Linkin Park falls into that tiny category of bands that I liked before most people had heard of them, I actually had bought Hybrid Theory months before they became big on MTV with the video of "One Step Closer." Those of you who read my reviews know about my deep loathing of nu-metal and may find it surprising that I like Linkin Park, because unlike the rest of the imitators in this genre Linkin Park keeps their music fresh by being innovators.

In most cases I think it's blasphemy to mix rock and rap but these guys make it work in a very organic way. Chester Bennington's voice is so good that it's hard to avoid singing along with and Mike Shinoda proves again that a rapper can actually have something meaningful to say. This isn't to say that Meteora is right on par with Hybrid Theory, but it's far from disappointing. They turned up the volume and diversified the beats for this record while laying down tracks like "Somewhere I Belong" and "Numb" that could fit in flawlessly on their last album.

I'm actually a little disappointed that they didn't include the original version of "My December" on Meteora--it was a b-side with hit potential. In the end Meteora isn't really much of a departure from Linkin Park's sound and even though "if it ain't broke--don't fix it" applies here--there is still evidence of evolution on this album. Meteora is sure to shred the billboard charts and mark yet another high point for a great band.