Way back in 2000-2001, I was a freshman in high school. A lot of things were different back then – I’d look forward to going to Blockbuster Video on the weekends to rent DVDs or Playstation games (lol), I still had hair, I wasn’t chained to a cell phone, I was awkward around attractive women (okay, that one still hasn’t changed), and Linkin Park was my favorite band.

Man, when I first heard Hybrid Theory, it blew my 15-year-old mind. That album was awesome. It was fresh, unique, rocked, and very welcome at a time when boy bands, and annoying pop and rap singles were dominating the airwaves (oddly enough, I actually don’t mind most of those songs now). It felt like this album was for me – the rest of my classmates could have their NSYNC and Big Tymers. Ha.

So yeah, that album was glued to my CD player for an entire year and a half. I must have listened to “Points of Authority” hundreds of times. So when I heard some of Linkin Park’s newly released material this year, it was hard not to be taken aback at the band’s new, ‘poppier’ direction.

Not really my thing, but I get how bands sometimes feel like they need to evolve. Still, a lot of Linkin Park fans aren’t happy with this new style, which drew a response from Chester Bennington in a recent interview.

“When we made Hybrid Theory,” Bennington said, “I was the oldest guy in the band and in my early 20s. That’s why I guess I’m like, ‘Why are we still talking about Hybrid Theory?’ It’s f***ing years ago. It’s a great record, we love it. Like, move the f*** on. You know what I mean?”

Damn. Now I feel like the old guy.

Credit: Alt Press and YouTube

 

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