Loudwire made a Linkin Park albums ranked... Check out which album has been classified at 1st.
Linkin Park broke on the scene at the dawn of the 21st century and the band has made the most of their time in music. Their monster debut disc Hybrid Theory put them on the map, but they still
remain one of hard rock’s top bands.
One by one, Meteora, Minutes to Midnight, A Thousand Suns, Living Things and The Hunting Party all became Top 5 albums upon their releases, marking one of the more impressive runs in rock. But
with such a solid catalog, how would you rank their albums?
How much credence do you give to the amount of radio singles? Which albums had deeper tracks that stuck with you longer? How do you feel about the band expanding their sound? There are many
factors to consider, and after mulling thing over, we’ve come up with this list of Linkin Park’s albums ranked from weakest to strongest.
6. 'A Thousand Suns' (2010)
Linkin Park's fourth album, 'A Thousand Suns,' is arguably the band's most polarizing effort. While still a solid release, critics of the album often mark down the disc because of its drastic departure from their past works. The album was a more experimental effort, significantly scaling back on guitar and incorporating new sounds as they made it a concept album tackling human fears over technology and nuclear warfare. "The Catalyst" and "Waiting for the End" were a departure from past singles, but still topped rock radio charts. To a lesser extent, "Burning in the Skies" and "Iridescent" also enjoyed airplay, while the driving Mike Shinoda-led "Wretches and Kings" was one of the album's more aggressive statements.
5. 'Living Things' (2012)
The band's 2012 effort 'Living Things' started out promising enough. The album topped the Billboard 200 charts and yielded the high energy "Burn It Down," which many saw as a return to form after their experimental 'A Thousand Suns' disc. But after the lead single, the rest of the album didn't reach the heights of the lead single. Album standouts "Lost in the Echo" and "Castle of Glass" earned solid but not spectacular returns at radio. But what is often overlooked is how deep this album is in quality. Tracks like "Powerless," "In My Remains," "I'll Be Gone" and the biting "Lies Greed Misery" help make 'Living Things' somewhat of an overlooked gem in the band's catalog.
4. 'The Hunting Party' (2014)
After pulling influence from outside the rock world somewhat on previous efforts, Linkin Park returned in 2014 with 'The Hunting Party,' deemed a straight up rock record by the band as they attempted to bring the energy and soul of rock back to the masses. The group also broke with tradition, bringing in guest artists on a handful of tracks. The most successful was the lead single "Guilty All the Same," a full throttle rocker buoyed by a guest turn by rap icon Rakim. The band also pulled System of a Down's Daron Malakian in for one of the album's better moments on "Rebellion." The tracks "Until It's Gone," "Wastelands" and "Final Masquerade" kept the band on the airwaves, and succeeded in their "bring rock back" mission statement.
3. 'Minutes to Midnight' (2007)
There's an argument to be made for moving Linkin Park's 'Minutes to Midnight' up with the disc being arguably the band's most consistently stellar disc from top to bottom. The intro piece "Wake" leads perfectly into the command your attention opener "Given Up," while high-energy rockers like "Bleed It Out," "What I've Done" and "No More Sorrow" have an added bite and aggression to their sound. Mix in mid-tempo hits like "Leave Out All the Rest" and "Shadow of the Day" along with late album gems "Hands Held High" and "The Little Things Give You Away" and you've got an album that's all killer, no filler.
2. 'Meteora' (2003)
How would Linkin Park fare after one of the biggest debut albums in history? Surprisingly well! The band's 2003 sophomore set 'Meteora' picked up right where 'Hybrid Theory' left off, with four of the album's singles all topping the charts. Leading off with the monster single "Somewhere I Belong" and continuing with frenetic energy of "Faint," Linkin Park had listeners pumped. The more mid-tempo track "Numb" actually became the album's biggest song, and "Breaking the Habit" was also a chart-topper. The disc is also notable for the promotional single "Lying From You," "From the Inside," which also enjoyed airplay outside the U.S.
1. 'Hybrid Theory' (2000)
It's hard to argue 'Hybrid Theory' not being Linkin Park's top album. The disc spawned a slew of singles, was certified a diamond seller by the RIAA and basically put the band at the front of the rap-rock scene that was exploding at the time. We were first introduced to the one-two punch of Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda on the standout lead single "One Step Closer." Bennington got to show his power vocal chops some more on the second single "Crawling," and the tracks "Papercut" and "In the End" also went on to be major radio hits, as well. The group squeezed more out of 'Hybrid Theory' with the 'Reanimation' remix album, which also gave "Points of Authority" a new platform. Meanwhile, the track "Runaway" and "A Place for My Head" have also enjoyed continued love amongst Linkin Park fans.