Meteora was Linkin Parks follow up to the incredibly succsesful Hybrid Theory (The biggest selling album of 2001 which shipped 16 million copys!). It see's Linkin Parks token sound somewhat more evolved. It's an album which uses more sampled sounds and by watching the DVD which comes with the special edition anyone can respect how much hard work Linkin Park put into their music however somehow Meteora doesn't shine as much as it should with the ammount of work put into it. Let's go to the songs.
Foreword - 13 seconds of um sound?
Don't Stay - The first real song on the album kicks things off well. Joe Hahn puts down an awesome scratching solo before kicking off to a verse. The chorus is the best part of this song which really brings it together.
Somewhere I Belong - This is the first single off this album. One thing you can tell from this song is Linkin Parks evolution in their sound. The intro here is a guitar chord progression, reversed and flipped back again giving it a sweeping sound. The song is a pretty good song and Mike makes his first rap in the album. It sort of seems to be like LP's more emotional songs (Crawling, In the End) but doesn't quite make the cut.
Lying From You - This is a good song. Mike makes the song with his two verses and lyrcially this is a song I can really relate to. The best part of this song is the breakdown however. The combination of Mikes rapping and Chesters screaming goes down perfectely to make this a memorable song.
Hit the Floor - Probably the hardest LP song to date (Yes I hear the metalheads scoff again). This song really kicks ass. The hip-hop element of LPs music comes out to play here and is backed with an awesome guitar riff. Awesome verses combined with awesome chorus's and the best bridge/breakdown ever make this one of the strongest LP songs. When Mike raps 'I know i'll never trust a single thing you say, you knew your lies would divide us but you lied anyway and all the lies have got you floating up above us all but what goes up has got to fall' it goes down as possibly one of the best lines in music ever.
Easier To Run - This song really suffers from the previous song. After listning to Hit the Floor this song is pretty bland. It suffers somewhat like Somewhere I Belong does. It trys to be an emotional song but just comes off bland. It's probably the weakest song on the album.
Faint - This is the second single off the album. It reedems to bore that is Easier To Run. Mike brings up two strong verses and Chester makes another awesome bridge. The lyrics are straight forward and something anyone can relate to.
Figure 0.9 - This is probably the next weakest song after Easier To Run. It's not a bad song but really it's just a bit bland. It sounds almost a bit to much like Faint and doesn't do much for variation.
Breaking the Habit - A song 5 years in the making (The dvd gives you the full story behind this song) it really shines as one of the best songs. It's reminescent of Crawling or Pushing Me Away off Hybrid Theory. It's an emotional song and Chester pulls the vocals off perfectely.
From the Inside - It seems for the final half of this album for every good song Linkin Park put on they balance it by a bad or weaker song. This one isn't bad and isn't that weak but it suffers from the same as From The Inside. Trying to pull something emotional off and failing. It's a song which you will enjoy but yet just not so strong.
Nobody's Listening - And yet again LP redeem the past song with a good song. The verses Mike makes strong with his rap. The chorus is ok but nothing special. The most hip-hop orientaited song on the album.
Session - The best comparassion I can see for this song is the instrumental off Hybrid Theory. This song is a combanation of Mike and Joe's. It's a track made all from samplers and turntables. Unlike the song on Hybrid Theory (Yes I've forgotten it's name) this song manages to keep you listning for most of it however most people will find this the worst song on the album.
Numb - This is the latest single rotating around radio and MTV. It's also a great way to end the album. On Hybrid Theory they ended it with the awesome Pushing Me Away and this song has the same effect. It's an emotional song which unlike the majority of them on this album LP pull it off perfectely. Everything works on the song and is a good song to end the record on.
So overall an album of mixed results. Alot of good songs brung down by quite a few bad ones. None of the lightning fast rap here which made Hybrid Theory shine though the production and mixing is top notch here. If your a fan of LP this album is worth buying but it's better to get Hybrid Theory first if you don't have any LP albums. Proceed with caution on this album.
Rating - 3/5
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