 How do you take one of the best albums of all time and make it worse? Remix it.
Linkin Park had remarkable success with their first album, and deservedly so. "Hybrid Theory" was packed with great rock songs that introduced a new and original style never before heard in the Alternative mainstream. The album broke new ground in the alternative rock genre and its effect has trickled into other genres from hip hop to heavy metal.
Because of the incredible success of "Hybrid Theory," the label must have figured it could make even more money by selling another album comprised of remixes from the original CD. The problem is that it is difficult, if not impossible to improve on such a great album. Most of the remixes in "Reanimation" lack the flow, and more importantly, the feeling of the original songs. The remixers do some creative things done with the songs, layering new sounds and beats over the original samples, but their additions mainly detract from the music.
The only song that is even close to as good as the original is "Points of Authority," which has a powerful, progressive feel to it. The remixes of the hit songs "Crawling" and "In The End" are sonically impressive but feel as though the life has been sucked out of them. My favorite song from the first album, "One Step Closer," has its original feeling just obliterated by the remix. There are couple of new tracks on the CD, which make the album more appealing, but they are no more impressive than the remixed tracks.
If you're into high-tech sound production and effects, "Reanimation" is an amazing feat. There are few creative avenues that have not been explored in the sonic realm of this heavily produced CD. However, if you want to hear powerful and emotional music, keep listening to the original album. |
