One More Light by LINKIN PARK

It’s easy to think of One More Light as LINKIN PARK’s pop album: Not only is it their mellowest, but it’s the one where they sound most (relatively) at peace. But part of what made the band interesting is the way they always managed to bring pop to them instead of the other way around. So, while tracks like “Battle Symphony” and “Invisible” fit neatly in the hybridized, post-EDM world of 2010s pop, they’re also examples of one of the biggest rock bands of their time steering their sizable audience in new musical directions. “I’m holding on/Why is everything so heavy?” Chester Bennington sings on “Heavy.” Good question—and from LINKIN PARK, a sign of maturity.

Hybrid Theory (Deluxe Edition) by LINKIN PARK

LINKIN PARK’s debut doubles as a mission statement for the California-born band, whose tense, ferocious brand of rock borrows from hip-hop and emo, dance-punk and alt-rock. Over skittering beats and massive guitars, caterwauler Chester Bennington and defiant MC Mike Shinoda examine heavy emotions up close. The cavernous “In the End” and paranoid “Crawling” combine their bad vibes with deep grooves and huge hooks, while album opener “Papercut” amps up the agitation with crushing, metal-inspired riffing that anchors Shinoda’s frantic raps.