Top 10 songs from Nu-metal/Modern Rock Artists

One of the posts I'm most proud of is my Top 10 Songs for Classic Rock artists (read here).  I decided to make a list for more modern artists.  This is a huge category and most of my library is from this era, so for the purposes of this post the band has to have been popular at some point in the 2000s and I had to own more than two albums by the artist.

No list is perfect and it is extremely hard for me to rank favorites.  I know not everyone will agree and will have different opinions. That's fine. These are my top 10 favorite original tunes by a few rock artists of the new millenium.  I'll continue to add to this on occasion.  Listed alphabetically by artist first name:

AGAINST ME!
I Was A Teenage Anarchist
White Crosses
High Pressure Low
Because of the Shame
Piss and Vinegar
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Dead Friend
Thrash Unreal
The Ocean
New Wave

ALIEN ANT FARM
Smooth Criminal (This one's a MJ cover, but it's their most popular song and they made it their own)
Movies
Stranded
Courage
S.S. Recognize
Summer
Sticks and Stones
Our Time
Homage
Rubber Mallet

ALTER BRIDGE
Show Me A Leader
My Champion
Metalingus
Rise Today
Cry of Achilles
Isolation
You Will Be Remembered
Ties That Bind
Open Your Eyes
Ghost of Days Gone By

BLUE OCTOBER
Hate Me
Say It
Should Be Loved
The End
You Make Me Smile
She's My Ride
Into the Ocean
Congratulations
Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek
The Chills

BOY HITS CAR

Rebirth
As I Watch the Sun Fuck the Ocean
Love Core (Welcome To)
Lovefurypassionenergy
I'm A Cloud
Stealing Fire From the Sun
Embrace
A Letter From Prison
A Madness Called Love
Dreams


BUCKCHERRY
Lit Up
Next To You
Broken Glass
Crazy Bitch
Everything
Ridin'
Say Fuck It
Gluttony
Get Back
Lawless and Lulu


CHEVELLE
Send the Pain Below
The Clincher
An Island
Jawbreaker
Face to the Floor
The Red
Forfeit
Comfortable Liar
Family System
Antisaint

COAL CHAMBER
Loco
Bradley
Fiend
Big Truck
Sway
I.O.U. Nothing
Dark Days
Friend
Pig
Rowboat

CROSSFADE
Cold
Colors
So Far Away
Dead Memories
Invincible
Dead Skin
Starless
No Giving Up
Lay Me Down
Drag You Out

DANKO JONES
I Don't Care
I Believed In God
You Wear Me Down
You Are My Woman
Do You Wanna Rock
Piranha
Always Away
She Ain't Comin' Home
Type of Girl
Don't Do This

DARKNESS
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Get Your Hands Off of My Woman
Black Shuck
Growing On Me
Southern Trains
Japanese Prisoner Of Love
Mudslide
Buccaneers in Hispaniola
Stuck In a Rut
Rock In Space

DEFTONES
Bored
Engine No. 9
Root
7 Words
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Back To School (Mini Maggit)
Minerva
Hexagram
Change (In the House of Flies)
Doomed User

DEVILDRIVER
I Could Care Less
Cry For Me Sky (Eulogy of the Scorned)
Daybreak
Swinging the Dead
Clouds Over California
Bound By the Moon
I've Been Sober
Dead to Rights
Nothing's Wrong
Digging Up the Corpses

DISTURBED
Down With the Sickness
Voices
Stupify
Ten Thousand Fists
Prayer
The Game
Liberate
Inside the Fire
Immortalized
Indestructible


DOPE
Nothing For Me Here
I'm Back
No Regrets
Die MF Die
Bitch
Drug Music
Survive
Addiction
No Way Out
6-6-Sick


EXIES
Slow Drain
Lay Your Money Down
Fear of Being Alone
Different Than You
These Are the Days
Tired Of You
What You Deserve
Can't Relate
Ugly
Dear Enemy

FINGER ELEVEN

Bones & Joints
Drag You Down
Paralyzer
One Thing
First Time
Complicated Questions
Good Times
Sick of It All
Other Light
Five Crooked Lines


GEMINI SYNDROME
Remember We Die
Anonymous
Pleasure and Pain
Stardust
Mourning Star
Sorry Not Sorry
Basement
On Point
Alive Inside

