Warner Bros. Choosing a 10 Best Songs list for Linkin Park was no easy task as some very solid and well-known tracks just barely missed our cut. But one thing is for sure, the ever-evolving six-piece of Chester Bennington , Mike Shinoda , Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and Rob Bourdon have always kept things interesting with a hybrid mix of rock, metal, rap and electronic music. So, as we present this Top 10 countdown of Linkin Park songs, keep in mind that we tried so hard, but in the end we hope we chose the songs that really mattered. Check out our list of the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs below: 10 ‘Breaking the Habit’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? What started off as Mike Shinoda’s epic instrumental track called ‘Drawing’ eventually turned into a more fleshed-out hit single called ‘Breaking the Habit.’ Though it was the final song released off their ‘Meteora’ album, it’s turned into one of their more enduring tracks, perhaps due to the personal nature of the lyrics. Chester Bennington belts, ” I don’t know how I got this way / I know it’s not alright / So I’m breaking the habit ” with every ounce of emotion. Listen to ‘Breaking the Habit’ ? ? 9 ‘Waiting for the End’ From: ‘A Thousand Suns’ (2010) ? ? ‘Waiting for the End’ just has that bouncy groove that both differentiates itself and makes it a natural fit as one of Linkin Park’s 10 best songs. Bennington described the track as having a “summertime vibe,” and the combination of Rob Bourdon’s drums and Joe Hahn’s samples really give the track that special sound. Add in Shinoda’s rasta-like rapping with Bennington’s more melodic delivery and you’ve got the makings of something special. Listen to ‘Waiting for the End’ ? ? 8 ‘Crawling’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ (2000) ? ? ‘Crawling’ will always hold a special place for Linkin Park as it gave them their first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Bennington delivers one of his fiercest screams to date, but admits it’s one of the more difficult songs to perform. He told Spin , “[It’s] about feeling like I had no control over myself in terms of drugs and alcohol … This is just who I am, this is what I write about, what I do, and most of my work has been a reflection of what I’ve been going through in one way or another.” Listen to ‘Crawling’ ? ? 7 ‘Bleed It Out’ From: ‘Minutes to Midnight’ (2007) ? ? With ‘Bleed It Out,’ Shinoda got a chance to come to the forefront though the ‘Minutes to Midnight’ album as a whole featured less of his rap style that its predecessors. The clap-along rocker was a meta track about the perfection they put into their recording process, with Shinoda spelling out their drive in the opening line: ” Here we go for the hundredth time / hand grenade pins in every line / Throw ’em up and let something shine / Going out of my f—ing mind .” Thankfully they did bleed it out and dig a little deeper, cause this song is no throw away. Listen to ‘Bleed It Out’ ? ? 6 ‘Lying From You’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? ‘Lying From You’ is the perfect example of what the band did best early in their career and is a must for the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs list. It starts with a Joe Hahn viola-infused keyboard sample, then gives way to some hard-hitting Bourdon drumming, gritty guitar and bass work from Brad Delson and Phoenix Farrell and is offset with some of Shinoda’s best rhymes and Bennington’s supreme screams. It’s no wonder the track has become a live favorite over the years. Listen to ‘Lying From You’ ? ? 5 ‘Given Up’ From: ‘Minutes to Midnight’ (2007) ? ? Linkin Park delivered one of their hardest songs to date with ‘Given Up’ off the ‘Minutes to Midnight’ album. Guitarist Brad Delson shines on this track, not only for the infectious guitar lick that drives the song, but also for the keys jingling at the start of the cut. It’s also notable for Bennington’s excessive 17-second scream before the final chorus that drives home the alienation laid out in the lyrics. Listen to ‘Given Up’ ? ? 4 ‘Faint’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? LInkin Park’s early sampling along with a sped up guitar track from Delson and some dexterous drumming from Bourdon make ‘Faint’ one of the band’s more distinguishable songs. Though the title is never uttered in the track, the song itself is about making sure that you’re never so faint that your opinion isn’t heard. As Bennington belts, ” I can’t feel the way I did before / Don’t turn your back on me / I won’t be ignored .” Listen to ‘Faint’ ? ? 