Here's the next installment in the 'describe' series (fancy, I know). I'll just leave this one here: Meteora. One word. Go.
Thisthisthisthisthisthisthis. I really hate how people dismiss Meteora as Hybrid Theory Part 2. Yes, they're more similar than their other records, but the two aren't the same sound. HT is much more raw and rock-based, with dashes of electronic and hip-hop, while Meteora has an extremely refined sound, with a little more heaviness and heavier emphasis on the hip-hop influences.
Yeah, Meteora isn't directly a copy in some cases. Meteora was far more polished, and was more aggressive (see tracks like Don't Stay, the bridge of Faint etc.), but those unique points weren't always exactly great. Nobody's Listening and Hit The Floor, both of which take strong cues from hip-hop, more-so than usual from LP, are some of my least favorite Linkin Park songs. It's subjective, sure, but that's how I view it. Regardless of that, though, there are several moments on Meteora where it does feel like Hybrid Theory II. Somewhere I Belong, for example, is pretty much just In The End 2.0. Same goes for Numb being PMA 2. Hell, even Don't Stay feels like it draws strong influence from One Step Closer. Tracks like Lying From You and Figure.09, too, are just standard nu-metal tracks, though they are pretty well-written compared to a generic nu-metal track in my opinion. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, while Meteora isn't 100% Hybrid Theory II, and it does carry it's own unique sound and style, just like all their other albums, the comparisons are warranted and they're fairly obvious at times.
The comparisons are completely warranted. It's just not fair to say they're essentially the same when there are tracks like Hit the Floor, Breaking the Habit, and Nobody's Listening that are much different in style from the other nu metal works.
Yeah, under-appreciated is good. Sure, it sounds like Hybrid Theory. But there's a lot of fresh stuff in it, too. Sounds like the into hooks to Faint or LFY, and pretty much all of Nobody's Listening and Breaking the Habit feel different from HT and from most songs in general. Breaking the Habit especially is one of the first songs LP put out that's really unique in their discography, next to stuff like WFTE, LTGYA, etc. I will admit that the bridges of By Myself and Figure 09 are ridiculously similar though.
This. Even though songs like Numb and Somewhere I Belong get a lot of hate here, I love them cause they bring back the memories of when I was an angsty kid. it gives me the feels