B
efore 2003, the undisputed
title of ‘Most Famous Meteora’
would have gone to the rock
formation in central Greece.
Situated near the spectacular
Pindus Mountains, it’s the site
of six monasteries, the last remaining ones of
the 24 that once stood there, hewn from vast
pillars amidst precariously steep drops. The
word ‘Meteora’ roughly translates as ‘lofty’.
Linkin Park had created their unique and
lasting impact on rock with Hybrid Theory.
But they appeared to have fashioned a rod
for their own back, too, given the album’s
outrageous fortune. Even before completing
their tours in support of their debut,
questions of how they’d follow up such an
unprecedented success story loomed large.
Would Linkin Park stumble and fall into the
abyss the second time around?
Even a cursory look at the state of the
scene gave reason for worry. Some of the
biggest names in nu-metal had shown
signs of a downturn. Korn and Papa Roach,
both unit-shifters of the highest order, had
underperformed commercially with their
Untouchables and Lovehatetragedy albums the
previous year. Maybe fans were switching off?
Chester didn’t seem to think so.
“I hate to say it, because I love both of those
bands, musically and as people, but there is
an up and down cycle in everyone’s life and
career,” the singer reasoned. “If our fans don’t
like our album, I think we should take it as a sign
[they] don’t like our [second] album. I think we
should take it as a sign that we’ve lost touch
with our fans and we need to regain that trust.”
“This band works better under pressure,”
Chester would say of Linkin Park’s preparation
for their very own Meteora. “We’re not going
to worry about outselling Hybrid Theory,
because you cannot count on those things.
You just have to go in and write songs you like
and do things that make you happy. If you cando that, then you’ve succeeded. We never
imagined this kind of response and it’s a great
thing to be part of. To attempt to match this
for that sake alone is ridiculous.”
Chester’s cool head was likely down to
the knowledge his band were already deep
into the creative process for album number
two, having written 80 demos during the
eight months they’d spent on the road. Given
a solid touring schedule designed to keep
the momentum going, they took to working
aboard their bus, where the cramped, box-like
conditions weren’t dissimilar to the bedroom
Mike had made his studio when the band was
called Xero – albeit with gear that cost a little
more than the $300 he’d spent back in the day.
“The nicest thing about having any recording
equipment on the road is it allows you to
capture that moment of spontaneity,” said Dave
during an interview for The Making Of Meteora.
“Something about that energy of just
having figured it out is important,” added MikeKERRANG! 29