Deleted my post. Re-posting with explanations. S/o @LiveLP08 for the idea. 1. Living Things- I dislike 0 songs, felt like a perfect combination all four previous albums. Has some of my favorite tracks by the band and is a very consistent listen all the way through. Never gets old. 2. Meteora- If this album did not have Hit the Floor, Easier to Run, and Session it would be a perfect album to me. The only perfect album to me is Swoon by SSPU. I like all 3 of these songs, don't get me wrong, but they could still be better. That being said, I dislike 0 songs on this album and the highs of the album are absolutely incredible and this alvum will never get old to me. 3. Hybrid Theory=Minutes to Midnight- Both are classic albums with 0 bad songs to me. Solid listens all the way through and I love the vocals of both a lot. 5. A Thousand Suns- Would probably be #1 or #2 if it weren't for the interludes. Created too much filler on an album where I absolutely love 8 of the 9 actual songs. My biggest complaint with ATS has always been the lack of actual songs. Even if this was released as just a 9 song album I feel like I wouldn't complain. 6. One More Light- Solid effort, gets an 8/10 for me. It has Sorry For Now, One More Light, and Nobody Can Save Me which are 3 of all my all-time favorite Linkin Park songs now. The rest of the album is good but not great which keeps it below the others. 7. The Hunting Party- The peak of this album is the best thing Linkin Park has veer done. As for the other half of the album, it's just downright bad to me. Like not even 6/10 tier songs but 3/10 tier songs. The only Linkin Park album I do not like. EDIT: I see some people including Reanimation in their list. Would most likely land above THP for me but I haven't listened to it in full in over a decade so I can't say. I was never a fan of remix albums for any artist.
About one year later: 1. Hybrid Theory 2. A Thousand Suns 3. Minutes To Midnight 4. LIVING THINGS (up 1) 5. One More Light (down 1) 6. Meteora 7. The Hunting Party
1. Minutes To Midnight- Just a beautiful record. Mellow production, great melodies, and some very introspective songs. Some of the best songs they've penned. 2. Meteora- Lyrics might have aged like milk, but this is such a high-energy album. The production is a huge step up from Hybrid Theory, better hooks, and better songwriting. 3. One More Light- It's hard to get through this album after Chester, but remembering that time between May-June 2017, this was the most optimistic record LP has ever done. Instead of LP wallowing in sorrow, it was LP trying to find something better within themselves. Some lyrics are quite bland, but at their best, they are the most reflective tracks I could relate to after several records that felt impersonal. Nobody Can Save Me is absolutely amazing. 4. The Hunting Party- I felt this record was the high-energy album LP needed since moving on from nu metal. It's not amazing and this is the only LP album where none of the songs make my top 10, but I liked most of the songs unlike LT. This was the album that really got me back into the band. 5. A Thousand Suns- Arguably their best album. Definitely their most ambitious. Lyrics, songwriting, and melodies are all on point. However, some interludes (Empty Spaces) ruin the flow of the album, and some songs drag a bit, overstaying their welcome (The Catalyst). 6. Hybrid Theory- A pretty decent record for the time. Better lyrics than Meteora that add some metaphorical subtlety, and a nice change of pace from the aggro lyrics of other nu metal acts. Add in Shinoda's signature conscious raps, and the album is an entertaining, if not always engaging, start. In The End, Forgotten, and Papercut will always be bangers. 7. Living Things- A really disappointing follow up to A Thousand Suns. While not a bad album lyrically, the lyrics are the most unengaging they have written. Between the battle raps and the metaphorical word salad thrown in with vague feelings of being lost, the album feels like a compilation more than a cohesive project. However, the album has Lost In The Echo. So, ill cut it some slack.
Very well written and objective. I like your explanations and the pros and cons of each album. This is the best list in the thread - not because I agree with it but because of how thoughtful and balanced it is.
1. A Thousand Suns 10/10 2. The Hunting Party 9/10 3. Hybrid Theory 9/10 4. Minutes To Midnight 8/10 5. Meteora 8/10 6. Living Things 7/10 7. One More Light 6/10
A Thousand Suns Living Things Minutes to Midnight The Hunting Party One More Light Meteora Hybrid Theory I haven't listened to OML in full since a long time. it's sad to say but the album lost its appeal to me really quickly. ATS is still my favorite album ever!
A Thousand Suns Reanimation The Hunting Party Minutes to Midnight Living Things Hybrid Theory One More Light Meteora I will forever consider Reanimation as an 8th studio album because it's just that damn good.
These responses are wild to me to be honest lol. Nice to see the A Thousand Suns love! Always strange to see Meteora out of a top 3 1. HT / Reanimation 2. Meteora 3. ATS 4. M2M 5. THP 6. LT 7. OML SIDENOTE Google forms could run this poll without the 100 response cap if you wanna move it https://docs.google.com/forms