Dallas Morning News
On the one hand, California rap-rock quintet Linkin Park is the biggest success story in rock. Its 2000 debut disc, “Hybrid Theory,” has been on the charts for nearly two years and has sold 8 million copies. Its video for “In the End” recently was nominated for a slew of MTV awards, including best video of the year.
On the other hand, Linkin Park is still a baby band that, despite its swift surge, is not quite a household name. Now comes “Reanimation” (Warner Bros.) - basically remixes of songs from the band’s debut.
With remix discs, it’s all about context. Most often, they are pointless filler releases, something to cover the gap between “real” albums, or to keep the act’s name in the marketplace, or at their very worst, to make some cash. Fortunately, none of these circumstances rule out the capacity to have some kind of artistic value. That depends on the remix artists.
The artists on “Reanimation” are a who’s who of cutting-edge hip-hop and industrial acts from California, including members of Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Korn and Orgy. Some, such as West Coast rapper Aceyalone, are relatively unknown outside Los Angeles.
Most do a reasonable job at re-visioning their tracks. Most retain Linkin Park’s personality, which can be distilled to two elements: anguished self-doubt, as transmitted via the agitated vocals of singer Chester Bennington and singer-rapper Mike Shinoda; and high-flying idealism, conveyed in the grand power chords of the music.
In their refashioned state, the tracks get renamed into an unreadable, missing-vowels language. “Papercut,” for example, becomes “Ppr:kut,” and so on.
The disc opens with a prelude of classical music - in other words, “this is art” - then swings neatly between choppy distortion and symphonic beauty. But it’s more hip-hop than rock.
“Enth E Nd” is an all-rap song from Kutmasta Kurt and Motion Man. “Krwlng,” with Staind’s Aaron Lewis contributing vocals, has the soaring aura of a Seal song. Some songs, such as “Pts. of.Athrty,” remixed by Jay Gordon of Orgy, combine vitriol and serenity.
Plenty in between is forgettable, but alluring moments do exist, such as “P5hng Me A*wy,” the Alice-in-Chains-y remix of “Pushing Me Away” with Stephen Richards of Taproot.
None of it is essential. But the fact that “Hybrid Theory” continues to sell so robustly indicates that an appetite for it remains, that its life span is far from over. “Reanimation” offers another twist on a body of music that still has plenty of life.