3 ‘One Step Closer’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ ? ? Need to blow off some steam? ‘One Step Closer’ is the track for you. Linkin Park’s ode to frustration ended up being the song that broke them to a mass audience. As a calling card, you could do a lot worse that Bennington’s in-your-face declaration, “Shut up when I’m talking to you.” As for the question of who was about to make Bennington break, the vocalist revealed in a 2011 with Kerrang that some of the lyrics were inspired by producer Don Gilmore who had repeatedly asked the band to rework the song. Listen to ‘One Step Closer’ ? ? 2 ‘Numb’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? ‘Numb’ is definitely one of Linkin Park’s more powerful songs, speaking heavily about trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. Bennington cuts right to the heart of the matter, singing, ” Don’t know what you’re expecting of me / Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes / Every step that I take is another mistake to you .” Blending equal parts melody and aggression, ‘Numb’ has become one of the band’s most beloved tracks. Listen to ‘Numb’ ? ? 1 ‘In the End’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ (2000) ? ? Though ‘One Step Closer’ was the song that broke Linkin Park, ‘In the End’ was the track that made sure that fans were around to stay. The song’s perfect blend of melancholy melody and angst-driven aggression showed the range of what the band could do. While Bennington may say in the track that he tried so hard, but in the end nothing really mattered, Linkin Park fans might disagree. The craftsmanship put on this cut made it a solid choice for the top of the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs list. Listen to ‘In the End’ ? ? What Are Linkin Park’s Best Songs? We’re well aware there are still a lot of great Linkin Park songs that didn’t make the cut and here’s your chance to make your argument to replace one on our list with another. Should chart-toppers like ‘Somewhere I Belong,’ ‘What I’ve Done,’ ‘The Catalyst’ or ‘Burn It Down’ be there? How about favorites like ‘Papercut,’ ‘Leave Out All the Rest,’ ‘Shadow of the Day’ or ‘Lost in the Echo’? Let us know your thoughts on this list in the comments section below.
Photos: Freeman Promotions / SoundgardenWorld.com Clutch and their tune ‘Earth Rocker’ took down Corey Taylor and Dave Grohl’s collaborative tune ‘From Can to Can’t’ in the last Cage Match but will they be able to continue to reign against their latest competition? Soundgarden enter the Cage Match with their new single ‘By Crooked Steps’ off their latest album ‘King Animal.’ Coincidentally, the video for the song was directed by previous Cage Match contender Dave Grohl. Soundgarden are currently on tour in the United States. For a full list of dates, go here . Also check out our exclusive photos of the band rocking out at one of two recent sold-out New York City shows. So will Soundgarden take the win ‘By Crooked Steps’ or will it be smooth sailing for Clutch and their track ‘Earth Rocker’? (This Cage Match will run until Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Clutch, ‘Earth Rocker’ Soundgarden, ‘By Crooked Steps’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Kevin Winter, Getty Images / Puscifer / Jason Merritt, Getty Images The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held last night (Feb. 10), and it was business as usual for the famed awards show. Music’s biggest names walked the carpet, while shiny golden gramophones were given out to rock artists such as the Black Keys , Halestorm and Trent Reznor + Atticus Ross. However, a sense of disarray resonated with various musicians, who took to Twitter in order to vent their disapproval of the Grammy Awards. Out of any rock act nominated, the Black Keys were one of the night’s biggest winners, having taken home trophies for Best Rock Album (‘El Camino’), Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance (‘Lonely Boy’) and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for frontman Dan Auerbach. Halestorm took home a Grammy after ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ won Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance and Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor and his partner in sonic crime Atticus Ross won the Best Score Soundtrack Grammy for their work on ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.’ Despite those victories, the Grammys were met with much criticism within the rock and metal community. Slipknot / Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor congratulated Halestorm on their win, but expressed disappointment in the Grammys’ lack of respect for metal music: I’m happy for Halestorm, but sad because the Grammys don’t respect our genre AT ALL. We get one category and it’s not even televised. — The Boogie Knight (@CoreyTaylorRock) February 11, 2013 Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro offered his own thoughts on the Grammys, opting to switch channels to catch the return of ‘The Walking Dead’ instead. People watch zombies on #thewalkingdead , zombies watch people on The Grammys — Dave Navarro (@DaveNavarro) February 11, 2013 Next up is Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer singer Maynard James Keenan , who took more of a passive objection to the Grammys, responding to a fan who tagged Keenan in a tweet. “@ ninelocal : Tnite’s Award Show is Irrelevant, Overrated & Not “fun.” wp.me/p2Fm11-gq I think @ mjkeenan of @ puscifer agrees.” Yup. — Maynard J Keenan (@mjkeenan) February 11, 2013 Adelitas Way also checked out the Grammys last night, but found the ceremony to be rather dull and uninspired. Watching the Grammys with respect for every artist involved, but this year is very boring, I would be def be breaking shit up there — adelitasway (@adelitasway) February 11, 2013 What did you think of the 2013 Grammy Awards? Let us know your thoughts on who should have won the many awards presented by the show in the comments section below! [button href=”http://loudwire.com/2013-grammy-award-winners/” title=”See the 2013 Grammy Awards Winners” align=”center”]
‘War of Change’ Video Still Thousand Foot Krutch are set to embark on a tour with Brian “Head” Welch ’s band Love and Death, as well as the Letter Black and the Wedding. Before the trek kicks off, TFK are unleashing their new music video for ‘War of Change,’ off the band’s independently released, No. 1-selling Billboard Hard Rock album ‘The End is Where We Begin,’ and you can watch it exclusively here on Loudwire. Frontman Trevor McNevan says ‘War of Change’ is about the beauty and hardship of change. “This song embodies the heart and soul of this record [‘The End Is Where We Begin’],” he explains. “I think it captures that urgency – that there are wars going on all around us and inside us. There’s something beautiful about ‘the sound of change,’ and I think this song covers those ideals and the essence of battle. Change can be beautiful and painstaking, but rarely is it comfortable.” Thousand Foot Krutch’s upcoming ‘War of Change Tour’ kicks off Feb. 21 in Columbia, Md., and runs through March 17 in Huntington, W.V. For a full list of tour dates, go here . And to pick up TFK’s album ‘The End is Where We Begin,’ head to iTunes or Amazon . ‘War of Change’ also appears on TFK’s recent remix EP, ‘Metamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Vol. 1,’ which is available at iTunes , as well. Watch Thousand Foot Krutch’s Music Video for ‘War of Change’ [Exclusive] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/thousand-foot-krutch-tour-love-and-death-the-letter-black-the-wedding/” title=”Click for Thousand Foot Krutch Tour Dates” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Bobby Blitz of Overkill was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. The vocalist spoke about the band’s massive trek with Testament, as well as his feeling towards East Coast and West Coast thrash metal. He also talks about the evolution of Overkill’s music and their new younger audience. Read Full Metal Jackie’s interview with Bobby Blitz below: I’ve got fellow East Coaster Bobby Blitz of Overkill on the show. How are you? It’s good to be here [in L.A.], just flew in from Hurricane Sandy and I’m happy to report we’re rebuilding already. Thank goodness, East Coasters are tough – it takes a lot to bring us down. I never was more proud of living in New Jersey as I was during this disaster and obviously the whole Tri-State New York area and appreciative of the help we got from the West Coast people who sent support over to us. I was very proud being a Jersey guy watching people rebuild saying, “I’m not leaving, I’m staying.” You are from the East Coast and you’re touring right now with Testament who are West Coast. What’s your favorite thing about West Coast thrash