Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition)

When *Hybrid Theory* came out in late 2000, it was easy to lump LINKIN PARK in with other so-called nu-metal bands. The difference was in how they processed their anger. *Hybrid Theory* is a mostly internal affair, music whose huge, mechanistic beats and walls of guitar are less an attack on the outside world than protection against it. If anything, part of what made Chester Bennington so compelling as a frontman was his ability to explore trauma without ever trying to avenge or place blame for it—a huge feat, considering how deep his trauma seemed to run. So, while the rap/rock/industrial blend of tracks like “Papercut,” “Crawling,” and “In the End” redefined modern rock, they also called back to bands like The Cure and Depeche Mode: sensitive young men looking for a break from pain.