 |
| Linkin Park |
EPR
First taste of Linkin Park...
One of my school friends burned me a CD of three LP music videos (Numb/In the End/ Crawling) and one Live in Texas concert of Linkin Park back in 2004-2005.
 |
First album bought... Hybrid Theory. I had already downloaded the album, but I was crazy enough to buy the cassette for the inlay artwork.
Influence...
If it weren’t for them, I possibly would have never been a part of a rock band as a rapper. I remember doing In The End with my school band (2005) and years later I covered From The Inside with my former band Banned (2009).
Strengths...
They simply aren’t afraid to experiment with styles. The angst was such that the youth could easily connect with the songs. On Reanimation I really admired the way they reworked their songs inside out and featured an army of underground hip-hop producers. When the whole nu metal boat was sinking along with the popularity of its bands by mid-2000s, they were unaffected.
Fave albums...
Hybrid Theory and Reanimation. I spent most of my high school days, listening to them devotedly. Meteora and Minutes To Midnight would come after the above two!
Signature touch...
Linkin Park bleeds energy. When they first appeared on the scene, their one-of-a-kind mix of rock and rap followed by densely layered guitar riffs and the hard-hitting yet commercial style of singing kept me hooked for years.
The new song Guilty All the Same...
I loved both Rakim (guest artiste) and Mike Shinoda’s verses separately on the track but I didn’t quite feel the music.
RAP AROUND
Rapper EPR on rapper-vocalist Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
Mike’s plus points have always been his imagery and the lucidity imbued in his verses.
 |
| Mike Shinoda |
To me he is more of a poet, who will rather try to keep it simple and express, than just impress others with his skills.
One has to hear his side project Fort Minor to understand how versatile and creative Mike really is.
I feel he is underrated as a rapper and he definitely deserves more for his calibre and talent.
I admire his lyrical prowess for his verses in songs like Kenji, Remember The Name, Hands Held High, Iridescent and Where’d You Go.
Ritaprabha ‘Ratul’ Ray
First taste of Linkin Park...
The first time I heard LP I was blown off my wits. The music was a mix of so many genres and sub genres, from the amazing high-and-angsty vocal soars to the tight rap parts and intelligently produced guitar, drum and bass parts. The use of samples and other effects was unique. The inclusion of hip hop and electronic music in rock music flipped my mind. It was an incredibly modern sound.
First album bought...
Hybrid Theory.
Influence...
LP uses a lot of altered tunings in the guitar parts of their songs. This ultimately plays a vital role in creating the bottom-heavy guitar riffs, and the depth of the sound changes quite noticeably.
I have tried something like that while recording with Cactus.
Strengths...
There are such cool hooks in their songs. Every time you hear it you’d want to sing along with it! I know people who aren’t rappers but they know the rap parts of LP songs. Some of them even mouth out the guitar/keyboard hook lines for fun. LP’s sound has a very balanced mix of the genres. With Shinoda’s rap parts and Chester’s flawless vocals, the vocal section is taken care of. The guitar parts are very intelligently composed. The other nu metal acts that were coming up had a very guitar-based approach whereas in LP’s sound there was ample use of keyboards and other non-guitar sounds that made their mix unique.
Fave albums...
Hybrid Theory, Meteora, Reanimation, Collision Course... all of these albums have great songs, incredible arrangements, interesting lyrical content and melodic hooks that have great recall value. Reanimation is a remix album and that album has my favourite track, My December.
Signature touch...
I really admire the electronic effects and samples they use. They are always intelligently produced and help take the song to the next level. I try to think like that when I’m writing my own music. The best part is all of their albums sound different from each other.
The new song Guilty All the Same...
I quite liked the new sound of LP. I found it to be more guitar-driven than the previous albums. The hook kind of reminds me of Iron Maiden with the unison harmonised guitar line. Chester and Shinoda have reinvented their music but they still have the LP flavour intact.
Madhubanti Bagchi
First taste of Linkin Park...
I was in Class VII and I was absolutely awed by their music. One of my teachers gifted me a mixtape with all sorts of songs in it. It had Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone, MLTR and LINKIN PARK! It just had In The End on that CD and that got me hunting for more songs. Then I watched their video of In the End on MTV and they were nothing like anything I had heard before! I was so taken by that song that I was this close to becoming a rapper myself! That’s how I got to know about distorted guitar tones, screamo vocals and power drumming. That was my first half-step towards metal music. I used to listen to their songs all day long!
First album bought...
Hybrid Theory, borrowed from a friend’s brother and never returned!
Influence...
I knew all the songs of the first two albums by heart and eventually veered towards metal.
Strengths...
Their music is simple and catchy and so they are hugely popular among the masses. Of course, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda are their strongest points!
Fave albums...
Hybrid Theory and Meteora. All my favourite songs are from those two albums. By the time they released Minutes To Midnight I was a full-fledged metal music lover.
 |
Signature touch...
They created a very unique sound which was groovy, melodic as well as aggressive. Blending hip hop with metal was the high point.
The new song Guilty All the Same from The Hunting Party....
Their sound has become heavier retaining the strong melody lines. But I did not really like Rakim’s (guest artiste on the song) parts. Somehow I still feel that the old Linkin Park was way way better.
Madhubanti is a vocalist with the band Mrittika and has sung on the soundtrack of Aami Aar Amar Girlfriends
Top 5 LP songs
In the end
Numb
One Step Closer
what i’ve done
Leave out all the rest
Text: Arindam Chatterjee
I like Linkin Park because....
Tell t2@abp.in