Babylon

GODSMACK
Awake
Keep Away
I Stand Alone
Whatever
Voodoo
Straight Out of Line
Saints and Sinners
What If?
Speak
1000HP


GOOD CHARLOTTE
Little Things
Waldorfworldwide
The Anthem

I Heard You

East Coast Anthem
Wondering
The River
Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous
Girls & Boys
Secrets

GOLDFINGER
San Simeon
Mable
I'm Down
Pick a Fight
Superman
Counting the Days
Disorder
Here In Your Bedroom
Going Home
Another 20 Cent Goodbye

(Hed)PE

Killing Time

Bartender

Blackout

Represent

Walk On By

Waiting To Die

Renegade

Suck It Up

Raise Hell

Truth Rising

ill Niño
God Save Us

Te Amo...I Hate You

La Epidemia

Rip Out Your Eyes

I Am Loco

Rumba

Compulsion of Virus and Fever

Killing You, Killing Me

Kellogg's, Bombs & Cracker Jacks

Nothing's Clear

KoRn
Blind
Right Now
Y'all Wanna Single
Freak On A Leash
Falling Away From Me
Got the Life
Did My Time
Shoots & Ladders
Make Me Bad
A.D.I.D.A.S


KYNG
Closer to the End
Pristine Warning
Pushing and Pulling
I Don't Believe
Breathe in the Water
The Battle of the Saint/Lines
Lost One
Burn the Serum
Electric Halo
Sunday Smile

LINKIN PARK
One Step Closer
Crawling
In the End
A Place for My Head
Papercut
Numb
Faint
Shadow of the Day
Breaking the Habit
Pushing Me Away

MARILYN MANSON

Beautiful People
Deep Six
This is the New Shit
Disposable Teens
Personal Jesus
Fight Song
Dope Show
The Love Song
mOBSCENE
Rock 'N Roll N****r


MURDERDOLLS

Dawn of the Dead
My Dark Place Alone
197666
Twist My Sister
Slit My Wrists
Die My Bride
The Funeral Ball
Love At First Fright
She Was A Teenage Zombie
Bored 'Til Death

NONPOINT
Mindtrip
Bullet With A Name
Orgullo
Victim
What A Day
Endure
Rabia
Lights, Camera, Action
Breaking Skin
Generation Idiot

OLEANDER
I Walk Alone
You'll Find Out
Down When I'm Loaded
She's Up She's Down 

Stupid 

Where Were You Then 

Fight 

Yours If You Like 

Daylight 

Lost Cause

PAPA ROACH
Last Resort
Broken Home
Dead Cell
Between Angels and Insects
Scars
Lifeline
Change or Die
M-80 (Explosive Energy Movement)
...To Be Loved
She Loves Me Not

QUEENS of the STONE AGE
You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire
First It Giveth

Little Sister

Go With the Flow
Feel Good Hit of the Summer

A Song for the Dead

Six Shooter
No One Knows
3's and 7's
The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret

RAMMSTEIN
Du Hast
Deutschland

Radio

Reise, Reise
Feuer Frei!

Mein Teil

Keine Lust

Mann Gegen Mann

Los

Ich Will

RED
Shadows
Breathe Into Me
Death to Me
Faceless
Feed the Machine
Already Over
Release the Panic
Wasting Time
Pieces
Gave It All Away


RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS
Your Guardian Angel
Don't Hate
Face Down
Choke
In Fate's Hands
Waiting
Seventeen Ain't So Sweet
Atrophy
Where Are the Heroes
Casting the First Stone



RISE AGAINST
Re-Education (Through Labor)
Savior
Injection
Prayer of the Refugee
Paper Wings
Black Masks & Gasoline
Gave It All
Swing Life Away
The Dirt Whispered
The Eco-Terrorist In Me



SALIVA
Click Click Boom
Ladies and Gentleman
Always
Your Disease
Black Sheep
Raise Up
Superstar
Family Reunion
Hunt You Down
800




SEETHER

Remedy
Tonight
Sympathetic
Rise Above This
Gasoline
The Gift
Fake It
Broken
No Jesus Christ
Fuck It

SHINEDOWN

45
Devour
I Dare You
Sound of Madness
Save Me
Cry For Help
Heroes
Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide
Fly From the Inside
Enemies

SICK PUPPIES

Cancer
Too Many Words
All the Same
Maybe
Howard's Tale
You're Going Down
Earth To You
War
Pitiful
Stick To Your Guns

