Minutes to Midnight

Minutes to Midnight is the third album, on which Linkin Park stepped into more direct rock songs and quiet emotional expression rather than relying only on the usual rap and heavy riffs. With Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda as producers, the band greatly widened its musicality. The voices of Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda resonate as dialogue rather than collision, and step into social themes. Coming after about four years, it marks experiment and maturity at once. From the big hook of "What I've Done" to the fragility of "Leave Out All the Rest," the album does not fear change. Aggression and lyricism widely coexist, as on "Bleed It Out" and "Shadow of the Day." On "Hands Held High," Shinoda's rap sharply carries a questioning of society. Marking a turning point toward new expression with firm melody, the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. An ambitious record balancing challenge and universality.