Meteora (album) - Definition

Meteora is the name of a recording by the band Linkin Park. The album was released on March 25, 2003 (see 2003 in music) as an Enhanced CD and some released on Bonus DVD.

Making of the Album

The album was named after The Meteora. After seeing these monastaries on a trip to Europe, the band were inspired by the way they were built, almost defying gravity. It was this feeling of greatness and awesome accomplishment that Linkin Park wished to convey with their music, thus, the name.

Don Gilmore co-produced the album. Linkin Park comprehensively rehearsed the album recording more than 40 choruses for the first single "Somewhere I Belong". Like the band's first album Hybrid Theory, which is the 21st century's highest selling debut album selling 14 million albums worldwide, Meteora was recorded using ProTools software.

Musicality

The video of the song "Somewhere I Belong" features some surrealistic creatures moving from a painting that may have been inspired by Salvador Dalí's works - possibly The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1946) or The Elephants (1948).

This album shows Linkin Park becoming less rapcore. Although there are rap-driven songs (especially Nobody's Listening and Faint), many of the well-received songs of Meteora have little or no rap (such as "Breaking The Habit" and "Numb").

According to some sources, "Breaking the Habit" is based on a tragic experience of a friend of Mike Shinoda, who wrote the song. Other sources say that the song, though penned by Shinoda, actually reflects singer Chester Bennington's experience with cocaine. It is arguably one of Linkin Park's most stark and controversial songs. Along with the multitude of theories as to its subject, there are also many ideas about what the song means. Common speculations include suicide, self-mutilation, and drug abuse.

Tracks

1. "Foreword" (Intro) - 0:13
2. "Don't Stay" - 3:07
3. "Somewhere I Belong" - 3:33
4. "Lying From You" - 2:55
5. "Hit The Floor" - 2:44
6. "Easier To Run" - 3:24
7. "Faint" - 2:42
8. "Figure.09" - 3:17
9. "Breaking The Habit" - 3:16
10. "From The Inside" - 2:53
11. "Nobody's Listening" - 2:58
12. "Session" - 2:23
13. "Numb" - 3:05

Charting album positions

Billboard Music Charts

2003

Meteora has topped album charts in both the UK and US since its release and has reached #2 in Canada and Australia. It was one of the best selling rock albums of 2003.

Charting singles

Meteora has a number of songs that have topped the modern and mainstream rock charts and enjoyed success in the pop charts throughout the world.

2003 Somewhere I Belong      Mainstream Rock Tracks              No. 1 
2003 Somewhere I Belong      Modern Rock Tracks              No. 1 
2003 Somewhere I Belong      The Billboard Hot 100                 No. 38 
2003 Somewhere I Belong      BBC Radio One Official Chart show          No. 20
2003 Somewhere I Belong      Canadian Singles Chart               No. 2 
2003 Somewhere I Belong      World Modern Rock
                   No. 1
2003 Somewhere I Belong      World Internet Sales
                   No. 1

2003 Faint                   Radio One Official Chart               No. 30
2003 Faint                   Billboard Modern Rock
                   No. 1
2003 Faint                   World Modern Rock
                   No. 1
2003 Faint                   Billboard Mainstream Rock
                   No. 2
2003 Faint                   Billboard Hot 100
                   No. 38

2004 Numb                    The Billboard Hot 100                 No. 11
2004 Numb                    Modern Rock Tracks              No. 1
2004 Numb                    Mainstream Rock Tracks              No. 1
2004 Numb                    World Modern Rock
                   No. 1 

2004 Breaking the Habit      Modern Rock Tracks
                   No. 17
2004 Breaking the Habit      Mainstream Rock Tracks
                   No. 18
2004 Breaking the Habit      Netherlands Top 40
                   No. 5
2004 Breaking the Habit      Canada Muchmusic Chart
                   No. 7
2004 Breaking the Habit      China Top 20
                   No. 1   
2004 Breaking the Habit      World Modern Rock
                   No. 8

2004 Lying from You          Modern Rock Tracks
                   No. 1 
2004 Lying from You          Mainstream Rock Tracks
                   No. 2
2004 Lying from You          World Modern Rock
                   No. 9

2003 Don't Stay              MP3.com Top 20
                   No. 8

Critical Response

Despite the strong sales response from fans, Meteora received a poor response from critics. For example, Metacritic gave the album a meta rating of 59 indicating a mixed response. [1] (http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/linkinpark/meteora/1)

The album received excellent reviews from: E! Online, Entertainment Weekly.

The album received good reviews from: Dot Music, Billboard, New Musical Express, .

The band received average reviews from: Allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Blender, Q Magazine, ShakingThrough.net.

The band received poor reviews from: Uncut, Playlouder, The Onion

E! Online rated it an A- expected it to "shoot straight for the stars". Best tracks: "Don't Stay", "Somewhere I Belong", "Numb" [2] (http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,2917,00.html/2)

Entertainment Weekly described it as "radio-friendly perfection".

Dot Music described it as a "guaranteed source of ubiquitous radio hits". Best Tracks: "Somewhere I Belong", "Faint", "Lying on the Floor", "Nobody's Listening" rating 8 out of 10[3] (http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_a/28815.html/3)

Billboard Magazine described Meteora as "a ready-made crowdpleaser". Best Tracks: "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit" [4] (http://www.billboard.com/bb/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1844735/4)

The New Musical Express said it had "massive commercial appeal" but left the reviewer "underwhelmed" Rating 7 Best track: "Breaking the Habit". [5] (http://www.nme.com/reviews/11264.htm/5)

Rolling Stone said the band "squeezed the last remaining life out of this nearly extinct formula" (nu-metal) Rating 3 stars Best tracks: "Breaking the Habit", "Lying From You", "Figure .09", "Numb" [6] (http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album?id=265830/6)

Allmusic.com described it as "nothing more and nothing less than Hybrid Theory Part 2" Best tracks: "Lying from You", "Breaking the Habit", "Hit the Floor" [7] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=SUB030407240527&sql=10:ypdgylo4xpeb~T0/7) Blender described it as "harder, denser, uglier" (#15, page 128) while Q Magazine described it as "less an artistic endeavour than an exercise in target marketing".

External links

• All Music guide Meteora article (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE4781ED947A57520EFB71670E1FA5CDE2DFE62D9BA5007656392940454880C71ED59E695CAAEF871AB7BAFFF2AE85905D3CDE456FBCC1740&uid=CADMR0407240306&sql=10:fw5s8qbzbtq4~T31/)
• Meteora Metacritic summary (http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/linkinpark/meteora/)

The Meteora are hilltop monasteries in north-east Greece.