that isn’t really indicative of the East Coast? I think there’s a style, when it comes to West Coast thrash – it’s almost recognizable instantaneously to me. I think especially for the old school thrash it has a moniker on it, that Bay area sound is common to most of them whether it be Testament or the early on Metallica stuff. It’s really identifiable, where I think that East Coast thrash is probably more different, there’s not a common denominator through it. I always liken us to more meat and potatoes and they’re more of a seven course meal. [Laughs] Overkill has a well earned reputation of being such a great live band; when you’re up there onstage, when exactly do you know you’ve got them? It’s really more about a zone, it’s not about getting them. I think if you can get into that zone, that becomes really contagious and the zone really spreads out into the audience. It’s really a transfer of energy between let’s say them and us – that’s when you score, when you really start feeling extra high. [Laughs] It’s not about thinking about it, it’s really more about doing it. Hey maybe that’s part of it too, maybe East Coast is more about action. [Laughs] Overkill’s been around since 1980 and you’re latest album ‘The Electric Age’ was unbelievably good, same with Testament’s latest record – they’ve been around since ’83 and their latest album is incredibly good, as well. What is it about maturity that keeps you guys so full of piss and vinegar? It’s funny because you would think angst is really a young man’s game, you don’t really run into too many 50 year olds who are pissed off. [Laugh] It’s supposed to be calmed down by that particular time but I think that one of the things or contributing factors is that there’s a newfound want of this music. The scene is healthy at this particular time, there’s a lot of younger band’s doing it. I think that when the older bands feel that, you say, “Wait a second here, this is the way it’s supposed to be done.” [Laughs] We still have a couple good punches left here, it’s really that competitive nature that keeps this at a highs level and high quality releases. Just talking about the younger generation that’s discovering this style of metal now for the first time. Let’s say a kid comes up to you after a show on this tour, what do you hope he says to you? Well obviously I hope he says, “That was unbelievable,” [laughs] that’s the hope, “You weren’t worth it.” [laughs] One of the things that I notice as this grows and it still is to some degree, it’s growing through youth. I don’t think we’re incorporating new 45 or 30 year old thrash metal fans – we have them but they’ve been with us for a long period of time. So the youth is where our growth is, what I want to hear from them is that they really know the catalogue and they really know how it’s kind of developed over let’s say this 25 year period of touring and 30 years of songwriting, etc., and why ‘The Electric Age’ is more valuable in 2013 than even ‘Horoscope’ was in 1991. It’s more about the current day, that what I want to hear from them. Best of luck on tour, it always a pleasure. I feel like I grew up on Overkill being the Jersey girl that I am. It’s nice to be able to see you guys continuing to do what you do and even better this many years later. I’m blushing. I think we’ve said it on interviews before, I said, “I always have time for [Jackie], she’s a Jersey girl.” [Laughs] Seriously, from my college radio station which is where I started at WSOU in New Jersey is where I actually discovered Overkill. It’s just funny to look back and see to where we are today and to be able to talk to you and look back and laugh at the Birch Hill days, it’s cool to see where things are today. Somebody once told me and it’s 100 percent right that joy is in the journey so I think people like you and I and many other people that listen to this type of music experience that all together and that’s why it’s still strong this many years later. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Steve Von Till to her program this coming weekend. She can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com . 