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Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Rob Bourdon, and Dave Farrell are the members of Linkin Park, one of the most well received new metal bands of the world. Shinoda and Delson belonged to the same high school, together with Bourbon. Hahn, on the other hand, met Shinoda in Pasadena's Art Center College, while Farrell shared an apartment with Delson, eventually inviting Farrell as their bassist. It was in Shinoda's bedroom in 1996, where the band's very first song was recorded.
The band first used the name: Xero and when they did not get any contracts from record companies, decided to hire a vocalist, who turned out to be Bennington. The band name was then changed to Hybrid Theory, representing the influence of both rap and rock in their music. Hybrid Theory, however, had to be changed because an older band has the name Hybrid. After one idea from another, the members finally settled on the name: Linkin Park. The group first collaborated with an independent label when they recorded their album: Hybrid Theory, which had songs like: Technique, Step Up, High Voltage, etc.
Warner Brothers then gave Linkin Park a good deal in 1999; the year after, they released Hybrid Theory, which became a top-seller both in New Zealand and the US come 2001, comprised of the hits: One Step Closer, Papercut, Points of Authority, and In the End. What made the album admirable is that there was not a single profane word found in the songs---definitely rare when it comes to other hits from new metal bands.
Linkin Park also joined the 2001 Ozzfest where they played together with Papa Roach, Marilyn Manson, Crazy Town, and many others. The group also came up with their own tour: Projekt: Revolution, which also showcases other groups like Blindside, Cypress Hill, Xzibit, etc.
During the year 2002, Linkin Park made a remix of their very first album and named it: Reanimation, including a remixed Points of Authority. The year after, the band launched their studio album called: Meteora, which hit the #1 spot in both the UK and the US, and the second spot in Australia. Singles that belonged to Meteora include: Numb, Breaking the Habit, Faint, etc.
The group also worked with Metallica and Limp Bizkit in the 2003 Summer Sanitarium Tour, which resulted to the release of Linkin Park's Live in Texas, a set of tracks that were filmed in the Summer Sanitarium. 2004 was a very busy year for Linkin Park as they came up with the Meteora World Tour, which included other artists like Hoobastank, P.O.D., and the Story of the Year. Linkin Park also had a tour with Snoop Dog, Korn, and many other bands. In the last quarter of 2004, the band also launched Collision Course, which was the result of their collaboration with Jay-Z, the rapper. Collision Course hit the number 1 spot in the US. |
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