Hybrid Theory

Hybrid Theory is the first studio album by Linkin Park. Linkin Park is an American rock band. The album was released on October 24, 2000. Warner Bros. Records released it. Don Gilmore produced the album. The album had four singles. They were named "One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut".

Before Linkin Park was known as "Linkin Park," they were known as Xero. After Mark Wakefield left Xero, Chester Bennington joined, and their name was changed to "Hybrid Theory." They produced a demo tape with nine songs and sent it to several record companies, but they all refused to sponsor Linkin Park.^[1] Eventually, they were signed by Warner Bros. Records in 2000.

Most of the songs on Hybrid Theory came from early versions of them that Xero recorded with Mark Wakefield.

The songs were mostly about Chester Bennington's problems as a child, such as child abuse, social isolation, the divorce of his parents, and drug abuse. Bennington and Mike Shinoda have said that the songs turned into songs about "everyday emotions that you talk about and think about."^[2]

In 2002, all of the songs were remixed for Linkin Park's fourth album, Reanimation.

1. "Papercut" (May 25, 2001)
2. "One Step Closer" (August 25, 2000)
3. "With You"
4. "Points of Authority"
5. "Crawling" (October 24, 2000)
6. "Runaway"
7. "By Myself"
8. "In the End" (November 21, 2001)
9. "A Place for My Head
10. "Forgotten"
11. "Cure for the Itch"
12. "Pushing me Away"

Four of the songs from Hybrid Theory were released as singles: "One Step Closer," Crawling, "Papercut," and "In the End." They were all very popular and appeared on charts. "Runaway" was not a single, but it also appeared on charts.

Critics had mixed opinions of Hybrid Theory. The magazines Rolling Stone, PopMatters, The Village Voice and Sputnikmusic liked the album. Robert Christgau from The Village Voice enjoyed listening to "Papercut" and "Points of Authority."

However, Allmusic and NME did not like the album. They thought it was a generic rock and heavy metal album, and not very creative.