Linkin Park Album Review #2: Meteora
Usually after a brilliant debut album, one cannot appreciate the later albums of the band. The band had set such great expectations. Some people considered it distant from Hybrid Theory. I don't know the number of Linkin Parkers would stand with me if I said the album was great and is just as good as Hybrid Theory. The lyrics of the songs have become very positive and has greatly improved since the last. Meteora has very meaningful songs like "Somewhere I Belong" and "Easier To Run" and they're encouraging lyrics behind a sorrowful past. There is one con to this album - Chester was alone considered the main highlight while Mike was just used as an accessory.Sputnikmusic considered the song Hit The Floor as "easily the worst song of the album". No. It isn't and it wasn't thoughtful to say so that's because neither have I heard anyone complain of the song being bad and nor have I found it unworthy of praise. It is a good song. The intro might not have been great but it is good. I'm not gonna say its the worst song. Not at all.
If you think this album has deviated from their original music, try out A Thousand Suns and you'll know how good this album is. A Thousand Suns has a couple of good songs but its nowhere close to my ratings for this album. The guitars are great and Mike's rapping and Chester's lead are great as well.
Numb - This song that got the most attention from the album - Numb, is one of the greatest slow-paced rock songs of all time. The song's lyrics are very meaningful and the song isn't very hard. The song is easy to relate to. The instruments are less since the focus of the song is meaningfulness of the lyrics which would otherwise be hidden under complex beats, guitars and heavy piano riffs. The song is undoubtedly legendary and rightfully one of the best Linkin Park songs of all time and one of the best slow paced rock songs and one of the most meaningful songs of all time. Breaking The Habit is very close enough to my best rating.
Breaking The Habit - Breaking The Habit is a beautiful song. The song has all lovable aspects like Numb. Like I mentioned earlier, since the focus of the song is meaningfulness of the lyrics, there are no complex beats, heavy, hard guitars and piano riffs. The song conveys the meaning well and is great to relate to. I have nothing more to say about this song.
Somewhere I Belong - Somewhere I Belong took me a second listening to love the song. On the whole, its a great single and its pretty much harder than either Numb or Breaking The Habit but it still manages to convey the meaning of the song. I think, the album drives to achieve lyrical through this album since all of its top tracks are slower, smoother and light.
Faint - I personally loved the song. The song has a unique, catchy intro like the south Asian music (Its not Asian music but it sounded so). The song is hard and very lovable. Its easily the best hard rock song of the album. This and Lying From You Gains my closest ratings. I also recommend that you hear Psychofaint (a mix of Faint by Linkin Park and Pyschosocial by Slipknot). Its perfect.
Lying From You - Lying From You has an awesome intro. I love those beats in the intro and then the part where the hardness of the song is welcomed. Mike's rap is perfect in this song. Linkin Park has proved that their classiness hasn't vanished in this album with songs such as this, Faint and From The Inside. "But the more I push, the more I'm pulling away" is the best part of the rap. Sometimes, I rewind the song just to hear Mike say it again. Lying From You is one of the catchiest Linkin Park songs I've listened to.
These songs that I've mentioned are my favorites from the album. Here are the rest of 'em.
From The Inside - From The Inside is a good, hard rock Linkin Park song with a good tune to it. The music video for the song is good as well. The song has to be the hardest Meteora Linkin Park song.
Easier To Run - Another one of those slow paced song on the album. Although it hasn't topped the list like Numb, Breaking the Habit or Somewhere I Belong, it is a good song. The chorus is enjoyable. The title (and the lines from the chorus) is so true and relatable.
Hit The Floor - Hit The Floor is a great hard rock song with a very weird intro which is very much unlike any other Linkin Park or any other rock song for that matter. As I said earlier, I am disappointed by the way sputnikmusic called Hit The Floor 'easily the worst song on the album'. No. I cannot ever conclude that its a bad song. The song's hardness and Chester's screaming in the chorus are all catchy and lovable. How on earth can this song (of all) be the worst track?
Don't Stay - Don't Stay + Foreword is a great start to this beautiful album. Amazing guitars and the hardness of the song is so admirable. Don't Stay will remain one of my all time hard Linkin Park favorites.
Nobody's Listening - The flute in the song is good. Its one of Linkin Park's most underrated songs. Mike's rap is great and so is Chester's vocals.
Figure.09 - The chorus is good but I didn't get sucked in to the song like the others of the album. Mike's rapping is good though. The guitars are solid.