s
Master of Puppets. While I, personally, am not attached to anyone of these, I at least recognize their significance in the music world and honor and respect them accordingly.
The second type of classic album is what I call a “sentimental classic”. These albums are more for the individual or a small group of people that share similar feelings for the album. The music doesn’t have to sound good, technical, or appealing to any other critic or user present; it just has to mean a lot to that one person via memories or emotions of the past attached to the songs. It is also possible that this could have been the first album that a listener has ever heard from a new genre. These albums often have the effect of getting the listener into music as a whole--or maybe just a particular genre--merely because of the album’s impact on their ears. Many users may gladly put such albums in their sections for classic ratings, or some may try to hide them because they are too embarrassed to admit it, citing that they no longer listen to the music. Whatever the case, most of us have albums that, while they may be scoffed at from the other users, mean so much more to us, going beyond the actual quality of the music in question.
Linkin Park's Meteora is the first “heavy” album I ever heard, and its influence has guided me to the music I now listen to today. Not only this, but Meteora is packed with sentimental memories and feelings that come back to me every time I hear it. Yes, the music is a copy of their famous debut, and yes, it is technically unchallenging and tailor-made for the masses, but that doesn’t matter to me. I realize they aren’t “freaking amazing” - an illusion that many of their short-sighted and annoying fans would probably die by. They are a leader in modern rock though, releasing successful single after successful single; they have a formula for success that always seems to work.
The album features six singles; many of which did well on the charts. Lead single "Somewhere I Belong" features an interesting intro and is the anthem of the lost and down-trodden. "Faint" is that same anthem--only rewritten with a passionate and angry agenda for vengeance. Possibly the album’s most famous song, "Numb" features that catchy keyboard intro and chorus that is probably on constant rotation in the heads of the band’s fans. "Breaking the Habit" is the 'quiet song' of the album and gives a nod to electronica influences as well; once again the band is writing the album for those depressed and looking for a better life and place in the world. Personal favorite, "Lying From You" features what I believe to be the best vocal performance from Chester Bennighton and Mike Shinoda. The duo bounces off of each other here effortlessly for positive effect as they swim in and out of the song’s characteristic keyboard and guitar riff.
The other songs on the album are tailor-made to appease the masses as well--just in case the band had decided to release them as singles too. "Don’t Stay", "Hit the Floor", "Figure 09", "Easier to Run", and "Nobody’s Listening" don’t let up in Meteora's established set of commercial and angry rock. This actually may be the album’s only redeeming factory to many critics--in a music quality sense anyway. The band are consistent: their filler material only being defined by the level the listener loves or hates the band before listening to them.
Linkin Park’s
Meteora is a sentimental classic to me, and given the album’s success, probably to many others here as well. I have come to realize over the years that the album is technically inferior to most metal bands out there, and that the band only makes music for commercial reasons. This, however, doesn’t change the fact that Meteora had so much impact on my life; the fact that so many memories are attached to it; the fact that I love the music that I now listen to because of it. I’m quite scared in regard to how this review will - or will not - be received, but I felt like I needed to review this for sentimental reasons instead of the indifferent agenda of the common music critic. Many users here have albums like
Meteora; however, they may just be too hesitant and embarrassed to admit it.