SLIPKNOT

Duality

Wait and Bleed

People = Shit

Before I Forget

Psychosocial

Left Behind

Eyeless

Devil in I

Custer

Heretic Song


STAIND

Mudshovel
Suffocate
Outside
It's Been Awhile
Now
Price to Play
Zoe Jane
Raw
So Far Away
Could It Be

STATIC-X

Push It
I'm With Stupid
This Is Not
Get to the Gone
Dirthouse
Destroy All
I Want to Fucking Break It
Wisconsin Death Trip
Set It Off
The Enemy

STONE SOUR

Through Glass

Bother

Get Inside

Tumult

Inhale

Made of Scars

Reborn

Absolute Zero

Ru486

Song #3

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

Chop Suey
Inner Vision
Toxicity
Needles
Aerials
Chick N' Stu
BYOB
Psycho
Sugar
Science

TRAPT
Headstrong
Still Frame
These Walls
Who's Going Home With You Tonight
Made of Glass
Wasteland
The Wind
Sound Off
Stories

Bring It

The USED
Buried Myself Alive
A Box of Sharp Objects
Take It Away
Taste of Ink
I'm A Fake
Maybe Memories
I Caught Fire (In Your Eyes)
Choke Me
Quixotica
Sick Hearts

VOLBEAT
Lola Montez
Heaven Nor Hell
Fallen
7 Shots
Ecotone
A Warrior's Call
Seal the Deal
The Devil's Bleeding Crown
The Hangman's Bodycount
Who They Are

YELLOWCARD
Ocean Avenue
Way Away
Rivertown Blues
Afraid
Awakening
Breathing
One Year, Six Months
Cut Me, Mick
Rough Landing, Holly
Only One

ZEBRAHEAD
Playmate of the Year
Sirens
Rescue Me
Wake Me Up
Falling Apart
Save Your Breath
I Am
In My Room
Alone
Hell Yeah!

Best Bands You've Never Heard Of

I'm not as plugged into the underground bands as I was in college, but occasionally I discover a band while watching late night tv or from digging deeper on iTunes.  I believe that we need to support artists so they can continue to make entertaining music for our listening pleasure.  Hopefully you find at least one of these suggestions to your liking.


Do you like Saves the Day, Blink-182, Nada Surf or Death Cab For Cutie?
Try SEAWAY.  They're from Canada and they have three albums and three EPs filled with catchy emo-powerpop songs.

Also try MOOSEBLOOD. They're from the UK and they write quality melodies with more up-tempo songs than a lot of emo bands.  Plus, any band that has a song about Kelly Kapowski is cool with me.

Do you like your alternative rock with a hint of garage rock?
Try SLOTHRUST.  They're from Massachusetts. They're a trio with a female lead singer, but she has kind of a deep tenor sounding voice which is very smooth and has a unique flavor.  They're indie cool, with jazz chops and a touch of badass.

Do you like rock that doesn't take itself too seriously?
The DARKNESS has put out a lot of good music since you heard "I Believe in a Thing Called Love."
Another similar catchy, fun, up-tempo group is NAKED.  They're from Finland, but they have elements of Southern rock and glam rock with riffs and earworms for days. I found their album Double Down by accident and I quite enjoy it.

Do you like your blues rock, but want it brought to life in the 21st century?
Try RED SUN RISING. They're from Ohio and try not to be pinned down by genre labels.  They had some radio success with single "Otherside" but they have a lot more than just that one song to offer.  Plus, when I saw them open for Seether and Tremonti in 2015, they were the coolest friggin guys.

Me with Red Sun Rising 5/2/15

Do you like modern hard rock like Pop Evil or  Sick Puppies?
Try OTHERWISE. They're from Las Vegas and have a polished presentation without sounding overproduced or generic.  Straight forward hard rock to tap your foot to.

Want something with a little more dark undertones?
Try EMPERORS and ELEPHANTS.  Guitarist Randy Cooper from Texas Hippie Coalition plays in this band that had a great album Devil in the Lake in 2014.  When some thought they were done, they came back with Moth in 2017.

Like it heavy?
Check out Japanese post-hardcore metal band COLDRAIN.  Fantastic clean vocals supported by occasional screams and some sick guitar work in the American metalcore style.