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Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images It was a busy weekend for Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello , who joined Bruce Springsteen and friends at the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony on Friday (Feb. 8) and then took part in the final performance of the 2013 Grammy Awards Sunday night (Feb. 10). Morello was part of an all-star collaboration fronted by Grammy host LL Cool J and Public Enemy’s Chuck D. on a song called ‘Whaddup’ off LL Cool J’s new album. Rounding out the five-piece was some nifty scratching from DJ Z-Trip and some dexterous beats from Blink-182 ‘s Travis Barker . Though Morello was mostly in the background on the track, he did come to the forefront for some serious shredding midway into the song. The new track was an interesting song, offering bits of throwbacks throughout from Chuck D.’s repetitious “Hear the drummer get wicked” to Z-Trip spinning a sample of LL Cool J’s ‘Rock the Bells.’ In addition, LL Cool J through in a nod to the late Adam Yauch , shouting “MCA forever” before running off a few lines of the Beastie Boys ‘ ‘No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.’ However, in a lame move, the end of the song was cut off by sponsorship mentions and a quick cutaway, presumably to keep the length of the show on time. The performance concluded a night which also featured stellar performances from the Black Keys , Jack White , fun. , and tributes to late musicians Bob Marley and Levon Helm . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/category/grammys/” title=”Full Grammy Coverage Here” align=”center”]
Kevork Djansezian / Jason Merrit, Getty Images On Sunday night (Feb. 10) at the 2013 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the big winners in the rock categories were the Black Keys and Halestorm . The Black Keys took home trophies for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for their hit ‘Lonely Boy,’ which they also performed during the ceremony, while also winning the award for Best Rock Album (‘El Camino’). Additionally, frontman Dan Auerbach won Producer of the Year. The Black Keys were also nominated for Record of the Year and Album of the Year, but lost out in those categories to Gotye and Mumford & Sons, respectively. Halestorm, meanwhile, beat out a slew of veteran acts to earn the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance for their No. 1 active rock hit ‘Love Bites (So Do I).’ During their backstage Q&A in the press room, frontwoman Lzzy Hale said, “It’s an incredible genre to be a part of because rock isn’t always the most popular genre. Sometimes we’re underground, but we all work really hard on the road. We all look out for one another.” Also among the winners was Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor , who shared the award for Best Score Soundtrack with Atticus Ross. Reznor didn’t attend the event, but Tweeted, “Why thanks, y’all.” Below is a list of all the winners in rock categories at the 55th Grammy Awards: 2013 Grammy Awards Rock Categories – Winners in Blue Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance Anthrax, ‘I’m Alive Iron Maiden, ‘Blood Brothers’ Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ Lamb of God, ‘Ghost Walking’ Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ Megadeth, ‘Who’s Life Is It Anyways?’ Album of the Year The Black Keys, ‘El Camino’ Fun., ‘Some Nights’ Mumford & Sons, ‘Babel’ Frank Ocean, ‘Channel Orange’ Jack White, ‘Blunderbuss’ Best Rock Performance Alabama Shakes, ‘Hold On’ The Black Keys, ‘Lonely Boy’ Coldplay, ‘Charlie Brown’ Mumford & Sons, ‘I Will Wait’ Bruce Springsteen, ‘We Take Care of Our Own’ Best Rock Song Jack White, ‘Freedom at 21′ Mumford & Sons, ‘I Will Wait’ The Black Keys, ‘Lonely Boy’ Muse, ‘Madness’ Bruce Springsteen, ‘We Take Care of Our Own’ Best Rock Album The Black Keys, ‘El Camino’ Coldplay, ‘Mylo Xyloto’ Muse, ‘The 2nd Law’ Bruce Springsteen, ‘Wrecking Ball’ Jack White, ‘Blunderbuss’ Producer of the Year Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys, Dr. John, Hacienda) Jeff Bhasker (fun.) Diplo (Usher, Major Lazer, Snoop Lion, Marina and the Diamonds, Santigold, No Doubt, Wale, Justin Bieber, Alex Clare) Markus Dravs (Mumford & Sons, Coldplay) Salaam Remi (Anthony Hamilton, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys & Nicki Minaj, Miguel, Nas, Melanie Fiona, Usher) Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo John Williams, ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Ludovic Bource, ‘The Artist’ Hans Zimmer, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Howard Shore, ‘Hugo’ Austin Wintory, ‘Journey’ Full List of 55th Annual Grammy Winners [button href=”http://loudwire.com/category/grammys/” title=”Full 2013 Grammys Coverage” align=”center”]