CD Title: Hybird Theory

Warner Bros. Records

By Adam Bowman

It starts with one......million copies sold with ease. Linkin Park hit the jackpot with the release of their debut, "Hybrid Theory". It's not that the music is revolutionary, because the dueling rap/vocals combo is dated back to the beginning with 311 and to an extent, KoRn. The brilliance is in the way the music is done. Vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda are no doubt the focal point of the entire album, but it is in the subtleties where the gold mine is found.

Although "One Step Closer", "Crawling", "With You" and "Pushing Me Away" all are solid rockers, it's when you notice the times when the piano is playing underneath Mike Shinoda's vocals in the second verse of "In The End" that you get the full effect. Granted, the Dust Brothers have bestowed Linkin Park with many of the beats you hear on the album, you can tell that the band has potential. "Runaway" showcases Chester's emotional screaming, while Mike is always somewhere willing to throw in his rhymes, which are usually done with style and relative ease.

The release of this album could not have been timed any better. It stands as a benchmark for how rap/rock can be done commercially well, while not sacrificing too much in the hard rock department. Granted, it make take some listeners more run-throughs than others, but in the end, this album is well-done.