Happy 20th Anniversary to Linkin Park’s first remix album Reanimation, originally released July 30, 2002.
So much justifiable praise is given to Linkin Park’s groundbreaking debut album Hybrid Theory (2000) that we often forget about the brilliance it inspired less than two years later, in the form of the group’s first remix album Reanimation.
By the late ‘90s, the blossoming genre known as Nu Metal had emerged as one of the dominating sounds, with frontmen like Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Jonathan Davis of Korn scoring countless hours of daily radio spins and television appearances. Linkin Park’s debut, which is usually grouped within the Nu Metal movement, offered an alternative to the genre’s naysayers, who could not figure out if the large crowds of white kids wearing backward baseball caps were metal fans encroaching into hip-hop or if the defiant attitude of Metal’s newest subgenre held true to the traditions that endured for the previous three decades. For many, Linkin Park added clarity about the possibilities the music held for a new generation.
Had Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn been an emcee/DJ duo, it’s logical to believe that they could have risen through the underground hip-hop ranks, alongside fellow West Coast acts like Dilated Peoples. While the depth and versatility of Chester Bennington’s vocals would have put him in the elite group of Alternative-Rock heir apparents to Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley, had he been the sole frontman ahead of the viable rhythm section of Brad Delson (guitar), and Rob Bourdon (drums). Instead, the quintet meshed what otherwise could have led to successful runs in either genre, respectfully, to play an integral role in redefining how bands approached music in the new millennium.
An examination of Reanimation’s first song and lead single “Pts.OF.Athrty”, produced by Nu-Metal veteran Jay Gordon of the band Orgy, gives the band immediate credibility amongst their contemporaries. Gordon leveraged his name recognition and keen ear to highlight Linkin Park’s mastery of fusing some of the best elements of the 21st century sound. The high-powered electronic bass from the track’s production helps propel both Shinoda’s lyrics and Bennington’s vocals, as Hahn’s scratches stir the song into a successful landing as another anthem for the band’s large, yet still expanding fanbase.
“1Stp Klosr” is another standout amongst the tracklist. An early album credit for the production duo The Humble Brothers, the remix to Hybrid Theory’s debut single “One Step Closer” takes an even more solemn musical approach than the original. The Humble Brothers, who would go on to have great success producing soundtracks for video games and remixes for popular animated series, make for a perfect fit within the context of the overall project. Bennington’s screams of defiance pump the listeners’ adrenaline, as if a video game protagonist has scored a new weapons cache to defeat a final boss. The additional vocals from Korn’s Jonathan Davis just added to the appeal of a creative interpolation for a song that had already scored big with fans.
Reanimation is also packed with other gems like “H! Vltg3,” where Dilated Peoples emcee/producer Evidence remixes a song only released as a special edition bonus track for Hybrid Theory. The track provided an early offering of a sound that would grow to become vintage for Evidence and a cornerstone of the West Coast’s underground Hip-Hop scene. Evidence provides the cinematography that allows Shinoda to paint a vivid verbal canvass of his battle rap exploits. Organized Konfusion co-founder Pharoahe Monch drops in to complete a star-studded surprise tag-team rap bout.
As a loaded compilation LP packed with plenty of the group’s hybrid rock/hip-hop inspiration and contemporary guest artists, Reanimation stands strong on its own merit. The wide range of guest spots reads more like a motion picture soundtrack of the era, with names including Marilyn Manson, Black Thought, Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones, and Aaron Lewis, whose appearance on “Krwlng” endures as an emotional tribute to the late Bennington during his Staind and solo live performances.
After the colossal success of Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park’s decision to follow it up with a remix album gives deep insight into the band’s commitment to artistry and desire to further connect with the underground hip-hop movement while adding depth to the then-burgeoning Nu Metal genre. Reanimation enjoyed its own commercial success and is listed as the fourth bestselling remix album of all-time, only trailing industry titans Michael Jackson, Madonna, and The Beatles.
Linkin Park was red hot in 2002 and this remix LP helped stoke the flame, without immediately creating all new material, but merely reimagining and reanimating the songs that in less than two years were already redefining a fresh sound for a new generation.
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