Across seven albums and 17 years, Linkin Park’s seismic impact on modern rock was utterly undeniable. From their explosive entry into – and reinvention of – the nu-metal scene via mainstream-straddling crossover success, to their unabashed willingness to experiment and reinvent themselves, they were both the gateway act that brought so many bands and fans into the current scene and trailblazers in bulldozing the boundaries of what rock could be. Many snobbishly high-minded critics dismissed them as a guitar-wielding ‘pop’ band manufacturing music for the masses. They missed not only the burning spirit within these songs, but the sheer brilliance of that machine-tooled consistency and accessibility, too. Although the tragic passing of Chester Bennington has – perhaps permanently – stem...
