The band's rise was indebted to the aggressive rap-rock
movement made popular by the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit, a movement that
paired grunge's alienation with a bold, buzzing soundtrack. Linkin Park added a
unique spin to that formula, however, focusing as much on the vocal interplay
between singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda as the band's muscled
instrumentation, which layered DJ effects atop heavy, processed guitars.Drummer
Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda attended high
school in Southern California, where they formed the rap-rock band Xero in
1996. Bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, singer Mark Wakefield, and
DJ/art student Joseph Hahn joined soon after, and the band courted various
labels while playing hometown shows in Los Angeles.Hybrid Theory became the
band's temporary moniker in 1998 as replacement singer Chester Bennington
climbed aboard, and the revised band soon settled on a final name: Linkin Park,
a misspelled reference to Lincoln Park in Santa Monica. With Bennington and
Shinoda sharing vocal duties, the musicians now wielded enough power to
distinguish themselves from the wave of nu-metal outfits that had appeared
during the decade's latter half. Warner Bros. vice president Jeff Blue took note
and signed Linkin Park in 1999, sending the band into the studio with Don
Gilmore shortly thereafter.Linkin Park titled their debut album Hybrid Theory,
a tribute to the band's past, and released the record during the fall of 2000.
"Crawling" and "In the End" were massive radio hits.A
proper sophomore effort, Meteora, arrived in March 2003, featuring a heavier
sound and stronger elements of rap-rock. Although the record spawned several
modern rock hits, songs such as "Numb," "Somewhere I
Belong," and "Breaking the Habit" furthered the band's crossover
appeal by simultaneously charting on the Hot 100.Listen song here:YouTube
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