Summer 2017 concerts: Korn, Metallica, R&RHOF classics

I already wrote about AFI's Blood Tour here.  The next summer concert I went to was at the end of July called the Summer of Serenity Tour headlined by Korn with openers Ded, Yelawolf, Skillet, and Stone Sour.  I saw them in Camden at the recently renamed BB&T Pavilion.  It's a great venue, but they have exorbitant parking fees and you don't want to hang around the city after dark.

I had just purchased Ded's debut album and I was excited to see them live.  Fortunately, I made it for the 5PM start time.  They are a hard-hitting nu-metal band that formed in Arizona.  Rather than coming onto the scene 20 years late, I think they are here right on time.  There aren't a lot of bands out there anymore with this aggressive, heavy style and I think they are good enough to make some waves.  That being said, their best songs also have choruses that you can sing/scream along to.  Check out "Anti-Everything" to get a sense of their sound.

Yelawolf is a hip-hop artist and DJ that has been on Eminem's record label and worked with artists the likes of Kid Rock, Lil' John, Ed Sheeran, and Travis Barker.  His music wasn't really my style, but he was entertaining and his DJ stand like the front of an old muscle car decked out with chrome was cool.

This was my third time seeing Skillet and they put on a good live show.  Their female drummer, Jen contributes on vocals that adds dynamics juxtaposing frontman and bassist, John.  John's wife, Korey, fills out the sound on backing vocals while also holding down the rhythm on guitar or keyboards.  Newer songs like "Feel Invincible" work right in with other crowd favorites like "Rebirthing" and "Hero."

I have seen Slipknot a few times, but this was my first time seeing Stone Sour.  They also have new material out with Hydrograd that just came out in June.  Corey and the band sounded good, but I had high expectations and they didn't blow me away.  They basically played all their hits which represent a variety of styles.  Songs still resonated with the crowd as evidenced by the girl in front of me balling her eyes out during 2006's "Through Glass."  The next night was in PNC when Cory let his son sing "Song #3."

I've known about Korn since 1996 and I finally got to see them live for the first time in 2004 and they were great.  I have never been as big of a fan of them compared to some other bands in the genre.  I didn't love some of their recent albums either.  That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Korn this time around.  They sounded tight and as heavy as ever.  They played a lot of their hits and songs spanning their 20+ year career.

My personal summer concert series continued in Seattle, WA in August.  This is the first time I've ever been outside of NJ/NY/PA for a major label artist's concert.  First, up was Chevelle supported by Dinosaur Pickup and Black Map at a club called Showbox SODO just south of Safeco Field where the Mariners play.  The venue was converted into a concert hall from an old warehouse.  It has brick walls.  There is a long rectangular GA section in front of the stage and then a smaller raised area with a long bar and some table seating. I made friends with a couple that had some room at their table and grabbed a seat with a great sight line of the stage. Dinosaur Pickup was first and they were an enjoyable local group that sounded a bit like Nirvana and Smile Empty Soul.  Black Map was another similar rock act that wasn't bad, but I didn't think they had a very dynamic sound.  Songs started to blend together and I was anxious for their set to end.

Chevelle came out and did not disappoint.  Lead singer/guitar player, Pete, said this was their last show of the tour and he was pretty tired, but the band still sounded great.  This was my 8th time seeing them live and the first time since 2016's release The North Corridor from which they played Young Wicked, Joyride (Omen), and Door to Door Cannibals.  There was also a wickedly amazing run of songs including Clincher, Take Out the Gunman, Island, Vitamin R, and Get Some.  About halfway through the set an angry butch girl started causing problems by standing in front of people that had been there all night.  In order to avoid the killjoy and in attempt to resolve some conflict, I gave up my seat and went down to the floor.  I had to avoid spilled beer, but had a decent view still. Their encore consisted of four songs!  The Red, Comfortable Liar, Forfeit, and Send the Pain Below. I still listen to Chevelle fairly regularly and every time I see them live it reminds me of why they are one of my all-time favorite bands.

Another first happened this trip when I saw Metallica with Avenged Sevenfold and Gojira.  On some earlier dates, Volbeat played on this tour and I would have really liked to see them.  Still, I was excited for this show and I had heard a lot of great things about Gojira.  They were good.  Rather than speedy or melodic guitar work, they rely on heavy riffs and mostly screaming and gravely vocals.

