Meteora is the second studio album by the Nu metal band Linkin Park. It was released on March 25, 2003, through Warner Bros. Records, following Reanimation, a collaboration album which featured remixes of songs included on their 2000 debut studio album Hybrid Theory. The album was produced by the band alongside Don Gilmore. The title Meteora is taken from the Greek Orthodox monasteries originally bearing the name.
Meteora has a similar sound to Hybrid Theory, as described by critics, and the album took almost a year to be recorded. It is the first Linkin Park studio album to feature bassist Dave Farrell after he rejoined the band in 2000 following his temporary touring with other bands. Meteora debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 810,000 copies in its first week.
Linkin Park released singles from Meteora for over a year, including Somewhere I Belong, Faint, Numb, From the Inside, and Breaking the Habit. Lying from You was released in March 2004 as a promotional single. Meteora received generally positive reviews, although some critics felt the album’s style was too similar to its predecessor, Hybrid Theory.
Meteora has sold around 16 million copies worldwide, making it the 8th best-selling album of the 21st century. It is certified 7× Platinum by the (RIAA). It was ranked number 36 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Some songs from the album were remixed with some of Jay-Z‘s songs for the EP Collision Course (2004). Session was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards.
Tracklist:
- Foreword (Instrumental)
- Don’t Stay
- Somewhere I Belong
- Lying from You
- Hit the Floor
- Easier to Run
- Faint
- Figure.09
- Breaking the Habit
- From the Inside
- Nobody’s Listening
- Session (Instrumental)
- Numb
Digital deluxe bonus tracks - Lying from You (live LP Underground Tour 2003)
- From the Inside (live LP Underground Tour 2003)
- Easier to Run (live LP Underground Tour 2003)
Linkin Park
Chester Bennington: lead vocals (2-11, 13), guitar intro on Somewhere I Belong
Rob Bourdon: drums, percussion
Brad Delson: lead guitar
Dave Farrell: bass guitar
Joe Hahn: turntables, samples, programming
Mike Shinoda: co-lead and rap vocals; piano (3, 8–10, 12, 13), samples, rhythm guitar (3, 5–7, 10), keyboard (2, 5, 6, 8–10, 12), strings arrangement (7, 9)
Additional musicians
David Campbell: strings arrangement (7, 9)
Joel Derouin, Charlie Bisharat, Alyssa Park, Sara Parkins, Michelle Richards, Mark Robertson: violins
Evan Wilson, Bob Becker: violas
Larry Corbett, Dan Smith: cellos
David Zasloff: shakuhachi flute (11)
Production
Produced by Don Gilmore and Linkin Park
Recorded by Don Gilmore
John Ewing, Jr.: engineer
Fox Phelps: assistant engineer
Andy Wallace: mixing at Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY
Steve Sisco: mixing assistance
Brian “Big Bass” Gardner: mastering, digital editing at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Management
Tom Whalley & Jeff Blue: A&R
Marny Cameron: A&R coordination
Peter Standish & Kevin Sakoda: marketing directors
Worldwide representation: Rob McDermott for the Firm with Additional Servitude by Ryan Saullo, Ryan Demarti, and Noah Edelman
Booking agent: Michael Arfin for Artist Group, International
Danny Hayes: legal for Davis, Shapiro, Lewit, Montone & Hayes
Michael Oppenheim & Jonathan Schwartz: business managers for Gudvi, Sussman & Oppenheim
Worldwide licensing and merchandising: Bandmerch
Artwork
Mike Shinoda & The Flem: creative direction
The Flem: art direction & design
Delta, Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn & The Flem: installation artists
James R. Minchin III: photography
Nick Spanos: spray paint can close-up photos
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017).
