Ask Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson for a wish list of bands heΓÇÖd like to tour with, and heΓÇÖs ready with a response. "We told our manager, ΓÇÿPick a band and we can tour with them.ΓÇÖ Our music reaches out in so many directions that thereΓÇÖs pretty much an unlimited amount of cool bands with which we could play."
Delson is understandably proud of the diversity and uniqueness apparent on the bandΓÇÖs debut album, Hybrid Theory (the bandΓÇÖs original name). Built on an aggressive hard rock foundation, flavored with hip-hop vocal stylings and electronic flourishes, Linkin ParkΓÇÖs sound is utterly its own--an accomplishment strengthened by the bandΓÇÖs remarkably powerful and unforced songwriting. But almost everything about Linkin Park has been unforced, including its Southern California origins.
Delson and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda attended the same high school together, where Delson also met the bandΓÇÖs drummer, Rob Bourdon. Shinoda then hooked up with DJ Joseph Hahn while studying painting at the Pasadena Art Center. The final piece in the puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a transplanted Arizona native who started making records when he was 16.
"Since I learned how to talk IΓÇÖve been telling everybody I was gonna grow up to be a singer," laughs Bennington. "When I was 2, I used to run around singing Foreigner songs-thereΓÇÖs tapes of me doing that."
BenningtonΓÇÖs rich, powerful vocal style clicked immediately with ShinodaΓÇÖs streetwise MCing. "I think one of Chester and MikeΓÇÖs goals is to be as integrated as possible," offers Delson. "We want our sound to come across so that people go, ΓÇÿOh, thatΓÇÖs Linkin Park,ΓÇÖ not, ΓÇÿI heard this hip-hop part, and now theyΓÇÖre hitting me over the head with this rock chorus.ΓÇÖ We want everything to have dynamics, but also a continuous, cohesive flavor, so that you know what band youΓÇÖre listening to."
It was that cohesive style and instantly memorable songs that attracted immediate attention, starting with a publishing offer after the bandΓÇÖs very first show at L.A.ΓÇÖs famed Whisky. After showcasing around town and eventually inking with Warner Bros., the band began work on its first album with producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Eve 6, Lit). "We met with a lot of people and had a very difficult time deciding," says Shinoda. "But Don, aside from making things sound good, stood out as someone who could really push us further as songwriters."
The end result is an album thatΓÇÖs as well crafted and melodic as it is confrontational, with a strong lyrical message.
"We try to push real things through in our lyrics, whether itΓÇÖs feeling insignificant or questioning your own thoughts or discovering the dark side of yourself."
Weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, and the Roots into a single unified whole, Linkin Park and Hybrid Theory are living proof that a fresh combination of talent, an unwavering dedication to craft, and a pure artistic vision can result in a powerful musical statement.
"IΓÇÖve wanted to do this my whole life, and I feel really blessed to be here," says Bennington. "A lot of hard work and dedication and faith can get you through anything and make.ΓÇ¥