A7X was also fun to see.  They had some pyrotechnics and played their hits, but I didn't think that their stage presence and energy was as big as CenturyLink field.  Maybe it was the open air aspect of the venue or maybe it was because they weren't headlining, but I expected a little bit more from a band that is as experienced as they are.  The sound was pretty loud even in the upper deck and I made use of my decibel reducing Earasers that still give good sound quality.

Metallica did not have a problem bringing the energy on stage.  Their stage presence and special effects were much bigger and definitely impressive.  They played 18 songs in 2.5 hours!  I thought the first half was a little slow, but then it picked up with Whiplash followed by Sad But True, One, Master of Puppets, Fade to Black, and Seek & Destroy.  The encore was Battery, Nothing Else Matters, and Enter Sandman.  I can finally check this one of my list and I'm glad I finally got to see them in person.

My final summer concert of 2017 was a Father's Day/Birthday present for my dad.  Neither of us had seen Deep Purple before and they were being supported by Edgar Winter and Alice Cooper.  Edgar Winter (who I had heard in the womb in 1980 and saw live last summer) played only four songs, but also included his live trick of scatting with his mouth and getting mirrored by his guitar player or drummer.  He also played multiple instruments including guitar, saxophone, drums, and keyboards. At 70, his energy and ability is impressive.

Alice Cooper is 69 and he too is continuing to rock audiences like a badass.  His latest album Paranormal was released at the end of July.  He was up there wielding his baton and popping balloons without missing a beat.  He still is doing a pretty big stage show that included a naughty nurse, a twisted ballerina, Frankenstein's monster, the guillotine, and multiple costume changes.  My dad appreciated classics like "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Under My Wheels."  I've always been a fan of "Feed My Frankenstein, I'm Eighteen, and School's Out"

Deep Purple played about a dozen songs plus a drum solo and keyboard solo.  Things started off great with "Highway Star."  We got other classics "Knockin' At Your Backdoor, Perfect Strangers, Space Truckin', and Hush."  Some of the songs like newer tracks "The Surprising" and "Time for Bedlam" are a little bit too out there for my dad and my tastes.  We like them for the classic hard rock band that got them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and I wish we would have gotten to hear "Woman From Tokyo."  They closed the night with one of the biggest rock songs ever, "Smoke on the Water."  I was happy to get that and even though there wasn't an encore, they closed with their best.  My dad and I had a good time and he really seemed to appreciate the gift.  That makes it all worth it.

Chester Bennington and my relationship to Linkin Park

So, it is kind of eerie that in my post about Chris Cornell I said the statement "another rocker is gone too soon" is "getting old real quick."  Sadly, Chester Bennington's suicide compels me to write another blog post about another rocker gone too soon.  Chester died by self-induced hanging on the anniversary of Cornell's birthday July 20, 2017.  As I posted on Facebook that day when I heard the news, I didn't like the direction Linkin Park's music was going, but there is no way I would have wished for this.  Some people are being very insensitive and spiteful online in their comments.  It is sad to see that side of humanity.  The fact is, 30 million records have been sold by Linkin Park and millions more concert tickets over the last 18 years or so.  Suicide is a real growing trend that most people have either considered or been affected by via family or friends.

• Every day, approximately 112 Americans take their own life.
• A person dies by suicide about every 12.8 minutes in the United States.
• ~90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death

("Suicide facts" afsp.donordrive.com)

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts call 1-800-273-8255 and find more resource information at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

_______

My relationship with Linkin Park began in the fall of 2000.  I was a sophomore in college and a friend of mine who was responsible for introducing me to the likes of the Deftones, Staind, Papa Roach, POD, Cold, and many other bands told me about Linkin Park.  We listened to demos of what would become their debut album before it was released on October 24, 2000.  After a brief Baltimore road trip, as a part of my birthday weekend celebration, we went to see Linkin Park open for POD at Roseland Ballroom in NYC on November 10.  This was only my sixth concert ever and my second time at Roseland.  I have now been to about 120 concerts (double that if you include local bands) and I can say that this show was the first AND ONLY time that from the opening note of the opening band there was a moshpit.  The crowd didn't stop moving until the set was over.  Chester sang.  Mike rapped.  Brad and Phoenix plucked strings.  Rob beat the drums.  Mr. Han spun, scratched and sampled.  The energy was crazy.  The dual singers played off of each other expertly.  At that time there was one who played MC and one who could croon or scream and they pretty much stayed in their lanes.  Still, they had in my mind perfected the hybrid rap-rock better than anyone.  I would see them play live three more times at various festivals, but nothing will ever top the energy, excitement, and precision of that first set.  After a blistering 7 songs, they said they had to catch a plane so they wouldn't be hanging out all night, but they took the time to come down to the crowd to say hi to the fans.  I got to shake hands with each member except Mike who disappeared towards the back of the venue.  Phoenix even struck up a conversation with me about Papa Roach (whose t-shirt I was wearing) and I could barely formulate sentences because here I was talking to a rock star!

