You wake up from a coma that started back in 2004. What music artist/band/group are you most surprised (good or bad,) by the direction they took musically over the last twenty years?
If the last thing I’d heard from them was Meteora and then woke up to hear a song like Heavy or Talking to Myself, I would straight up just not believe it’s the same band. That’s not to say I don’t like their later stuff, but its radically different.
On the other hand, the 20th anniversary editions of Hybrid Theory and Meteora would blow my mind.
Would definitely recommend listening to A Thousand Suns in its entirety. Absolutely their magnum opus. Also should check out the 20th anniversary editions of Hybrid Theory and Meteora. They’re both filled with insane amounts of demos and unreleased songs. Lost, Fighting Myself, QWERTY, and And One are some of the best demos that should have made it to albums
Honestly I grew out of Linkin Park and I haven't listened to their old or new stuff for years now. I listen to Hybrid Theory like once a year or of nostalgia, but that's it, I don't actually get any musical enjoyment from them anymore. But A Thousand Suns is an exception. Such an incredible album. So powerful, so different from everything else they've made, and quite unique.
I'm with you. Linkin Park was the first band I connected with and bought CDs from.
As far as vocal talent, I've been impressed with Falling in Reverse, especially the round of singles released in the past two-ish years. Ronnie Radke does a phenomenal job with rapping, singing, and screaming. For me, this scratches that itch for the unique sound Linkin Park introduced.
Every time I'd start to grow out of their sound they'd come out with something completely new and I'd get sucked right back in. And yet their early stuff is so iconic that even parodies of it totally rock.