About the Album Meteora
"Foreword" (Intro): Hammering for several seconds, panes clatter, and the album breaks loose.
"Don't Stay": Both Chester and Mike start this song off very aggressively, and Brad has a sharp guitar riff in between syllables. A good start into the second album. New lyrics contain, "forget our memories, possibilities." Hard nü-metal-type song.
"Somewhere I Belong": The first single from the new CD, a sure hit. It begins sounding like Red Hot Chili Peppers, shady, and then transforms into the recognizable sound of Linkin Park. This has the same sort of stuff as the hits "One Step Closer" and "Crawling." Mike and Chester have very full and rich voices on this track, and it changes rapidly from that rich sound to a new agressive one. Both are impressive.
"Lying From You": This song is filled with sloping beats and violins that appear again and again throughout the song. In addition, the bass guitar and the rhythm section pushes hard. Mike raps a lot in this song while Chester belnds in a soft soothing voice. There is then also some screams that will singe the seed flax in your wall.
"Hit The Floor": This song starts out with extremely distorted heavy guitars that take no prisoners. There is also a lot of experimental sounds by Joe in this track. Here, the six string guitar is dominant, and will fight in the end against Mike and Chester's vocals and Joe's samples. Wild.
"Easier To Run": Right at the beginning a huge broadside riff rolls over your ears. The comes a whining Chester into the mix. Not a love song, but the orchestra samples fues with both singers and wrap the song up.
"Faint": The big beats pound accompanying the pounding guitar. Phat. Asiatic bursts of sound surf on the massive waves of riffs, which accompany Mike's fast emceeing and Chester's deep singing. Chester threatens to scream himself out of his body. This is a fast song, it is full of despair and is reminiscent in its chorus of filter harmonies.
"Figure.09": This is a hard nü-metal track. In it Chester sounds like David Draiman of Disturbed, which gives the track a certain type of feeling. There is talk of Draiman as a guest on future tracks. Chester like's Draiman's voice, and they got to know each other during the recording of the Queen of the Damned soundtrack.
"Breaking The Habit": Chester sings very soft to hard bass riffs and drum beats. This track is very experimental instrument-wise and has a lot of electronic sounds in it. This song is different from the rest, having a unique 80s pop melody.
"From The Inside": Once more, heavy guitars and melodious nü-metal that really uses the name "Hybrid Theory." Chester goes all over the place with his vocals and shows how screamish he can be.
"Nobody's Listening": Yo! Yo! Yo! Pure hip-hop, baby! Hard electronic beats, Mike is in his full element. Chester also comes in and makes some gloomy sounds in the background. Nice change from the rest of the songs. There is no guitar in this track.
"Session" (Instrumental): Oblique ticking beats (reminiscent of a badly copied Aphex Twin) and electronic samples. Then a piano is thrown in, the individual sound elements produce a war that climaxes in a furious ending. No guitars in this track, either.
"Numb": So that the fans are not let out of the album unsatisfied, there follows a real nü-metal crash that closes Meteora in a worthy fashion. Chester defends himself textually again, against all limitations.
Overall: In comparision with Hybrid Theory, this album is better. Not perceptible right at the beginning, but then the sensually detailed loving work of the instruments opens up. The guitars are played harder, more biting, more precise. While rock and rap harmonize better than at the debut album. Chester sings much richer and sounds often more despairing than earlier, which gives Meteora an emotional depth. The perfect successor to Hybrid Theory, the fans can grab it without hesitation.