I'm not gonna break down each song on Hybrid Theory because chances are you own it and love it too.  If you haven't listened to it recently, I think it still holds up.  When it first came out I played it multiple times a day.  I bought it for everyone for Christmas.  I predicted it would go platinum.  I never thought it would reach 11x platinum and be certified diamond in the US.  That was unheard of for a rock act and hadn't happened since Dookie.  Singles "One Step Closer, Crawling, and In the End" blew up MTV and rock radio.  "In the End" was soon being played even on adult alternative and pop stations as well.  Linkin park got huge, seemingly out of nowhere.  Again, if you haven't given it a listen in a while, the deeper tracks are just as good.  "Papercut, With You, Pushing Me Away, A Place For My Head," etc. The only track I sometimes skip is the DJ scratch instrumental, "Cure for the Itch."  Not only was this rap-rock nu-metal sound resonating with me, the lyrics were deep, cathartic, and even poetic.  The band was also very appreciative of their fans and new found fame.  Linkin Park had become my favorite band and I even got the courage to dye my hair blue.  It was inspired by Mike Shinoda and also an attempt at getting attention from a girl, but the band helped me find the confidence to do something nobody that went to grade school with me would ever expect me to do.

This was also in the days of Napster so I started to snatch up live versions, demo versions and whatever Linkin Park stuff I could.  I even found an import cd in a record store in NYC that had tracks that weren't released in the US otherwise!  For college speech class, my first oral presentation was about my birthday weekend that culminated with meeting the guys in Linkin Park.  I had also gotten into reading magazines like Hit Parader, Metal Edge, and Revolver and tearing out posters to put on my wall.  Interviews and pictures of Linkin Park just fueled my fanaticism.   

In 2002 they released Reanimation which was an album that included a lot of remixes of songs from Hybrid Theory and songs from their EP and extras like "High Voltage" and "My December."  The remixes weren't necessarily my style, but it tided me over until a new record came out.  I listened to it quite a bit at the time and as a result it also broadened my horizons and gave me a better appreciation for hip-hop and electronica DJs.  Around this time they started the Projekt Revolution tour which included Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg.  Let's not underestimate the importance of this for introducing more rap and hip-hop fans to rock (and vice versa).  Though outsiders don't see it as such, metal has always been a pretty open community and we started seeing more brown people proudly representing metal artists and coming to rock shows, due in large part to Linkin Park's influence.  Later the band would go on to make the Collision Course album with Jay-Z further bridging the crossover of genres of music and cross sections of society.

2003 brought the much anticipated Meteora.  This album had a lot of different package options, most of which included a "making of" DVD and a booklet with tagging and graffiti-inspired photos and artwork.  Songs included more hip-hop beats and rapping on tracks like "Lying From You" and "Hit the Floor" as well as some of their hardest rock bangers like "Faint" and "Numb."  The latter was a great example of the power Chester has, even in his "clean" vocals.  Emotion pours out of him and evokes a guttural rasp.  As if it were somehow supernaturally guided, my iTunes just went from playing Meteora to a song called "Morning After" that Chester wrote and sang.  I forgot I had this.  It almost sounds like STP and I can hear shades of Scott Weiland for sure.  

Minutes to Midnight was released in May 2007 after many months of delay.  The band had many more songs written and recorded then could ever be used for an album (perhaps some of these will see the light of day soon) so you know that this track list was deliberately put together.  Being produced by Rick Rubin meant that a lot of thought and expertise had gone into the making of this disc.  I actually remember the experience on May 14 going to Best Buy to purchase this album, returning to my car and peeling off the cellophane as the 40-something year old guy with leather boots and a mustache was getting into his car next to me and unwrapping the same cd.  The cd booklet (yes, I read them) opens with some comments about the writing and producing process in which the band says they wanted to stay true to who they were, but also challenge themselves and break new ground.  This was an interesting disc. We were post-Hurricane Katrina and in the middle of 43rd president George W. Bush's 8 year term and these factors certainly affected some of the lyrics and tone of this album.  In a track like "Bleed It Out" we have some of Chester's harshest screams backed by rhythmic clapping in the background.  We have the fast tempo harsh vocals on "Given Up" followed by the slow and somber "Leave Out All the Rest."  The latter song pales in comparison to the much stronger ballad "Shadow of the Day" that has a ridiculously brilliant melody that makes it hard not to sing along and a crescendo building pace that pays off with a simple guitar solo.  The final song, "The Little Things Give You Away" was written after visiting New Orleans post-Katrina. "Hands Held High" is an emotional rap over pipe organ and marching snare that directly addresses displeasure with Bush, his leadership, and his war.  This is juxtaposed with the last minute of the song in which Chester sings about opening one's hands to the sky as the vast ocean "swallow[s] you."  The imagery really I think is meant to calm the listener and point out how the vastness of our world is so much bigger than our problems.

A Thousand Suns released in 2010 lost me.  While M2M had some pop songs it also had depth and raw emotion.  This new record was meant to be genre-busting, according to the band, but I could not connect with the sounds or lyrics.  I refused to buy it and never listen to it.  I didn't buy 2012's Living Things either.  "Burn it Down" was the lead single and was heralded by some as sounding like old Linkin Park, but I didn't feel that at all.  It was the Bud Light version of Linkin Park.  I almost didn't buy Hunting Party, but after hearing reviews about how it was their most rocking album since their debut, I eventually relented.  I like it too, but it is nowhere as good as the first two albums.  "Keys to the Kingdom" let me know they were back.  Brad delivers with the rock guitars, Mike hits a cutting verse, and throughout the majority of the track Chester screams his heart out. "War" is one of their most up-tempo songs ever and features some cool guitar work as well.

One More Light felt like a slap in the face to old-school fans.  I didn't get it.  I refused to buy it because it was pure pop sounding.  Gone are the guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns that I love.  Its more keyboards, synthesizers, and drum machines.  As a fan, I thought the first single being titled "Heavy" would be a return-to-form for the band.  While the song has a good hook, it isn't too hard to see why many fans would be disappointed from a song that is in no way guitar-heavy.  Heavy obviously refers to the weight of depression.  Listening and looking back in hindsight after the tragedy, almost the whole album reads like a suicide note with tracks like "Talking to Myself," "Good Goodbye," and "Nobody Can Save Me."  Curiously, Chester is only given writing credits on "Heavy" and "Halfway Right," however, so it can't be completely autobiographical.  The song "Invisible" is inspirational in nature and is said to have been written (by Mike Shinoda) about fatherhood.  "One More Light" is a song written by Shinoda and British songwriter Eg White about their friend that passed from cancer.  When Chester sang it he often dedicated it to Chris Cornell and had trouble performing it fully without getting very emotional.  Now "One More Light" and "Sorry For Now" about death seem oddly prophetic.  The album certainly is a work of art and only time will tell how it is ultimately evaluated.

The current tour has been cancelled and the future of the band is uncertain.  I think even though Chester was the last member added, and was always different, that it would be hard for the band to continue under the same name.  He became an integral part of their sound and, in many ways, the face of the band.  The loss of Chester will be difficult stylistically, sonically, and of course emotionally.  It is possible the core could stay together, given their long 20 year history together. However, I think it is more likely that the band dissolves and splinters apart with Mike being the most likely to have a successful solo career or new band.  In the wake of his death, some people are referring to Chester as the voice of a generation.  While hyperbole to some, there is no doubting that Chester could sing a variety of styles from angelic melody to blood-curdling screams.  He was dynamic and emotive and a charismatic front man.  To many, he was their introduction to metal or hard rock music.  To many more he sang the songs that spoke to the hearts of millions of people from various demographics.  He was the lead singer of one of the most successful bands out of the nu-metal era.  In 2009 his side project called Dead By Sunrise (with members of Orgy/Julien-K) released an album called Out of Ashes.  In 2013 Chester replaced Scott Weiland as the official lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots. They recorded an EP with Chester and he toured with them for about two years before returning his focus back to Linkin Park.  Again, only time will determine his ultimate place in music history, but his loss will leave a huge void in the music industry.